“You can use different colours to make it colourful. To make it beautiful.”
“We can use giant wooden block to make one. And we can roll paper. And the ball can roll on it.”
“I have toys to build it.”
“You can make some blocks and paint them and stick them together. To make marble runs.”
“You can get a piece of blank paper and draw your ideas and then you can make them.”
“You build and then you put a marble and then it goes rolling and it gets to the end and you can build another one.”
The children experimented with different materials. I observed that the children frequently encountered problems, the marble did not travel where desired to, a piece was too short, a section was too low.... For each puzzle, the children were often observed logically trying several solutions until a satisfying one was found. On occasions they worked alone, at other times with others. The children came back to explore these materials time and time again showing sustained and ever deepening thinking and problem-solving skills. They view the world as a place of wonder and experimentation, and have the natural curiosity to constantly question how? what? when? who? where? and why?
Being witness to these investigations reminded me of the importance of children having time to wallow in experiences and as Professor Tina Bruce suggests,
“Being allowed to make decisions and choices, and to take appropriate responsibility for doing so is an important aid to developing learning.”
(Professor Tina Bruce, 2004)
“You can use different colours to make it colourful. To make it beautiful.”
“We can use giant wooden block to make one. And we can roll paper. And the ball can roll on it.”
“I have toys to build it.”
“You can make some blocks and paint them and stick them together. To make marble runs.”
“You can get a piece of blank paper and draw your ideas and then you can make them.”
“You build and then you put a marble and then it goes rolling and it gets to the end and you can build another one.”
The children experimented with different materials. I observed that the children frequently encountered problems, the marble did not travel where desired to, a piece was too short, a section was too low.... For each puzzle, the children were often observed logically trying several solutions until a satisfying one was found. On occasions they worked alone, at other times with others. The children came back to explore these materials time and time again showing sustained and ever deepening thinking and problem-solving skills. They view the world as a place of wonder and experimentation, and have the natural curiosity to constantly question how? what? when? who? where? and why?
Being witness to these investigations reminded me of the importance of children having time to wallow in experiences and as Professor Tina Bruce suggests,
“Being allowed to make decisions and choices, and to take appropriate responsibility for doing so is an important aid to developing learning.”
(Professor Tina Bruce, 2004)