Theo, Jake and Iris are standing around a table with clay, mallets and rolling pins. They are fully engaged in their own pursuits, seemingly unaware of one another.

That is until Jake spots the rolling pin in Theo’s hand. Jake looks at Theo, looks at the rolling pin, looks back at Theo….the message is . . . → Read More: A Rolling Pin Problem]]>

Theo, Jake and Iris are standing around a table with clay, mallets and rolling pins. They are fully engaged in their own pursuits, seemingly unaware of one another.

That is until Jake spots the rolling pin in Theo’s hand. Jake looks at Theo, looks at the rolling pin, looks back at Theo….the message is clear, he wants the rolling pin. Jake notices Theo eying the rolling pin and immediately tucks the rolling pin protectively under his arm. Theo retreats, head hanging down, recognizing there is no hope for him and the rolling pin. But Jake sees how sad Theo is, reconsiders, and holds the rolling pin out gesturing for him to to take it. Theo however, doesn’t see the gesture and continues retreating, head hanging low.

Iris has been watching keenly,  and knows exactly what is going on…..she quickly grabs the rolling pin from Jake’s hand and deftly thrusts it in front of Theo’s face to make sure he sees it. Theo takes the rolling pin and turns back to roll a piece of clay in front of him.

All three continue with their own clay pursuits, again seemingly unaware of each other.

I observed this small interaction, it happened silently, quickly, and without drama. These children were communicating, understanding a problem, finding a solution, reading non verbal cues, negotiating, showing empathy, understanding, and generosity. And all of them were 3 years old or less.

How many of these moments happen in a day among children? How many acts of generosity, of understanding do we miss?

How many times do we impose our solution to a rolling pin problems? We seem  certain that our help is needed, that a solution cannot be found without us.

Jake, Theo and Iris didn’t need me or  my ideas. They didn’t even need words. It really wasn’t a problem at all.

Danielle and I just returned from the annual Early Childhood Educators of BC Conference . . . → Read More: Get a Big Group]]> A while ago I posted Get a Group, in which I talked about how eight of us get together to discuss our ECE practice. But now I want to talk about how fabulous it is to Get a Big Group…..say 350?!

Danielle and I just returned from the annual Early Childhood Educators of BC Conference where ECE’s from all over our province gathered in Vancouver for 3 days. There were presentations, workshops, meetings, slide shows, and a gala dinner, but as my good friend and colleague Sarah always says “It’s not about what happens in the sessions, it’s about what happens in the hallways”.

The diversity of presentations was amazing and I didn’t  hear one negative comment about any of them, but it was the conversations at breakfast, over coffee, in the corridors and over wine in the evenings that really fascinated me.  It was in these places that I heard retired ECEs wonder how they could volunteer to engage ECEs in ongoing dialogues to reflect on practice, it was here I heard instructors from colleges 500 miles apart discuss how to support students in practicum when the setting is challenging. I heard a young ECE talk about how she she is changing her practice to better reflect her personal values, and another share how she is trying to get rid of the plastic toys in her centre. I talked with people who were trying to bring ECEs and primary teachers together to share practice, and another who wants to do research on using pedagogical narrations as a tool for assessment. I heard about challenging licensing regulations so aboriginal communities could build a fire and share traditional culture with children, and I heard about work being done to attract males to our field.

Passion is an overworked, over-used term and I’m hesitant to use it here. But there was passion in those corridors, in those conversations. The connections being made, the ideas, the information, the challenges and the struggles that were shared were serious and joyful, determined and heartfelt.

I came away with admiration for my fellow ECEs. We are consistently under paid and undervalued, we work in basements and church halls that were never intended for children, we work more hours than we are paid because we want to change that bulletin board or try that new idea, we make due because we have no funding, we do advocacy on the side, and education on evenings and weekends. And yet  those corridors were filled with passion for our work, belief in the importance of what we do and a commitment to keep learning.

I am always proud to be an ECE. Being in that Big Group made me even more proud.

