A Tale of Two Puzzle Workers

I was watching a couple of children working wooden puzzles the other day. Sometimes just watching kids work is great way to think about and understand more about children and development.

These two kids were working puzzles. Well, one was working a puzzle and the other was watching. (Her preferred method of learning is watching.) But occasionally the watcher would help with pieces and the worker was fine with that.

But as I watched, I noticed that there were two different techniques at play. One child would hold a piece and try it in several different places or in several different ways in a space. She would keep working until she found the right place or abandoned that piece for a new one. The other child would just look at the puzzle and look at the pieces lying around the table. Suddenly she would swoop in, grab and piece, and insert it in the right place.

Two different ways to solve puzzles - exploring and experimenting by physically trying different things; looking, observing, taking in the overall look and then seeing the "right answer" to the problem.

Both of these are valid puzzle solving strategies...and problem solving strategies. It was interesting to see these two children working on the same puzzle in completely different ways...and not even really communicating to one another as they worked.

Watching these children work reminded me of a few things that I need to keep in mind as I encounter a new group of children in my church kindergarten class.

• In most things there are many different ways to approach an issue or a problem. I need to be open to different ways to do things. Open to the children's different approaches and open to other teachers' or adults' approaches. I have my favorite ways to do things. But that doesn't mean it's the "right" way.
• All children are different and the classroom should allow for those differences and encourage those differences in learning.
• I need to watch more and discover what's happening in the classroom. Often things happen that I completely miss. So this year I want to watch more and listen more and step back more.

Just Find a Spot to Land

Usually in my church kindergarten class, I move around. A lot.

I move from one area to another, interacting with kids in whatever they are doing. I listen. I ask questions. I answer questions. I talk about what I see kids doing. (Narrating, as Teacher Tom says.) I pay attention and I learn.

However, recently, I discovered that staying in one place has benefits, too.

A couple of kids were working puzzles at a table. I moved over and sat down. We interacted, just like always happens. The boys finished their puzzles and moved away.

I stayed seated at the table, watching what was happened nearby in the blocks center.

Another boy came over. He said something to me and we talked. He sat down and began working a puzzle.

Another boy came to the table and began to work. We talked about what they were doing and other things.

Those boys left as someone walked up to me on the other side. He showed me what he had done at the art table and we talked for several minutes. He explained his drawing and why he did what he did. I asked a couple of questions. He put his drawing on the "take home" table and came immediately back to work a puzzle.

This happened for a while. Several kids came and went. Some brought other things to talk to me about. I didn't move out of that (tiny) chair until the table became full and a child needed the space to work a puzzle.

I don't think I've seen that much activity with puzzles in several months. Our kids like puzzles and will work them when available. But not usually like I saw that day.

So what? Why did I tell this long story about our puzzle experience? Well, I realized something.

My presence (an adult presence, that is) brought more attention to the table. I think that some kids may have just wanted to have conversation or a quiet moment with an adult. And there I sat.

Maybe, my "on the move" approach is counterproductive to good interactions, sometimes. Maybe some kids are looking for a moment to talk or just be with a teacher - and I'm wandering around the space. Perhaps I've been chased a few times and never even knew it.

I'll still move around the room. I have some great conversations and see some great things when I do. But sometimes I'll just stop and wait. Those great conversations and great things can find me occasionally, too.

(This reminded me of my talk vs. quiet experience a few weeks back. Maybe I just need to start doing the opposite of what I normally do!)

Time to Refocus

When I began this blog - gosh, 5 years ago - my intent was to think about and talk about how young kids learn and to share my ideas for teaching them. In recent years, this blog has been more about my personal journey instead of ideas about teaching. Thank you for following that journey. I really appreciate it.

Now, I face a transition. (That's for a later post.) And I think my blog needs one, too. I would like to refocus the blog back on teaching and ideas about teaching. My reflections will always be a part of my blog - after all that's who I am.

But the blog should be about teaching and kids and ideas - not me. In light of that refocus, here are some posts that inspired me this week.

Inspiration from the Blogosphere

How to Make Ice Cream in a Coffee Can (Twodaloo) - I've done this before and it's a lot of fun. I enjoyed reading this post and being reminded of this great idea!

PVC Pipes + Connectors + Water = Physics (rubberbooks and elf shoes) - I always enjoy using PVC pipes. My kids have asked for water before but I haven't been set up to include it. This post shows me that we need to do it! (One of my top posts on PVC pipes)

Play or Work (Elementary My Dear, or Far From It) - Jenny sums up in this post what I've been feeling all year. I think I've been living with "messages that go against everything I believe." I'm not sure where to go from here, but things are going to change. This post reminds me of that.

Environmental Print Bingo (Pre-K Pages) - I love using environmental print and this post is a fun game using environmental print. And you can get a free printable!

Selfie Puzzle (Getting Messy with Ms. Jessi) - Combining technology, a favorite trend (selfies), and craft sticks? A great combination. And building number sense by adding numerals.


Thanks for being a part of my online community. I have learned so much from each of you and hope to continue to share and learn with you.


P.S. Have you seen this book by Deborah Stewart? She's the hardest working preschool blogger and teacher and writer and queen-of-all-media. And a great online friend. This book helps parents know more about developing skills and supporting learning so kids will be ready for the start of kindergarten.

Tinker Day

I am taking a break during June. This is a quick scheduled post on happenings from our first grade year.

Each afternoon during the last week of school, the first grade has a special day. Kids can bring designated materials from home to play with and use. One day is Tinker Day - kids bring puzzles and building materials to use. I took my pipe builders. First graders enjoy these as much as younger kids.

My first Tinker Day seemed to be a success!

