Why 5 Pounds of Flour Trumps Playdoh, Legos and Batman

I saw this video on Monday  Family Home Destroyed by Avalanche
I immediately had two simultaneous thoughts:
1. Oy.
2. What a great representation of hands on learning!

Now, I’m not suggesting that we all bring in 5 pound bags of flour and encourage our young children to redecorate the living room, however, think about everything this experience taught these little guys. ages 1 and 3.


• Bringing the new bag of flour into the living room (Gross motor, negotiation skills and cooperation)

• Opening the bag (Problem solving skills)

• Moving the flour from the bag to the couch, the windows and the television (Math, engineering and visioning come into play here.)

• Tossing the flour in the air like my brother (Modeling for the 3 year old and repetition for the 1 year old)

• Feeling the flour against my hands, the floor, the couch, etc. (Sensory, fine motor, discovery)

• Sharing our activity with mom (Self esteem, communication)

• Watching mom clean up (Priceless!)

Learning opportunities are everywhere. When the experience is relevant and interesting, the learning takes on a whole new depth.


My only advice to the mom? TOP SHELF.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Not Just Me!

Last month I had a wonderful visit with a day school principal.  We were discussing theories about child development and pedagogy.  This principal shared that her teachers can always tell when a student comes from XYZ preschool, because those children can identify letters and numbers, and have some reading under their belt.

I asked her how she felt about that. Her response was not surprising.  At least not to me.

The children who have these skills prior to kindergarten are indeed aware of letters and numbers and words.  They fare pretty well in kindergarten and first grade classes. However, once these children move to 3rd grade, the school begins to see a sad pattern.  Many of these children have more melt downs and stuggles than their peers, and need some one on one guidance in the next phase of learning.  Why?

Because they didn't get the foundation they needed to learn to cope with school and life.

Negotiation skills, problem solving skills, thinking out of the box and intentional creativity were not a part of their curriculum in their early years, so they didn't have strong experiences with these social/emotional pieces. 

I am highlighting a wonderful post from an early childhood expert on learning through play.  I think you'll like it.  Feel free to share with your friends and families.  More importantly, continue to seek programs that allow children ample time for play, and run away from those programs that promise to have your 4 year old reading.   Really...there's many more valuable lessons one can learn in preschool.


Learning Through Play