Here's how the center started. Large paper with the verse on it. A variety of plain stickers: squares, circles, stars, and letters.
As they started working on the banner, the kids decorated the sides of the banner. They began filling in the white space.
I talked about the words on the banner and how that applied to Jesus and Christmas. Then my attention was needed elsewhere. When I came back to the center, I saw this.
The "decorating" had taken a different turn. The kids there told me that they decided to use the stickers to spell the words. No adult had suggested this idea. (In another center, we did use blocks to outline a letter. Maybe that influenced this activity, but I don't remember these kids going to the other center first.)
Their work was diligent. The banner began to take shape to reflect the children's idea.
Kids would come and go, working on the banner for a while and working in other areas for a while. One girl was determined to "finish" the banner. She returned to the table a couple of times until she felt satisfied. Here is the completed banner. (It hangs in our room now.)
I love that I can still read the words (some better than others). I love that it reflects the kids' idea and not mine or someone else's.
Allowing kids to do things in their own ways lets them explore and discover. They feel a strong sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when they can choose how to do something. They gain a sense of ownership for their work and their learning. And they always surprise me.
How have you seen kids implementing their own ideas? What surprises have you experienced?
