Quote of the day (or rather, last Friday): "I'm going to have a ducky taco, because I'm a duck" -- such a perfect combination of logic and imagination. Also! Just in case anyone else was under the impression that no one knows what a kestrel is, one boy at the Montessori school introduced his class to kestrels, because kestrels begins with a "k" sound, which was the sound of the week. I definitely wasn't expecting any five year-old to bring up kestrels.
It wasn't even a week ago that I typed up my last post, but I feel that Friday's events at both the school and the museum were too marked to not share. I was both impressed and fascinated by the exemplifications of independence, cooperation, responsibility, persistence, and focus by the children; as well as the acute difference in intellectual capabilities among children of the same age and among those who are only a couple years apart. To keep things organized, I'll delineate my observations by categorizing them into character values:
Cooperation & Guidance:
Montessori School - a girl, about 3 years old, undertakes a puzzle and after trying to piece it together on her own, seeks help from the teacher's assistant. The assistant suggests to a kindergarten girl to help the younger girl with her work, so she quietly gets up, leaving her own work on the table, to help her young friend. She encourages her, giving her hints as to what the pieces have to look like; though it is difficult to help someone with a puzzle without actually doing it yourself, so the kindergarten girl was responsible for completing the majority of the puzzle. Nevertheless, the older encouraged and patiently helped the younger until it was completed, both girls completely focused on the work. In about ten minutes they had finished and the work ended with a "ta-da!" Walking back over to her own work, the kinder asked the younger girl, "Would you like to work next to me?" "Sure!" the younger girl said, bringing her tray of play-dough. As time goes on, the kinder gently reminds the younger to keep quiet as they do their individual works, so they will not have to be separated. The teacher's assistant overhears and encourages the younger girl to listen to her friend and heed her advice. This was a great example of how advantageous it is to have a mixed-age classroom--the younger children learn from the older children, and the kindergarteners develop responsibility and an awareness that they are setting an example.
Responsibility:
"--, you need to come push in your chair."
"That wasn't her chair; it was mine," she says as she leaves her snack to go push in the chair that she had been working in earlier.
Self-Confidence:
Montessori School - She carefully lays out a mat on the floor, brings her work, and sits down. She ties a blindfold around her eyes and begins the challenge of matching different materials (glass, metal, stone, and carpet) based on her sense of touch. Finishing quickly with success, she puts that work back on the shelf where she found it and grabs the one to the right of it. The works are arranged in increasing order of difficulty from left to right. This time she matches pieces of fabric--still blindfolded. Again finishing with success, she moves on to the final work of matching ten various materials kept in small cups. After her best attempt, she takes off her blind fold and begins correcting her own mistakes. After all this work, she smiles to herself and tell the teacher what she did, proud of her accomplishment; the teacher makes note of her work.
Persistence, Cooperation, & Pacing:
Montessori School - Two boys (5-6 years old) work together to add four-digit numbers using wooden blocks which represent 1000s, 100s, 10s, and units. They quietly work together, side by side, waiting for each other to complete the steps of setting up the problem on their paper and correcting each other's work when they notice a mistake. They go to the shelf, working together to count out how many blocks they need to construct the four-digit number. They do not work quickly, but they are focused. After finishing their first problem, they file their worksheets in a bin and go to clean up their work, but the teacher's assistant asks them to do one more problem. Obediently, the boys get their work materials back out and sit on the mat. They decide, before beginning, to eat their snack together, which takes them about ten or so minutes. When they return, they are just as focused as before and with a little help from the teacher to remind them how to "exchange" when adding, they finish their work right in time for lunch. This whole work took around 30 minutes. Like I said, they did not work quickly, but they were focused and worked until they had completely finished.
Independence:
Children's Museum - during the Wee Wiggle class, which involves filling a room with toys and activities that get kids from 1 to 5 up and moving, I set up "river blocks," which are designed for kids to make a path out of by connecting them together and then walk on them to practice balancing. While one four-year old girl there wouldn't even try to walk on the blocks on her own, even after making a considerably long path, completely depending on her dad to hold her hand, another boy who was five-years old, had quite the different approach. He basically ran on the blocks, jumping across them and even straddling his legs at one point when the path had a break. The difference in the level of independence was shocking. Several times throughout the class, the father of the little girl had to tell her to try on her own things that she easily could do without his help. To be fair, one year can make a big difference, and I have no idea what kind of background these children have that influenced their character; regardless, this comes to show just how careful parents have to be when playing with their children by finding the balance between helping their child and letting their child be independent.
