SPACE ,HERE I COME

                                                           LETS GO TO SPACE IN MY SPACESHIP

After we were done with our SOLAR SYSTEM PROJECT with the Thermocol Balls, children were really excited to play with it ;matching it with their respective picture cards, talking about them , discussing different facts which we are sharing in the class and many more .

 

This child was trying to find out the right planet which can be matched with the planet ball she was holding.

For our final day celebration, we started preparing a large Picture Board of the SOLAR SYSTEM for our Circle Time area. Kids took their active roles of gluing the Sun which we cut from a Yellow sheet.

 

It doesn't matter if some children participates actually in every step , some children learn some different skills while watching their friends doing the sctivity.

 

And once we were done with the SOLAR SYSTEM BOARD , we discussed about the facts and figures in much detail through pictures, books and stories.Their intelligent questions just surprised me , a very acttive child  of my class announced, "And you know Miss Erum, we can even go to the Space and have a direct look at the planets which are in the sky, please , can we make our own SPACESHIP ?"

"yes why not",I replied. And then the very next day, we have started preparing our SPACESHIP with the Cardbard Boxes .

 

Once the the initial structure was ready , children started their most favourite activity of cutting the strips of black sheets to add some designs on our Spaceship.

 

Everyone wanted to cut , so I provided enough sheets and then they cut dozens of  it .

Now its the time to paste the Black strips on the Spaceship, this process was itself a fun part as they all played with the Spaceship while pasting in their own way and style.

 

Its only we as adults who makes everything Serious and boring, for children simple cutting, pasting and binding are all fun and learning activity  and they never mind how much they play with it.

 

This was the final look of our Spaceship, with the Foil paper added to it's borders to give it a perfect look.

 

 

Everything can be learned in a PLAYFULL environment , the point is to allow children the freedom to play and explore by themselves without much "interference".

LETS SUPPORT FREE - PLAY.

        

 

A CHILD CAN DISCOVER THE UNIVERSE THROUGH SIMPLE PLAY

 

Last month we all were busy in our SCIENCE PROJECT week. And as we were learning some new Geography facts, some children started asking me about the Origin of Earth, planets and Space.So I decided to make a SOLAR SYSTEM project for our class.

I bought few thermocol balls of different sizes. We painted them according to their colour as we have seen in our lesson on the GEOGRAPHY shelf .

 

 

 

The next day some of the children took out the Solar system cards and started Matching it with the planet balls which we have painted  a day before.

I asked them that we need to make a "base or stand"  for the planets to display . And then they all started collecting the thermocol  pieces which we have been  collecting throughout the year , we cut them equally and then its time to paste them together to make a long stand . Under my supervision, they just love to use the Glue gun.

 

While some other children were busy in preparing some other projects with my Assistant , we as a group were working together and helping each other ; here these kids were fixing the Barbque sticks to the balls and then pusing them into the stand.

 

I'v  always witnessed that the process in which children are involved to make or prepare something is more important than the final product itself. A child always learns by  interacting and participating with their hands.

 

So everybody now was making their contribution in fixing the planet balls on the stand. Here they have learned some amazing skills; estimation of spaces between the two objects, balance needed to fix something on the thermopole stuff, accuracy required to make a hole on the stands like this and many more but all unconsciously. Thats the real learning infact.

 

 Its very natural that in these type of group work, always a leader emerges not by  the willingness of others or the authority but through the amount of motivation and willingness one shows, to participate till the end.

 

Hey, you wanna try also.

 

 Once they were done, they started naming the planets , comparing the sizes, noticing the differnt colours, and playing with it imaginatively . I 'v discovered that the amount of concentration, motivation, dedication and exploration have a direct link with the amount of Participation in the project or work which a child does.

 

Sun was really an amazing thing for them, they have discovered its greatness, and so every child wanted to hold the Sun .

 Neptune is my favourite planet , shouted one of my cutest child , and here I play with it.

 

The next day they all were singing the PLANET song ; Sun, Mercury, Venus , Earth and Mars and Jupiter , Saturn , Uranus ,......and the song goes on.

 

Every single day my children teaches me some lessons, on that particular day,I have learned the lesson that "PLAY IS THE WORK OF A CHILD" .MARIA MONTESSORI.

 

MIXING, KNEADING AND THEN MAKING DOUGHS ARE ALL PERFECT FOR A CHILD TO DEVELOPE HIS SENSES , FINE MOTOR AND GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

                   CONCENTRATION CANNOT BE TAUGHT BUT CAN BE CREATED

Last week we were discussing the different forms of SOLID  after the innitial lesson on SOLID, LIQUID AND GAS, so one of the child asked ,"what about the powders?". I said, "Well, its a form of solid", then another child shouted, "wow, I have an idea , we can add water to the powder, and we can see if it still remains solid ?". I said," Yes , why not".

So the next day, I arranged the desired stuff like, flour, few herbs, mixing bowls etc. And now its time for my children to start their experiment. One by one ,they all mixed the spices in the wheat flour.

 

 Every child was cautious about what Herbs and how much of it can be mixed in the flour, so they all acted intelligently calculating many things like if the Mixture has more or less of some herbs .

 

 

 

 Children learn the exactness of measurment not by reading books about the topic  or doing Worksheets but by DOING it with their own HANDS.

 

Wow! and then the Ultimate Kneading process began , its all about using their fine-motor and Gross-motor skills to its maximum.

Thay have added some Rose water to the mixture and then enjoyed the beautiful aroma coming out.

 

For three year olds, the mixing of water itself is a MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

 

 

And then I witnessd that each child developed his or her own way of calculating the amount of water needed to make the dough. 

 

Each child was discovering his own way of kneading , thats for sure only comes with the Direct interaction with the dough regardless of what you teach them to do so.

 

 

Then they started making little balls , some children choose to make big balls ,and they just  refused to make a little one . Here I can see the power of DECISION is developing.

 

Every single ball coming out of the Dough was enjoyed by the kids, and each ball taught them a different lesson.

 

 

Amazing view of making their own stuff .

 

                                              

Now its time to transfer them into a Baking tray , no ne taught them about the size of the tray and holders, but they discovered it by themselves how big a  dough ball can fit into it.

 

And the tray was getting filled with lots of balls.

 

 

 

  

 

ADULTS DEFINITION OF MESSINESS needs to be changed because they dont know what a child can learn through it.

 

                    

Its natural for a Montessori child to start the clean up process after the work is done. This child carried the tray to the Wash basin in the classroom and started washing it, followed by other students who carried differnt stuff and washed it one by one.

 

 

Then the whole class was busy cleaning the environment . Cleaning the floor after the activity is just another  NATURAL INSTINCT in a chid, no REMINDERS NEEDED.

 

And as we sponge and srub the tables everyday , they all felt the need to clean them too.

 

After the mopping ,this child felt the urge to collect the tinnest objects from the floor.

 

 And here lies the satisfaction a child can get after the Completion of the task, infact a Task can never be completed without the urge to clean the environment.  And in a Montessori classroom, cleaning is the most imporatnt component of the Task .
            So they have learned that adding water to the flour doesn't change it's form into  LIQUID ; a lesson they should learn in their EARLY CHILDOOD YEARS.