Imagine and remember those carefree days of childhood. Those sunny days of lying on the grass gazing up at the clouds and creating pictures or images with them. Perhaps an elephant floated by, or maybe two clouds combined to create a magical unicorn. Whatever magic you saw in that sky was a key to your learning. It allowed you the endless possibilities of your inventiveness. Perhaps you used crayons to draw your very first work of art or inspired you to use your blocks to build a castle. Perhaps you, like my son, were a child that like to dig in the mud discovering how to make rivers and lakes for your boats. Or like me, designing cakes for that afternoon garden party. Whatever the spark that inspired your play, fanned the flame for your future learning, and interests, as you grew.
Fast forward, you are now a parent and responsible for this beautiful little life. Now I don’t know if you are like me, but I can remember a night I was rocking my oldest daughter back to sleep. Looking down at her angelic face. The thought hit me, “oh wow I’m responsible for this little life.” After a brief moment of panic, I looked back down at her peaceful sleeping face and knew that it would be good. And that from that moment on I would do my very best for her.
As my daughter grew, I watched how she discovered the world. I saw that she was, and to some point, still is, a curious learner. She always wanted to know why. It didn’t matter the subject, she just had to know why. I can still remember going to the library, and instead of picking princess books, she would choose to go to the nonfiction section and pick books that interested her at the time, such as, the time she wanted to know about planets. I think I learned more with her about planets than I did when I was in school! As our family grew, and two more little lives joined us, the more I learned the art of adaptability and just how uniquely different each one of my children were. I know, I know, one size does NOT fit all. For instance, my son was, and still is, an engineer at heart (so to speak). He loved taking things apart just to see how they worked. As for my youngest, well, she loves expressing herself creatively with drawing. It’s because of these sparks, each one of them is now using these gifts in their adult lives.
Even as a teacher, I have spent countless hours preparing activities for my littles. With what I thought was a clear goal, and yet as a learner myself, I have seen them come with their OWN ideas of how to use the activity. And nine times out of ten, as they “play,” they are showing me how they are learning in their own unique and individualistic ways, just as my own children had.
If we allow ourselves to sit back and enjoy the beauty of childhood, we will witness learning at its very best. Whether it’s a child building with blocks, making mud cakes, or pretending to be a favored character, these simple activities are the foundation for the skills required later in life. Each of those above activities are rich in problem solving skills, cause and effect, as well as learning to work with others and to respect the ideas of others.
With all this being said, we as parents and teachers need to remember that these beautiful children are natural learners and our roles will be that of guides or co-learners. Either way this is an adventure I would not want to miss! In closing, I want to leave you with a powerful quote:
“Free the child’s potential, and YOU WILL transform him into the world” Maria Montessori
Until next time…
Discover With Ms Theresa 