On another note, I witnessed a little boy, probably about one and a half years old, who made his way over to the "river blocks." With a pacifier still in his mouth, he began to walk on the blocks and balance (with more success than the four year-old girl). Then, to my dismay, his mother distracted him and lured him away from this coordination-developing activity by throwing a light scarf on his head. The boy looked confused at first and then just as delighted as his mom. To be honest, it upset me a little, after having been in a Montessori setting where focus is sacred, to see this little boy distracted from what he had originally set out to do. I knew this was an activity he genuinely wanted to do, because after five minutes, he returned to the blocks on his own. I guess Montessori is rubbing off on me.
Now for the highlight of my entire day. Well, actually, one of the two highlights:
At the museum, there is a room referred to as "Investigation Station" with an exhibit where kids can build small rollercoaster-type constructions using plastic tubes, poles which fit into movable stabilizers on the ground, clamps, and whiffle balls. A little boy and his seven year-old sister were working together to add on to a roller coaster that had already been begun. His sister was the one with the vision, directing the construction. She did most of the building while her brother tried to help, but probably feeling he was just getting in the way, reverted back to putting whiffle balls in the tubes and watching them roll down. I sat there and watching, helping only minimally, because I did not want to get in the way of their creation or impose my own ideas, suggestions, or help, and because I wanted to gauge their problem-solving skills. At some point I did finally explain how the clamps and knobs on the clamps worked after seeing the children repeatedly struggle. She continued to work with determination until she finished to her satisfaction, leaving her brother at the exhibit alone to venture off to the art studio. Now here's where it gets interesting...
Her brother, realizing he had all these materials to himself, took hold of his vision and set himself to work. His bright, concentrated eyes made me think to myself that I could be looking at a future engineer. He was so content and focused in what he was doing, as if the noise permeating the museum was nonexistent. I've never seen that level of focus before in the museum. I could see on his face the problem-solving that was going on in his mind, as he tried to figure out how to use the materials and make his vision reality. He struggled with the clamps as far as tightening them, and I had to remind him what each knob did and that he could move the poles which held the clamps. At some points he was visually frustrated by the fact that the tubes kept coming out of the clamps and falling apart. He was having to get used to the fact that he only had two hands and needed to do one thing at a time. Even when other children invaded his work-space with yelling and running, he continued to work until they eventually saw the work being done and left, as if they didn't want to disrupt him. The boy noticed their presence, and though not hostile, was silent. It was incredible to watch this four-year old as he persisted in his work for almost an entire hour, and it was beautiful to see him smile to himself after he put a whiffle ball down the tubes to see it roll successfully down and out. At one point as he was building, he hit a block and had to stop and think of where he wanted to make the roller-coaster go next. Right then, an older boy came in with lots of energy, attaching just one tube before running off again. That was all it took to inspire the younger boy to continue building, piecing the tubes together one at a time.
Eventually, a bright-eyed, confident, intelligent, and articulate six year-old boy came and began to build on to a separate area of the coaster. While he worked, the other boy stopped building, asked him if he wanted to build on to his coaster, and when the six year-old said he did not want to, he decided to stop working and watch him. All this time I helped only when it was clear the boys wanted or needed it, and seeing the older boy struggle with the clamps, I explained to him how to use them, and he retained and applied that knowledge. When the ball flew off his short, two-piece coaster, he explained why it fell; it was "going too fast." This showed reasoning and his following actions exemplified problem-solving skills when he rotated the tubes so the sides would hold in the ball. It's incredible to see how much a child develops in only two years. The younger boy carefully watched the older, trying to learn from him and at one point even asking, "Like this?"
Nevertheless, the younger boy's initial concentration was unmatched. Everything began to fall apart, however, when the older boy's brother came to show off a toy he had received from the front desk. How fragile focus is! Still, an hour of concentration is still impressive.
To just give an idea of how different children can be (if you didn't already realize), another four-year old boy came to play after the other had left. This boy could not have been less focused; neither was he able to articulate himself at all. He was dependent on my help and the help of his guardian to help him handle the tubes, and when I tried to explain the clamps to him, he looked neither at me nor the clamps. I was taken aback at the way this boy awkwardly handled the materials around him and how less developed his motor skills were than the other boy. I know that there are many factors that influence a child's development and I will never have the chance to know what kind of education and experiences the two boys have had that led them to develop so differently. I also know that personality plays a part. All of this is fascinating to me, but it also worries me to see children so dependent on others that they are not even willing to take the risk of trying to do things on their own or take the time to problem-solve.
