“Being destructive for the child in a play context is just as much about tearing up old ideas and notions as it is about tearing up a leaf into tiny, tiny strips...and both should be encouraged.” —Marc Armitage
Kids of all ages enjoy the satisfying sensory experience of simply taking objects apart. It turns out that there are a whole host of learning benefits kids get from creating loose parts and turning them into something new. This Spring we are kicking off our Creativity series by inviting kids to lean into the creative power of destructive play! Kids can pick and pluck various natural objects apart, then, gather up the loose parts and bring them together to create something new.
The Guide
Step 1: Watch the Tinkergarten Home Breaking and Making video lesson.
Hop into your My Tinkergarten dashboard to watch the Breaking and Making video lesson. Kids can watch how Meghan and other explorers break nature objects into tiny pieces, then get inspired to do their own breaking and making!
Not yet signed up? Click here to sign up or to try a free Tinkergarten Home lesson.
Step 2: Gather objects kids can destroy.
Use baskets, buckets or bags to collect objects that are interesting and could be broken into smaller parts, such as pine cones, flowers, veined leaves, sticks or sections of logs. Be thoughtful as you gather, focusing on treasures “found on the ground.” And, only take what you need. This activity does alter the items in a natural area, but it is for a great cause.
Step 3: Deconstruct!
Dump all of your gathered items in a pile. Wonder together, “I wonder what would happen if we took some of these treasures apart into their bits and pieces…” Grab one of the items and start to pull it apart. Share your delight as you play, modeling both the joy and the wonder you feel when you deconstruct. Consider even tossing some of the bits into the air and cheering. Most likely, kids will follow suit. Let this go on, gathering more items to fuel the fire as necessary, as long as kids are engaged.
Step 4: Create something new.
Wonder together what you could create with all of the loose parts. Try some of these ideas:
Make Shapes—Make a circle, spiral or other shape on the ground with a piece of string, twine or chalk. Welcome kids to arrange their treasures along the shape.
Sort—Sort the pieces into piles based on different categories (e.g. pieces that are soft, rough, round, long, brown).
Design—Offer a piece of cloth or a falt surface for kids to arrange their pieces to create a design of their own.
Nature Bracelet—Wrap a piece of tape around your child's wrist or ankle (sticky side out) and welcome them to stick pieces onto it to make a bracelet or anklet.
Decorate a tree—Wrap tape sticky side out) around a tree trunk or branch and stick nature bits onto it.
Step 5: Clean up.
Involve kids in the process of gathering together all of the loose bits. This work need not be perfect, but it will teach your children to make as little impact on nature as possible, and that lesson will stick with them.
By creativity, we mean the ability to both imagine original ideas or solutions to problems and actually do what needs to be done to make them happen. So, to help kids develop creativity, we parents need to nurture kids' imaginations and give them lots of chances to design, test, redesign and implement their ideas.
"Creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”
Why, you ask? For one, it is through being creative that a person is able to get senses, sensibility and spirit working together. Simply put, without creativity, we don't think our kids will live a full life.
On a more practical level, it's also the means by which humans of all ages make an impact on the world and other people around them. A lot of heavy stuff is going to go down in our kids' lifetime, and their generation will need to imagine and implement solutions to big and very complicated problems. Although our kids are still far from public office or the boardroom, today's political and business leaders worldwide are already pointing to creativity as the most important leadership quality for the future.
Although years from the art studio or design lab, little kids can learn to think and act creatively if you give them time and the right practice.
Curiosity
Category:
Thinking Skills
What does it mean to develop Curiosity?
Curiosity means the ability and habit to apply a sense of wonder and a desire to learn more. Curious people try new things, ask questions, search for answers, relish new information, and make connections, all while actively experiencing and making sense of the world. To us, curiosity is a child’s ticket to engaging fully in learning and, ultimately, in life.
Why does it matter?
As a parent, this skill is, perhaps, the easiest to grasp and has the clearest connection to a young children’s learning. We all want my children to wonder, explore and drive their own learning and, better yet, to experience the world fully. Most teachers would agree that the curious children so often seem more attentive, involved and naturally get the most out of time in school. Even the research suggests that being curious is a driver of higher performance throughout one's life, as much if not more than IQ or test scores.
Fine Motor
Category:
Body Skills
What are Fine Motor skills?
Fine motor skills refer to how we coordinate small muscle movements in the hands and fingers in conjunction with our eyes. Children begin with whole arm movements at birth and refine their movement, using smaller muscle groups as their bodies develop. With time and practice, children are able to enhance and strengthen the movements in their fingers, becoming able to manipulate small objects and perform a range of important life and learning tasks.
Why does it matter?
Kids need fine motor skills in order to perform every day tasks like using fork and knife, turning a door knob, cutting with scissors and catching and throwing a ball. These same skills are essential for tasks associated with higher level learning like hand writing and typing on a keyboard. If kids enter school without good fine motor skills, they can not only fall behind, but learning can become very frustrating. Moreover, they can develop lasting negative attitudes towards learning and themselves as learners.
Sensory
Category:
Body Skills
What is Sensory Development?
Although some scientists classify as many as 20 senses, when childhood educators talk about "developing the senses," we typically mean developing the five standard senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. In addition to honing these senses, educators care about sensory integration, which is the ability to take in, sort out, process and make use of information gathered from the world around us via the senses.
Why does it matter?
The better kids are able to tune and integrate their senses, the more they can learn. First, if their senses are sharper, the information kids can gather should be of greater quantity and quality, making their understanding of the world more sophisticated. Further, until the lower levels of the brain can efficiently and accurately sort out information gathered through the senses, the higher levels cannot begin to develop thinking and organization skills kids need to succeed. Senses also have a powerful connection to memory. Children (and adults) often retain new learning when the senses are an active part of the learning.
So, if kids have more sensory experiences, they will learn more, retain better and be better able to think at a higher level. Makes the days they get all wet and dirty in the sandbox seem better, doesn't it?
Age: 0 to 8+
Time: 1 hour+
Materials: Double-sided tape; flowers, sticks and other fallen items
