Why is problem solving important?

When young children encounter difficulties in work, play, or social relationships, our first instinct is often to tell them how to solve the problem right away.  Sometimes we need to resist that urge in order to help children gain valuable experiences and learn how to do things for themselves.  At school, we try to constantly keep in mind the idea of how to best help children work through problems. There are times, of course, when it is best to give a child an answer or help with a solution, but there are other times when asking some guiding questions or simply letting that child work through the struggle may be the best response.  We see time and time again how when children work through a rough spot, they often gain greater knowledge, understanding, and a firmer grasp of the thing they worked through than if someone had just told them how to do it. Each day, we see children working on solving problems. 

In blocks, trying to solve the problem of containing the marble once it reaches the bottom of the ramp

Each of us, in our days, inevitably encounter difficulties and it is interesting to think about how we work through those challenges.  For the children, as they learn to use their own words in solving problems with each other, as they puzzle through how to make a block structure stand strong, think about what that puzzling new substance in the sensory table might be, or figure out how to draw something that looks the way they want it to by making several drafts, they are developing many habits that will serve them well throughout their lives. 

Struggling to build a structure that will be big enough for all of the Three Little Pigs to fit.

As you know, we have been focusing on 20 habits as a school this year. One of the Habits of Learning (“processing, active and continuous pursuit that builds expertise”) is persisting—learning and practicing with perseverance, tenacity, grit.  When a child works through something that is hard, he or she understands it more completely and remembers it better. Children gain great confidence when they figure something out on their own, rather than just being told what the answer is.  How great do you feel when you have worked hard at something and come out with a successful result, even if--and maybe especially because--you have made many mistakes along the way? 

Working to count and remember how many 10s make 50.

Struggling to fit 50 pennies into the roll.
And then, SUCCESS!

This week, I overheard two students working together at the marble run, an activity in which the children set up some magnetized ramps that allow a marble to run through the entire set of ramps and hopefully land in the “bucket” at the end.  It can be difficult to figure out how to place the ramps so that the marble runs all the way through and doesn’t fly off somewhere along the way.  I heard Nicholas say “Here’s your challenge!”’  When I asked about it, Noah said, “I like these challenges.  Nick has good challenges because they are really tricky. It’s fun because I figured out a lot of tricky ones.”   

Setting up a marble run challenge.  

Testing the marble run.

   

After admitting that it was hard, Noah told me, “I figure it out.  I kind of work on it.”  What an amazing feeling it is when you have accomplished something that was a challenge.  Later, Finley was working on trying to make the marble run through and he said to me, “I just want to try to see if it works.  If it doesn’t, then I’ll just move it to different places.”  It struck me that they were so enjoying the process of creating difficulty and working through it. Persistence.  Perseverance.  Tenacity.  Grit.  Expertise.  In action!

"I just want to try to see if it works."

Finding the struggle in something and working through it, can be so empowering for children.  That is what makes learning exciting and interesting.  

Handwriting without tears...

Perhaps you have heard your child singing a song to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands". It goes a little something like this...

Where do you start your letters?

At the TOP!

Where do you start your letters?

At the TOP!

If you're gonna start a letter, then you better, better, better.

You better start your letters 
...at the TOP!

Our friend and kindergarten teacher at Mustard Seed, Ms. Baker taught us this song and brought along some wonderful materials so we could start a new kind of work: An approach to making letters called "Handwriting Without Tears".

As children in the Nest create works of art and begin to send messages to their friends there is a need to write in order to express and communicate and identify their work. 

As four friends reviewed a favorite book on the Trees Class nest the other day, they were debating whether or not they should try and read the words or just look at the pictures. Finally, one of them exclaimed "we will be able to write our own words soon!"

Thats exactly right! But lets back it up a bit...

Why is starting at the top so important? 

Well, it turns out that this is the most efficient way to write! Our hands become less tired, our arms move more freely, and it even prepares you to write in cursive!

Even more importantly, in Kindergarten, First Grade, and beyond, when they have a story to write and ideas to articulate, and when spelling and punctuation are introduced, they are not slowed down by having to think about how to form the letters as they go. It will be second nature.

