When we start to embrace child-driven, play-based learning, we have to ask: what are the adults supposed to do? If we are offering children open-ended materials and letting them run with imagination and experimentation, do we just walk away? Do we play with them? When kids are engaged with their own explorations, there is a certain freedom […]
Young children are always at play. Their minds and bodies are wired to explore their world, no matter the location or context. In and around the home, where they feel comfortable and safe, a child can let their mind wander and follow playful, curious paths. One way we, as adults, can support them is with […]
Light and shadow are all around us: you don’t need to look far to find natural or artificial light making spaces more interesting. In the bright summer sun, you might see intense shadows coming through the trees and showing crisp outlines of leaf shapes, or simply illuminating leaves from behind, making them seem like they […]
“A simple geometric shape could become any number of things to a child. It could be a truck or a boat or the car of a train. He could build buildings with it, from barns to skyscrapers. I could see the children of my as yet unborn school constructing a complete community with blocks.” –Caroline […]
There are a few approaches to offering materials to children for play and exploration. There are toys and materials that are accessible to kids in those bins, bags, and boxes. There are the structured plans: a craft or an activity, designed to be followed (roughly) step by step. Then there is something in the middle: […]
We know that children are going to play, no matter what: through good days and bad days, celebrating their interests and digging deep into the unknown. No matter what materials we have around, kids will play with them. We can choose some of the materials, of course, when we buy or acquire toys. The other […]
