Rock, Wood, & Feather, by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paint, Rocks, Feathers, and Wood.

Creative kids.

 

 

 

 

 

LEGO for Learning

Auren is five years old.
He has been playing with Lego for quite a long time now.
I remember when he started out with his first blocks.
There was a lot of fumbling and frustration, but within a week of play,
his dexterity caught up to his will.


His bin of parts has been lightly added to over the last year.
We found that more choice of parts made him less inventive.
But lately he has shown more prowess.
In a constant bid to impress us, the creations have become more intricate
and compelling.
It was time to step up the game.
 

In a bid to get him working on numeracy and literacy,
we have kept our eye open for tasks that allow us to sneak lessons into to something that is just plain fun.
And although Lego doesn't really fit that bill well, there is an abundance of developmental exercises and typical subjects involved that could be focused on as part of a learning program.
Project based learning allows a child to work through a challenge and emerge with new skills at the end.
Lego happens to encompass some valuable lessons and we will be capitalizing on Auren's love of Lego play to encourage new skills.
 

A contemporary argument against Lego is that the new kits preclude creativity by structuring the play excessively as well as by associating with popular films and characters.
I must admit my aversion to movie themed Lego, but the other argument assumes that parents leave kits intact.
Our method is simple.
Build it according to the instructions first, then modify it, then break it down to add to the selection of parts intended for free play and creation.
That way, there is the benefit of folllowing instruction, as well as breaking the mold in favour of creativity.
 

For Christmas, we bought Auren a massive and complicated kit.
The goal is the buiding and not the completion.
Within the kit there are complex geared mechanisms, an electric motor, pneumatically controlled cylinders, and over 2000 parts.
This build will be slow and methodical.
There will be discussion involving mathematics, size, shape, electricity, physics, pneumatics, gear ratios, problem solving, and whatever else crops up during the process.
It is also Daddy time which little boys need to stay focused and motivated.


We started with a little kit first as a warm up.
Auren will be doing all of the building;
I am facilitating.
(Perhaps also building the kit vicariously for the sake of the little boy inside the man.)
He was able to complete the little truck without much trouble, carefully following the instructions.
Once time and space availed to us, it was time to open the big box.
 

Organizational skill is key to a mechanical project like this.
If you keep everything straight, the job is as simple as 1,2,3.
The challenge is staying focused and persevering to the end.
But like I said, the journey is the fun and the final project will likely only stay in one piece for a day or maybe two.
Having built it, Auren will be armed with new insight on developing whatever creations his mind can conjure.
In fact, this product line lends itself very well to modification as well as upping the ante with robotics and additional power options.
There is even a line of renewable energy projects.
All of which contribute to an innovative mind.
 

The attention span of little boys is notoriously short.
But that's not because there isn't the capacity.
They simply need the motivation;
the most powerful being one-on-one time with someone they love.
Using toys for educating works great, but not simply because something is deemed educational.
It's important to tap into a natural inclination and make the best of established interests.


I am excited about this build for many reasons.
To spend time with Auren.
To watch him learn and grow before my eyes.
To help build a really awesome Lego kit.
But I am even more excited and curious to see what gets built after it's all done,
when he gets to build his own creations.






 
 
 

Building Imagination

Before we even had children, we planned on keeping wooden toys and avoiding the plastic ones.
Not only is wood a more natural product, but the usual wooden toy designs tend more towards fostering creative play.


But it never happened the way we thought it would.
We weren't the only ones buying for the kids and so we ended up with quite a lot of plastic .
Though we found the kids didn't really play with the store-bought plastic toys.

Recently, we have begun to accumulate more woodworking tools.
Most of the tools we have bought to date have been geared towards home renovation tasks.
But our foray into homeschooling has re-introduced the importance of simple wooden toys in creative play.
So the tools are beginning to reflect a need for finished products for our home, including children's toys.

We have an abundance of wood on hand from various projects.
Some of it was simply waiting for the right tools to show up.
The introduction of a quality jigsaw to the home has opened up some fun new projects.
Simple two-dimensional figurines are easy to make.
So much so that we can include the kids in the process.


Today, we started with paper, pencils, and crayons.
We did one example to show the children what the process was and then turned it over to them.

It begins with a drawing of the desired figure.
For Auren, it was knight in armour.
For Fern, a pony.
They drew out what they wanted and then cut the shape from the paper.
Then Kira helped them trace the shape onto a piece of wood.
We had some scrap pine and some scavenged birch plywood that was perfect for the activity.
Once the shape was transposed to the wood, I cut the shape out.
When they're a bit older, they can do the cutting.
Auren is likely capable enough, but we kept his attention on the creative side for now.
Once the shape was cut, it was returned to the kids for colouring.
I tried melting the crayon into a piece with an iron, but it wasn't really necessary for this simple project so the remainder of the figurines were just coloured and then played with.

We were surprised at how eager they were to play with the toys.
Make-believe play with knight and dragon, using blocks for the castle.
And not just for a short time after making the toys.
Auren was playing with his for most of the afternoon and even wanted to take them into the bath with him.
We figured the plywood wouldn't survive untreated so he reluctantly set them aside until afterwards.

The desire to act out scenes and human interactions is so innate and undeniable in kids.
Lego has been great for dexterity, problem solving, and creative construction,
but tends to lack the make believe element somewhat.
The two-dimensional figures are about as plain as it gets, yet the kids are instantly absorbed into play that draws them away from reality and into a world of their own making.

We have plans for more elaborate wooden toys for ourselves and to share, but the lesson here may be to keep the complexity to a bare minimum.
Like a magic stone, all the kids need is a physical focal point to serve as a portal through which they find every imaginable person and creature they would ever need to play with.









 

Sweet Potato Chips and Wreath Making, by Kira

Today we hosted our homeschool group.

The afternoon started off with

chicken noodle soup, homemade sweet potato chips and

hot apple cider.

Then we hiked in the woods, collected seed pods, dried flowers,

and other bits and pieces for wreath making.

When we returned home, Andrew had started some wreaths for us.

He twisted juniper vines into loops and then

fastened them with copper wire.

Others from the group did more elaborate wreaths

using a wire form and attaching spruce boughs.

Some of the kids decorated the wreaths while others played.

It was an easy-going day;

some crafting, lots of good food

and great friends!