To end on a positive note, I will tell you my second highlight of the day: glitter tattoos! (at the museum). I felt like the coolest person in the world covering a bunch of kids in glittery green dragons, rainbows, and pink whales! How better to end a day than with glitter?! :D
It wasn't even a week ago that I typed up my last post, but I feel that Friday's events at both the school and the museum were too marked to not share. I was both impressed and fascinated by the exemplifications of independence, cooperation, responsibility, persistence, and focus by the children; as well as the acute difference in intellectual capabilities among children of the same age and among those who are only a couple years apart. To keep things organized, I'll delineate my observations by categorizing them into character values:
Cooperation & Guidance:
Montessori School - a girl, about 3 years old, undertakes a puzzle and after trying to piece it together on her own, seeks help from the teacher's assistant. The assistant suggests to a kindergarten girl to help the younger girl with her work, so she quietly gets up, leaving her own work on the table, to help her young friend. She encourages her, giving her hints as to what the pieces have to look like; though it is difficult to help someone with a puzzle without actually doing it yourself, so the kindergarten girl was responsible for completing the majority of the puzzle. Nevertheless, the older encouraged and patiently helped the younger until it was completed, both girls completely focused on the work. In about ten minutes they had finished and the work ended with a "ta-da!" Walking back over to her own work, the kinder asked the younger girl, "Would you like to work next to me?" "Sure!" the younger girl said, bringing her tray of play-dough. As time goes on, the kinder gently reminds the younger to keep quiet as they do their individual works, so they will not have to be separated. The teacher's assistant overhears and encourages the younger girl to listen to her friend and heed her advice. This was a great example of how advantageous it is to have a mixed-age classroom--the younger children learn from the older children, and the kindergarteners develop responsibility and an awareness that they are setting an example.
Responsibility:
"--, you need to come push in your chair."
"That wasn't her chair; it was mine," she says as she leaves her snack to go push in the chair that she had been working in earlier.
Self-Confidence:
Montessori School - She carefully lays out a mat on the floor, brings her work, and sits down. She ties a blindfold around her eyes and begins the challenge of matching different materials (glass, metal, stone, and carpet) based on her sense of touch. Finishing quickly with success, she puts that work back on the shelf where she found it and grabs the one to the right of it. The works are arranged in increasing order of difficulty from left to right. This time she matches pieces of fabric--still blindfolded. Again finishing with success, she moves on to the final work of matching ten various materials kept in small cups. After her best attempt, she takes off her blind fold and begins correcting her own mistakes. After all this work, she smiles to herself and tell the teacher what she did, proud of her accomplishment; the teacher makes note of her work.
Persistence, Cooperation, & Pacing:
Montessori School - Two boys (5-6 years old) work together to add four-digit numbers using wooden blocks which represent 1000s, 100s, 10s, and units. They quietly work together, side by side, waiting for each other to complete the steps of setting up the problem on their paper and correcting each other's work when they notice a mistake. They go to the shelf, working together to count out how many blocks they need to construct the four-digit number. They do not work quickly, but they are focused. After finishing their first problem, they file their worksheets in a bin and go to clean up their work, but the teacher's assistant asks them to do one more problem. Obediently, the boys get their work materials back out and sit on the mat. They decide, before beginning, to eat their snack together, which takes them about ten or so minutes. When they return, they are just as focused as before and with a little help from the teacher to remind them how to "exchange" when adding, they finish their work right in time for lunch. This whole work took around 30 minutes. Like I said, they did not work quickly, but they were focused and worked until they had completely finished.
Independence:
Children's Museum - during the Wee Wiggle class, which involves filling a room with toys and activities that get kids from 1 to 5 up and moving, I set up "river blocks," which are designed for kids to make a path out of by connecting them together and then walk on them to practice balancing. While one four-year old girl there wouldn't even try to walk on the blocks on her own, even after making a considerably long path, completely depending on her dad to hold her hand, another boy who was five-years old, had quite the different approach. He basically ran on the blocks, jumping across them and even straddling his legs at one point when the path had a break. The difference in the level of independence was shocking. Several times throughout the class, the father of the little girl had to tell her to try on her own things that she easily could do without his help. To be fair, one year can make a big difference, and I have no idea what kind of background these children have that influenced their character; regardless, this comes to show just how careful parents have to be when playing with their children by finding the balance between helping their child and letting their child be independent.