This is the craziest thing. These are jelly moulds you can  make and when you touch them they make music. It’s called Noisy Jelly. Of course.

All I can say is the French students who invented this must have had a childhood that allowed lots of exploration, creativity and experimentation!

Let me describe a typical snack time. The table is beautifully set by the children. Each child brings their own snack that their  parents have lovingly supplied for them. Some children have many choices and some just have one treasured item for snack.

The children sit and talk for sometime but a lot of . . . → Read More: When Children Choose]]>

Let me describe a typical snack time. The table is beautifully set by the children. Each child brings their own snack that their  parents have lovingly supplied for them. Some children have many choices and some just have one treasured item for snack.

The children sit and talk for sometime but a lot of the snack choices end up back in their lunch kits or packs. Snack is never the focus. Most of the time as well one child is done before everyone else and returns to playing.

This morning the children and I decided to walk to a local market and pick up snack first this morning. We had discussed it on Wednesday at snack. I had suggested that maybe we could make a salad. The children wholeheartedly said “no” We talked about other things we could pick up. By the end of snack on Wednesday it was decided we could pick up cheese and crackers.

When we got to the market we first looked at the local vegetables they had outside. The first thing we saw was a cucumber. I asked if the children wanted cucumber some shouted yes some shouted no. So at that point I decided we needed a more democratic process. I rephrased my question “Who would like to have cucumber for snack? Please put up your hand.” Two thirds of the class put up their hands. I then asked “Who would not like cucumber for snack? Please put up your hand.” It was decided yes we would have cucumber for snack. We did this same process with apples. Then we walked into the store and looked at the dairy cooler. I started listing off what was available. Cheddar Cheese, goats cheese, yogurt……. The children all said yogurt. We invoked the democratic process again to decide on whether we wanted strawberry, peach or raspberry yogurt. Raspberry it was.

Then the children pointed out the cracker shelf and asked if they could get the bunny crackers. Again we had two choices cheddar bunny crackers or chocolate graham bunny crackers. They chose the chocolate. We paid for our groceries where the children all informed the shop keeper of their age and what their favourite thing to do at preschool was.

We returned to the preschool  I invited the children to play. While they played I happily cut apples and cucumbers and arranged them in a pleasing way on a bamboo cutting board.  Today our food was the centre piece. I set the table with an organza runner and the board of cucumbers and apples in the centre. I returned to the counter to get the bowl of crackers and yogurt. When I returned to the table three children were already sitting at the table. I said “Oh you can still play I am just getting ready for snack.”

“We want to eat snack now” they told me.

I asked the whole class if they wanted to have snack now and it was a resounding “yes”

The children washed their hands and we had snack. Now here is the thing. They ate everything. I mean everything. Apples, cucumbers, yogurt and of course the chocolate bunny crackers. Nothing was left on the table, save for a few apple peels. I asked them what was different about this snack. They said it was delicious.

I told the children we still had one apple, half a cucumber and half a box of bunny crackers left. That we could have another snack on Monday when we returned if they liked. They all thought that was a smashing idea.

“Can we do this again?” a child then asked.

I said “Well yes we are going to finish the leftovers on Monday.”

“no can we go to the store and pick our own snack again.” the child asked

“Can we get peach yogurt next time?” another child piped in.

I said of course.

Here is the thing not only did they eat everything but they all stayed sitting and talking for a long period of time. Half hour to forty-five minutes long. Decisions were made around that table. We were going start choosing our snack once in a while. It was also decided we would try a new yogurt each time. Peach next, strawberry after that and maybe raspberry again. This was a “working” snack. They all chose to start together and they all ended snack together. That never happens.

Snack today was  a good reminder  of how invested children are when they have choice and control over their experiences.

“It is the ability to choose which makes us human.”

anonymous

We are excited to be hosted by Victoria CCRR. We hope that you can join us!

