Scaffolding

Something new is starting.

Well, just as soon as I take the necessary time to extract the ideas from my mind and translate them into something that can be seen on your screen, then it will surely be starting.

I've had ideas stewing for a while, and although I've been saying them out loud for a time now, I feel like my speaking them has remained part of the process. Only now do I feel secure about what the product will be. I say this because I have a new kind of peace that it is altogether something I can and want to do in terms of both the type and amount of time required.

I am excited!

I have been working -slowly but steadily- on putting together a play-based early childhood education curriculum. It's basically just lesson plans. As a teacher I never had enough time in one grade level to create the type of lesson plans that I wanted; ones I can take always with me as a framework, adding, subtracting and changing it as needed and desired, but a good, solid framework nonetheless. Lessons that are in-tuned with the real needs of children, relevant to their experiences and the world around them; lessons that work together in a meaningful flow from lesser to greater complexity yet are intertwined in just the right way; yes, this is it!

Scaffolding lessons. In child development theory, scaffolding refers to the just-right balance between too little and too much help in a child's learning. It is the zone in the middle -the Zone of Proximal Development- in which children learn the most.

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This morning I noticed that this Zone is where God places each one of us, so that we too may learn the most. He doesn't sacrifice our safety unless it is necessary, but sometimes pain is the catalyst for learning.



Psalm 18 describes the way God supports us perfectly.

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." Psalm 18: 16-19
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My original intent with the lessons was to create a curriculum that I could use, but that might also become a published book. I believe this is attainable and would be awesome, but I ran into two problems: 1) I'm really not motivated at this point in my life to begin and carry out this enormous project, and 2) I realized the perfect "curriculum" would basically be the one School for Little People (at which I taught pre-k for 2 1/2 years) created for their staff (along with a few additions and some editing it would make a fantastic book, but if and when that happens would have to be in conjunction with the school and its teachers). My other similar idea was to make a website out of the contents of the book, but I basically ran into the same two problems as stated above.

Listening to God's scaffolding for how I could offer my passion for play-based early childhood education here, now, and within this military lifestyle in a way that would be neither too little or too much, I finally found the way.

Bubble wrap. Yup, you heard me.

Thank you, Lisa, for the awesome birthday present and enormous amount of bubble wrap that came with it. I will be donating it to a friend; the bubble wrap, not the present!

It goes like this: I love play and I love showing little people how to play (okay, they don't need much showing, but they do need some direction!), especially with the everyday type stuff around them. It is fascinating to me! Also, I have had a number of friends who are parents ask me for suggestions about what to do with their kids that will be simultaneously educational, playful, and age-appropriate.

Bubble wrap!

In the coming weeks I will be creating a website, which you will also be able to access from this blog. On it I will be using my teacher training and experience to offer ideas for parents (or teachers or babysitters or whoever is interested) for what on earth to do with their kids all day (you know, besides wiping noses and behinds and cleaning up the path of litter that follows them). The website will include play-based lessons and activity ideas. I can hardly wait!

So, what about bubble wrap?

If you don't have any at home, you can look for it at recycling centers or possibly ask for a donation of used bubble wrap from department stores. Otherwise, it can be purchased by the roll at Target, Wal-Mart and the like.

The best and most obvious choice is to pop it! Instruct your child to keep the bubble wrap away from faces and especially mouths, as well as anything hot of course, or something that could become clogged like the toilet or sink. Then again, in that case you might choose not to plant the idea in their heads!

Let your child hold a piece of bubble wrap about 1'x1' and pop it as they please. Talk about how it sounds, feels, and looks before and after it is popped. Allow them to pop it with fingers, elbows, feet, toes, and knees. If you like, turn on music and allow them to pop to the beat as they parade around the living room.

Bubble wrap is also a wonderful way to do print-making. Print-making is when you take an image from one surface, apply an ink or paint medium to it, and transfer (print) the image onto another surface. A sheet of popped or unpopped bubble wrap is your print. You will also need paper and paint.

In a prepared space (i.e. the table or patio floor covered with newspaper, your child covered with a paint smock, and all pets secured in a separate room) allow your child to apply tempera paint to the textured side of the bubble wrap. They may use their hands or a brush, and cover as little or as much of the bubble wrap as they choose. You may explain that painting more of the bubble wrap will make a bigger picture at the end. Feel free to experiment with multiple colors as well.

When the wrap is painted, lay the paper on top of it, and model how to press the paper onto the bubble wrap. Slide your hand over the paper to make sure all parts of the wrap have come into contact with the paper. Help your child slowly and carefully peel off the paper. Wha-la, a bubble print!

I was inspired by this idea today, realizing it would be just the type of thing I will be posting to the upcoming website. Enjoy and, as always, I'd love to know your thoughts.