So we start now, in the most simple way possible; with a child's name. Whether a child knows each letter by name or whether he knows how to write it only as an abstract series of shapes, it is empowering to know one's name, in the same way that it is empowering to create a self portrait. We all know how hard the children work at school and so to be able to put their name on something is such a wonderful moment of pride and joy. 

As each child learns the proper stroking for each letter, they do so using various modalities, which address different learning styles and modes of thinking. 

First we build our letters, which you read all about in Monday's journal. Using big line, little line, big curve, and little curve.

Each child learns how to build their name, letter by letter, tracing the wooden pieces with their finger while the other children in their group form the letter in the air. 

Then we move onto the next step: wet, dry, try!

On a chalk board, each child goes through a process of forming each letter three times. First with water they erase the chalk letter with a wet sponge, then with a towel as they dry it in the same motion, then finally re-writing it with chalk. The process is amazingly satisfying for the child, and with each stroke we name the kind of line we are making. 

Incredibly, as there are actually seven steps toward writing readiness, actually forming letters is not until step six! Many of the first five steps, such as drawing, color and letter awareness, and utensil grip are already a part of our curriculum, while other steps were intentionally integrated into our routines this year -- learning the right hand from the left and becoming familiar with big and little lines, big and little curves as manipulable shapes.

We have found the children to be wonderfully engaged, enjoying the singing, the tactile feedback, and using BIG VOICES for big line and big curve, and LITTLE VOICES for little line and little curve. Many children choose to work with the big and little lines and curves to create letters during work periods.

This process has not only been "without tears" but filled with laughter and song, and a growing confidence that is beautiful to see. We are taught that God knows us each by name, and that He calls us each by name. How beautiful it is, then, to delight along with the children as they each grow more familiar with their own names. 

Emergent Curriculum sometimes catches you by surprise!

We have many curricular goals, plans and expectations for the school year.  We plan so that we make sure that children gain experience and exposure to particular information, materials and experiences, and meet certain goals.  However, we are also fortunate enough in the Nest to use an Emergent Curriculum.  This means that as children's interests and needs arise, we are able to respond to and often dive into what the children may be passionate about.

Sometimes we are surprised at what carries lasting interest for the children.  Last week, before we went to see Goodnight Moon, we thought, "How can this brief story be a 75 minute play?"  But the play was so rich with detail and was quite an extension of the book.  As you probably know, the children really enjoyed it and their interest has carried on well past the play.

Drawing reflections of Goodnight Moon.

So, unexpectedly, much of our work this week has continued to focus on Goodnight Moon.  We noticed that the children were rushing to look at our copies of Goodnight Moon when they had available time with books.  And on Monday, Miss Chalmers led a discussion in which the children recapped their experience at the play.  They were still so enthusiastic about the entire show: the sets, the characters, the humor, the 'special effects', the story.   Their discussion was rich and lively.  As a result, Miss Chalmers opened drama so that children who were interested could act out scenes that they enjoyed from the play.  

The Tooth Fairy approaches the Bunny.

The Old Lady knitting.

There has been a great deal of enthusiastic retelling of Goodnight Moon in drama, and the children have been using an incredible amount of the dialogue that is directly from the play, quite often including many of the silly portions of the show.  

Old Ladies telling Bunnies "Go to bed!"

The Tooth Fairy does her work.

Charlie's moon and stars.

Zoe drew many details from the set of the show. 

Children have also had the opportunity this week to draw pictures of moments that they enjoyed from the play.  They have drawn some very detailed pieces, working with time and care further reflecting on what they saw. 













And while they have been drawing, they have had engaging and interesting conversations about their common experience of seeing the show.

Sharing drawings with each other.

Working hard to draw the bunny.

Children were also given the opportunity to build Goodnight Moon in blocks and they have worked very hard on it all week long.  

Balancing the moon.

Designing the bedside table.  

After they built the "set" with blocks, they found and made many of the details and accessories from the story, such as the bowl full of mush, the red balloon, and the fire.  They have been excitedly playing in the set and retelling the story with characters as well.  

Playing in the Great Green Room.  

It was a completely unexpected turn in our focus, but because we have the flexibility to move with children's interests, it has been an exciting and enriching detour!  

