Preschool as a Place to “End” Utilizing Junk

There was a road mild simply exterior the lounge window of my second-story downtown Seattle house. On prime of the sunshine fixture have been ugly spikes, fastened there to forestall birds from touchdown on it. So far as I might inform, it labored. Close by bushes have been populated with city birds, however they left this explicit road lamp alone, whilst simply down the block an un-spiked mild was dwelling to a crow’s nest for a minimum of one mating season.

The magpies appear to be notably enterprising, constructing their dome-shaped nests whereas apparently positioning the spikes to challenge outward and upward to be able to fend-off predators. It is virtually like they took a have a look at our makes an attempt to thwart them, thought “Good thought,” and made it their very own.

Birds are, in fact, infamous for utilizing human rubbish of their nest constructing, simply as rats, raccoons, cockroaches, hermit crabs, and different species have discovered to thrive on our species’ distinctive genius for producing huge portions of waste. Homo sapiens have, all through our 300,000 or so years of existence, at all times been liable to producing extreme quantities of waste. One of many major methods anthropologists examine our historic ancestors is to check the kitchen middens (i.e., rubbish dumps) they left behind. We do not know why that is the case, however my concept is that as we developed the flexibility to understand the arrow of time (one thing that physicists inform us does not really exist) we started to arrange for the prospect of an unsure tomorrow by producing greater than we wanted at this time as a substitute of merely residing within the “enough-ness” of the ever-emerging current as our animal sisters and brothers appear to do.

After I learn this story, I could not assist however mirror on the kids I’ve noticed taking part in over the many years on our junkyard playground. I at all times envisioned our college, and our outdoor area specifically, as a spot the place we “completed” utilizing stuff that was in any other case on the best way to the landfill. Simply as corvids and different animals cleverly use our refuse, I’ve discovered that younger kids have a particular genius for locating outstanding, artistic methods to include transport pallets, previous tires, components of damaged toys, containers, wine corks, bottle caps, and different societal rubbish into their video games. Actually, most of the time, when given the selection, they are going to want the “actual stuff” of recycling bins, garages, cellars, and attics to the toys and video games particularly manufactured for them. Oh certain, they have been taught to beg for the newest shiny toy and are thrilled to acquired it as a birthday reward, however everyone knows that by the top of the day, most youngsters, more often than not, have a minimum of as a lot enjoyable with the packing containers and wrapping paper, the surplus we produce within the strategy of gift-giving.

Once more, I do not know why younger kids, like corvids, so usually specific their genius via taking part in with our rubbish, however I anticipate that the rationale they like the packing containers over the toys is that the majority toys (and most out-of-the-box playground tools) include a “script” constructed into them: there’s a proscribed, or “proper,” approach to play with them. Whereas when taking part in with refuse, kids write their very own scripts, and that, finally is the actual story of human studying. 

In these magpie nests produced from anti-bird spikes, I see the “nests” that younger kids create from the percentages and ends at hand, the video games they devise, and the tales they play utilizing waste to create one thing new and significant. I see the facility of a studying surroundings at work, supporting kids to assume critically and creatively, reasonably than directing them in keeping with scripts. I see the opening up of latest potentialities reasonably than the behavior of the well-trodden ruts of “as a result of we have at all times finished it that approach.” I see the transformation of issues into alternatives — anti-bird spikes into nests.

******

Should you’re excited about reworking your individual area into this sort of free components studying surroundings, you may wish to be a part of the 2024 cohort for my 6-week course, Making a Pure Habitat for Studying. That is a  deep dive into reworking your classroom, dwelling, or playground into the sort of studying surroundings through which younger kids thrive; through which novelty and self-motivation stand on the middle of studying. In my many years as an early childhood educator, I’ve discovered that nothing improves my educating and the kids’s studying expertise greater than a supportive classroom, each indoors and out. This course is for educators, mother and father, and administrators. Group reductions can be found. You do not wish to miss this opportunity to make your “third instructor” (the training surroundings) the most effective it may be. Registration is closing quickly. I hope you be a part of me! To be taught extra and register, click on right here.