On another note, I witnessed a little boy, probably about one and a half years old, who made his way over to the "river blocks." With a pacifier still in his mouth, he began to walk on the blocks and balance (with more success than the four year-old girl). Then, to my dismay, his mother distracted him and lured him away from this coordination-developing activity by throwing a light scarf on his head. The boy looked confused at first and then just as delighted as his mom. To be honest, it upset me a little, after having been in a Montessori setting where focus is sacred, to see this little boy distracted from what he had originally set out to do. I knew this was an activity he genuinely wanted to do, because after five minutes, he returned to the blocks on his own. I guess Montessori is rubbing off on me.
Now for the highlight of my entire day. Well, actually, one of the two highlights:
At the museum, there is a room referred to as "Investigation Station" with an exhibit where kids can build small rollercoaster-type constructions using plastic tubes, poles which fit into movable stabilizers on the ground, clamps, and whiffle balls. A little boy and his seven year-old sister were working together to add on to a roller coaster that had already been begun. His sister was the one with the vision, directing the construction. She did most of the building while her brother tried to help, but probably feeling he was just getting in the way, reverted back to putting whiffle balls in the tubes and watching them roll down. I sat there and watching, helping only minimally, because I did not want to get in the way of their creation or impose my own ideas, suggestions, or help, and because I wanted to gauge their problem-solving skills. At some point I did finally explain how the clamps and knobs on the clamps worked after seeing the children repeatedly struggle. She continued to work with determination until she finished to her satisfaction, leaving her brother at the exhibit alone to venture off to the art studio. Now here's where it gets interesting...
Her brother, realizing he had all these materials to himself, took hold of his vision and set himself to work. His bright, concentrated eyes made me think to myself that I could be looking at a future engineer. He was so content and focused in what he was doing, as if the noise permeating the museum was nonexistent. I've never seen that level of focus before in the museum. I could see on his face the problem-solving that was going on in his mind, as he tried to figure out how to use the materials and make his vision reality. He struggled with the clamps as far as tightening them, and I had to remind him what each knob did and that he could move the poles which held the clamps. At some points he was visually frustrated by the fact that the tubes kept coming out of the clamps and falling apart. He was having to get used to the fact that he only had two hands and needed to do one thing at a time. Even when other children invaded his work-space with yelling and running, he continued to work until they eventually saw the work being done and left, as if they didn't want to disrupt him. The boy noticed their presence, and though not hostile, was silent. It was incredible to watch this four-year old as he persisted in his work for almost an entire hour, and it was beautiful to see him smile to himself after he put a whiffle ball down the tubes to see it roll successfully down and out. At one point as he was building, he hit a block and had to stop and think of where he wanted to make the roller-coaster go next. Right then, an older boy came in with lots of energy, attaching just one tube before running off again. That was all it took to inspire the younger boy to continue building, piecing the tubes together one at a time.
Eventually, a bright-eyed, confident, intelligent, and articulate six year-old boy came and began to build on to a separate area of the coaster. While he worked, the other boy stopped building, asked him if he wanted to build on to his coaster, and when the six year-old said he did not want to, he decided to stop working and watch him. All this time I helped only when it was clear the boys wanted or needed it, and seeing the older boy struggle with the clamps, I explained to him how to use them, and he retained and applied that knowledge. When the ball flew off his short, two-piece coaster, he explained why it fell; it was "going too fast." This showed reasoning and his following actions exemplified problem-solving skills when he rotated the tubes so the sides would hold in the ball. It's incredible to see how much a child develops in only two years. The younger boy carefully watched the older, trying to learn from him and at one point even asking, "Like this?"
Nevertheless, the younger boy's initial concentration was unmatched. Everything began to fall apart, however, when the older boy's brother came to show off a toy he had received from the front desk. How fragile focus is! Still, an hour of concentration is still impressive.
To just give an idea of how different children can be (if you didn't already realize), another four-year old boy came to play after the other had left. This boy could not have been less focused; neither was he able to articulate himself at all. He was dependent on my help and the help of his guardian to help him handle the tubes, and when I tried to explain the clamps to him, he looked neither at me nor the clamps. I was taken aback at the way this boy awkwardly handled the materials around him and how less developed his motor skills were than the other boy. I know that there are many factors that influence a child's development and I will never have the chance to know what kind of education and experiences the two boys have had that led them to develop so differently. I also know that personality plays a part. All of this is fascinating to me, but it also worries me to see children so dependent on others that they are not even willing to take the risk of trying to do things on their own or take the time to problem-solve.
To end on a positive note, I will tell you my second highlight of the day: glitter tattoos! (at the museum). I felt like the coolest person in the world covering a bunch of kids in glittery green dragons, rainbows, and pink whales! How better to end a day than with glitter?! :D
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