So the children have embraced the table setting practice. One day when I was getting ready for snack a child offered to help me set the table. I asked her if she wanted to do it herself. She responded enthusiastically with a yes.  I quickly put a tray together of my materials . . . → Read More: The Pretties Revisited]]>

So the children have embraced the table setting practice. One day when I was getting ready for snack a child offered to help me set the table. I asked her if she wanted to do it herself. She responded enthusiastically with a yes.  I quickly put a tray together of my materials (no shelf yet). She went straight to work. When the other children saw what she was doing they wanted to help but Helen wanted to do it herself. So I asked the children if I should make a sign up sheet.They said yes.

So I quickly created a sign up sheet. At our group meeting that day I let them know I would leave it on the table and they could sign up for a turn. Everyone rushed to sign up.

Each day the children took seriously the task of setting the table. Each child had their own style, some were less is more and some children were of the belief that more is more.

The tray I put together of materials for the children to create a centre piece.

A child setting the table. Notice the beautiful cherry blossoms she brought from home.Another setting with flowers brought from home.

Another setting with flowers brought from home.

We have started a new tradition as well. When we sit down to enjoy our snack at our beautiful table we thank the child who set it.

The parents have gotten excited about it as well. I leave the table set for pick up time. The other day I had a parent take pictures of the table her child set. Parents come with flowers for the table sometimes as well.

“Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day – like writing a poem or saying a prayer. “
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I have been on vacation on a tropical island in the Pacific. All I will say . . . → Read More: Holes]]> “It takes a universe to make a child, both in outer form and inner spirit. It takes a universe to educate a child, a universe to fulfill a child.”    Thomas Berry

I have been on vacation on a tropical island in the Pacific. All I will say about it is summed up in what I overheard a woman say to her husband on the phone: “Honey, sell everything, we’re moving here”.

 I am not moving here, though one can always dream.

 But being the self admitted ECE geek that I am, I can’t help thinking ECE thoughts. And this is what I noticed….holes. Children of every age are compelled to dig holes in the sand. I watched a tiny girl not more than 11 months using her chubby little hands to scrape fistfuls of sand to examine,  taste, feel and then pat into her tiny shovel, then dump.  She repeated the process, making tiny little holes in the sand between her tiny little legs.

I watched 4 larger kids dig a hole that was 6 feet deep. It took them the better part of the day, and when it was finished they sat in it completely hidden from view.

(I have no photos of these holes. Taking pictures of OPK’s (Other People’s Kids) and posting them on the internet is a bit sketchy. I had to make due with snapping pictures in the evening when the beach diggers were done.)

 Adults are not immune to this compulsion. Dad’s and Grandpa’s seem especially drawn to digging and one can watch as the kids find other amusement and the dad and/or grandpa are still hard at it.

 Danielle and I have posted frequently about natural materials, and how The Beach Provides. What is it about sand the invites such interactions? Is it the transformation? Sand is wet, dry, hot, cold, smooth, rough, stubborn and pliable….and all of these properties can explored in one sitting (or one hole!)

One can test one’s abilities against sand, how far, how deep how high. Traces of oneself can be left, artistry and strength can be demonstrated,  but of course the sand always returns as it was when you arrived, your traces gone.

The sand asks many questions of us, invites many conversations. Holes are just one way to enter the dialogue.

This was a question an ECE I know was reflecting on. She facilitates a program in which parents and caregivers, grandmother’s and grandfather’s stay with their children. Traditionally in these programs adults engage alongside the child, or simply . . . → Read More: Invitation to Parents]]> How do you create an art provocation that invites  parents to engage in  their own creative processes?

This was a question an ECE I know was reflecting on. She facilitates a program in which parents and caregivers, grandmother’s and grandfather’s stay with their children. Traditionally in these programs adults engage alongside the child, or simply watch as the child explores paint or glue or clay.

Mary wanted to create a place, a space for parents to draw or paint or sculpt for their own pleasure. To have a sense of place as a creative adult. An adult who happens to be here with a child.  Perhaps in doing so, Mary thought, the child would in turn be seen as a creative individual. Who happens to be with an adult.

 So Mary artfully arranged this provocation, and quick as you please adults sat down and took up a brush.

 And so did the children.