Drawing the red balloon for blocks.

Shanna Pargellis, our Early Childhood Director on the concept of an Emergent Curriculum: 
"There is great power in the learning when emergent curriculum is employed because there is an innate desire and curiosity in children to know more about the world. When you can respond to that curiosity, that desire to know, the learning is energized.  Children are engaged and move the learning along.  They are productive and focused.  The teacher is in the background as a facilitator and guide, supporting the learning.  I think for the teacher, it's demanding because you have to be able to respond in a short amount of time as well as keep in mind the skills and knowledge that you think are essential for children to know in order to make the next leap in learning.  Working with an emergent curriculum requires flexibility on the part of students and teachers, but the learning is deeper and develops a stronger foundation for future learning."

Goodnight Moon!

Today, 29 Nest children made a long, long, joyful journey through the windy street of Hoboken...

...stopping for snack in an even more windy tunnel, and made it to their destination at 14th and Clinton just as the first raindrops began to fall...

Where were we going? To listen to a story! A story that takes place ...

-- Many of us know the story well. We know many stories!  

How do we know so many stories so well? We have learned stories as passive listeners during a read-aloud, we know them from reflection and discussion afterwards. We know that in drama and in drawing we retell stories we have heard. And we know the stories that we have written as we have become authors of our own original books! In the fall we travelled down to the gym to see a story told on stage! We learned all about being a polite audience and how actors pretended just like we did in drama. 

So, back to today, when we made our much longer journey! Nine whole blocks to the very top of Hoboken to the Mile Square Theatre where we were the very first audience for their very first show in this brand new space.

We were greeted by theatre's artistic director who welcomed us warmly and then the show began! The set was picture-perfectly accurate to the illustrations of the story. The story itself had been greatly expanded and the little bunny on stage did quite an accurate job of illustrating how many 4 year olds might act at bedtime, as opposed to the angelic and silent bunny of the story. There were puppets, sound effects, songs, dances, and costume changes galore, all of them keeping the little bunny awake and all of them keeping the little audience members laughing...

Windy tunnel lunch time!

Lunch time was full of conversation about the play ...

"I liked it the most when the tooth fairy came!" - Luca

"I loved when the tooth came out!" - Aaron

"I liked all the songs and then they were always dancing" - Margot

" The Tooth Fairy was SO FUNNY!" - Annabelle

"My favorite part was the stars -- I just saw them when they came out and twinkled!" - Grace

"...And then the moon was talking!" - Sophya

"When the growly bear voice was on the telephone" - Johnny 

"My favorite part was eating in the tunnel and my other favorite part was today is Friday and today we get to bring out towels home! ... and the Tooth Fairy" - George

(We all agreed that the Tooth Fairy stole the show)

The Children wait excitedly to enter the theatre.

A good time was had by all!

Ask your child about the show! Read the book together. How was the play similar to the book? How was it different?

   ... Goodnight Comb, Goodnight Brush. Goodnight Blog Readers, Goodnight Mush.

How does knowledge inform dramatic play?

Young children use their knowledge to inform their play.  As they acquire new knowledge, it becomes incorporated into their play and the play becomes more sophisticated.  For teachers, this is where we begin to look for evidence of the children's knowledge and understanding.  

In our Medieval Study, the children's knowledge and application of it has become very clear during their play in drama.  As the children have learned new information, their ideas about knights, castles, and princesses have changed and evolved.  Vocabulary becomes a key component here.  When a child remembered that knights didn't have guns, he reached into this new bank of knowledge and thought about how knights used crossbows, so his play changed as a result.  He then further recalled that flaming arrows were used to attack castles.  

Digging a tunnel under a castle.

Later in the play in drama, a child also remembered that the super sneaky way to get into a castle was to tunnel underneath (something he learned from the expert who visited our classroom).  This led him to crawl under a structure and proclaim, "I'm digging a tunnel under the castle!"  For children who were not pretending to be knights, the appearance of an attacking knight meant that they must escape.  When Miss Chalmers introduced the words 'carriage' and 'wagon' into this escape plan, the children adjusted their play by pretending to be on a bumpy wagon.  In this manner, the play evolved and deepened. In all of these ways, vocabulary is a key component that supports the play. 

