This week we added fabric swatches and our set of random wood pieces to the center.
I commented that we were talking about King Saul and the kids may want to build a palace. That was my only contribution and it was a the beginning of the session.
As usual, kids used the wood pieces to explore. Several threaded the spools on the dowels and experimented with what they could do.
Others just played with the pieces. Or they built buildings that incorporated the pieces.
We have used paper pieces with blocks but haven't used fabric swatches often. I was interested to see what would happen. (These fabric swatches are from a swatch book discarded by interior designers; I'm not sure where I picked it up.)
Some kids felt the fabric. Some covered up parts of their buildings or incorporated a piece of fabric in their structures.
One decided to spread out the pieces.
She found pieces that were similar in color. She created a pleasing arrangement. Then she moved on.
Creativity exists in all kinds of forms. Often we may discount the thinking and creativity in these types of experiences because they are temporary (instead of permanent like most art explorations).
But every time kids explore in these ways, they learn more about the world. They solve problems and create questions. They develop their thinking skills.
And there's nothing temporary about those things.