The Puzzle

We have a puzzle in our room that's a fairly straight-forward puzzle, as puzzles usually are. At least that's what I thought.

Four kids in a line. Take out the pieces and put them back in. At least that's what I thought.

But you can create new configurations of kids. Different unusual kids.

And you can create a really, really tall (and really, really odd) person.

Oh, the howls of laughter when we create these different people.

These are the wonderful surprises that I love to see when teaching young kids. These are the "paychecks" I get. I love it when kids think outside the box (or outside the puzzle frame, literally, in this case). Exploration and play are so important to helping kids see possibilities and try out ideas.

Sometimes I talk with teachers who seem a little afraid of free play and choices and kids' explorations. They want a more structured (and secure for them) atmosphere. I get that. I don't want things out of control or crazy or chaotic.

But kids all doing exactly the same thing at exactly the same time means I miss an artistic moment. Or a two-story structure. Or a really, really tall person.

And a calm and quiet classroom isn't worth missing those things. At least that's what I think.

When an Activity Takes a Turn

On the table were materials to make collages. B approached the table and began to glue shapes.

"Hey," he said, "this is a dolphin." 

He dug into the shapes. "Here is a hand. And another hand. Here is a gold airplane. This one is silver."

Then it happened. This art activity turned into a math/puzzle activity. B sorted the shapes into piles. He compared sizes and colors of shapes. 

"Look at this," he would call repeatedly. "Here's another one."

I've often commented on letting kids choose how to do an activity, encouraging them to follow their own ideas as they work. Over time I've seen a puzzle activity become a building activity and a dramatic play activity become writing. But this is the first time I've seen an art activity take such a turn. 

B went on to create a collage with some of the shapes he found. But even if he had not returned to "my plan" the activity would have been successful. He practiced sorting and categorizing. I learned more about him and his interests.

Flexibility and open-ended play are important components to teaching. Insisting on my own ideas does not further learning--theirs or mine. I love to see play in action, even when it surprises me.

(We had purchased those shiny shapes from Discount School Supply.)

Sorting with the New Kids

Getting a new crop of kids is exciting...and a little frustrating. You get a group of kids that you don't really know and need to understand. One of the best ways to get to know them is by watching their play.

This week we had the sorting animals out again. I enjoyed watching their play and discovering more about them.

They can work together for a goal - I need to plan activities that provide cooperative work.

"Look, we sorted them!"

They respond well to suggestion - I need to make sure I don't impose my own ideas too quickly.

"You could sort them a different way."
"I know, put all the sheep here."

They are imaginative - I can ask questions and encourage them to tell me stories.

"The animals are going into space...in a spaceship."

I'm still getting a handle on these kids. But I have observed that most like to play with other kids - and like to imagine and create different scenarios. This could be a really fun class.

A Bowl of Beans

The materials were simple - a bowl of mixed beans and a couple of muffin pans.

The result? Two boys fully engaged for at least 20 minutes.

I thought the kids would enjoy sorting. But I could not predict that the boys would stay with it so long. 

"Look, it sticks to my hand."

"Wait, that's in the wrong place."

"Finally, we are done," they said. The smiles were big and wide. Mission accomplished.

"Look what we did!"

Invention

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.  ~ Thomas Edison

Recently I read the above quote and immediately thought of my friends who teach young kids...and the kids themselves. This week in my class just proved that invention is alive and well.

Since it's Easter, we've been talking about Jesus and some of the things He did. We had a "stick game" which is a variation (or even just the same as) the game pick-up sticks. I put letters on the sticks and put them in a plastic can. (My wife just started buying me this coffee and the cans--with lids--are too good to toss.) We would pour out the sticks and then would take turns trying to pick up one stick without moving any of the others. It's harder than it seems (especially for my larger hands!). After all the sticks were picked up, we would spell Jesus' name or sort the sticks by letter.

Later in the day, kids began to invent some other games to play. I saw two girls holding sticks, all fanned out like cards. "What are you playing?" I asked. "Jesus Old Maid," they answered. I'm not sure exactly how to play that, but it did look interesting.

Other kids were choosing sticks from each other to match or grouping the sticks in other ways. Even though is happens on an almost weekly basis, I'm still amazed at the inventiveness and creativity of young kids. Personally, I don't think I would ever have thought of playing "Jesus Old Maid" with a group of craft sticks.

How Many Ways Can You Sort?

This week in our sort envelope we had some farm animals. We discovered different ways we could sort.

By animal....

By color....

 By both animal and color....

One guy said he was sorting by where the animals are on the farm. "Ducks are in the pond, so this is the pond," he said.

(Another guy asked, "Can we play with them, too?" Of course! We don't just have to sort them!)

Thinking about things in different ways helps stretch thinking and encourages kids to look for lots of possibilities - and not just one right answer to a problem.

Quick Feel Box

This week we were talking about sight and being blind. I wanted to engage the kids in using their touch instead of sight, so I wanted to use some of our magnet shapes in a feel box. Now, there are many ways to create a feel box, but I pulled out something that had been lurking in one of my bins.

This particular feel box was one I used when I was working with 1s, so it's useful for all ages of preschoolers. And I like this one because it feeds my need to reuse and repurpose stuff. All you need is an empty oatmeal container and a new (unused) large athletic sock. Slide the sock over the oatmeal box...and you're done. Drop anything inside the box and it's ready to go. (This one also makes it difficult to "cheat" and look at what you are feeling. Not that any of your kids would ever do that.)

I put some of each shape in the box and lay one of each shape on the table. Then a child could feel a shape and guess which shape he was holding. Pull it out to see which shape it is. Here it is in action:

Of course, some of us had to use the shapes to create really cool designs (flowers, stars, etc.).