Escaping in a carriage!

Similarly, the knowledge of roles can inform the play.  After doing research during our planning meeting by reading some books and discussing what we learned about the various workers in the castle, children came to drama ready to act out these roles.  Two children began working as the master mason and mason, workers who shaped the stones for the castle walls.  They then spent their time inspecting and repairing the walls of the castle. As the children learn more about who belongs in a castle and what those people do, they are able to tailor their play to these roles and react to the story happening around them appropriately.  

Masons inspecting the castle walls.

The mason works hard on the castle while the lord supervises.

The use of vocabulary and appropriate fantasy play allows teachers to see that the children are not only processing what they are learning, but also continuing the developmentally appropriate separation of fantasy and reality.  As children process experiences and knowledge through their play, they learn how to deal with their emotions, use appropriate language, and resolve conflicts.  They are able to have freedom within structure and choice with direction, all while continuing the work of childhood. 

How does spatial awareness help build mathematical minds?

Young children naturally love to explore geometric and spatial aspects of the world around them. There are so many ways to encourage such exploration... 

There are many levels of geometric thinking. Research suggests that to move through these levels, children must be exposed to many experiences and participate in numerous activities. Progress is often very slow. And activities like Unit Blocks, Pattern Blocks, etc contribute to this variety of experiences.

In a 1986 study by Pierre Van Hiele and Dina van Hiele-Geldof’s, in which they present levels of geometric thinking, it states that many preschool children stay within level zero, but in the Nest we see that three, four, and five year olds are quite capable of in depth work in level two! 

Level 0: Children learn to recognize geometric figures such as squares and circles by their holistic physical appearance. For example, at the beginning of the year, we liken the shapes
of blocks to objects around the room -- a rectangle block looks like a table, a circular block looks like a clock. Children at this level do not think about the attributes or properties of shapes. 

Level 1: Children begin to learn isolated characteristics or attributes of the forms. In Pattern Blocks, they see that though both a square and a rhombus have four sides, but the angle of the corners changes the shape. 

Level 2: Children establish relationships between the attributes of a form. In unit blocks, children learn that two Unit Blocks make a double, four Unit Blocks make a quad, and that half of a unit block can make a short rod, a triangle, or a square.

As we walk and drive around shapes are everywhere we go, especially in the city! It is always a good time to ask your child what shapes they see and how they are fitting together. When you are out, make sure take along pen and paper and draw what you see. When you get home, find time to build what you saw. In this way you can help teach your child that we are all mathematicians!

"I'm saying goodbye with my right hand." Why?

You may have noticed a slight change in our routine as we say goodbye to the children at the end of the day:  We have been shaking hands with each child and saying words along the lines of "I am saying goodbye with my right hand!"  One of the things that we hope children will develop early is the ability to distinguish between their right and left automatically.  It is a very practical skill in life, but it also comes into play once children reach kindergarten and beyond and are doing more focused writing work. 




By age 4, children have developed a dominant hand that they will use for drawing, writing, cutting, throwing, and other tasks. When children switch hands mid-activity, it is a sign of fatigue. By helping students to distinguish between their right and left hands, they will then be better able to identify their dominant hand and helper hand, which minimizes switching.  



We have also been reminding children that the hand they use to hold the railing as they go up and down the stairs is their right hand (Walking on the right is also very practical in the world of daily life and courtesy!)  One of the interesting things about this way of teaching children to know their right from their left, is that it only teaches the children the right hand.  We don't teach them the left hand because if they know which hand is their right hand then, "What's left is the left."   




Even if children are left handed, they still need to be able to distinguish between their right and left hands.  As children get older, instructions may be given using directionality ("Move to your right." or "Start your writing on the left side of your paper.", or "Raise your right hand.") and knowing quickly and instinctually which direction is which can be very useful.





Learning how to shake hands with your right hand as a friendly greeting is also a great social skill to learn.  You might try playing games at home with your child that involve the right hand or having them shake right hands to say hello in greeting people they meet.  It has been a fun new way to say goodbye!