Every once in a while it's time to gather up all the pencils, markers, crayons, scissors, glue sticks and what-nots from all corners of the house. I scoop them up, drop them in jars, set them where little hands can reach, and voila! It's like they have magnetic pull on small hands. It's a force of nature. Love this.
It got me thinking about this idea -- strategically placing "things" around "places." I've been doing this for so long, I don't remember where or when or why or how it started for me. I remember doing it when I worked at a University Lab School with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers as "curriculum."
And I remember coming across a Feng Shui principle that says we should keep the things we want to get around to doing in our environment (insert photo of dusty guitar case leaning on armoire here. And stacks of fabric and sewing books. Wait. I might not totally get Feng Shui -- isn't there also something about "clutter" in there, too? But, this is not my point.)
And I've always done it with my children. With all sorts of things. Books, games, art supplies, and other items of potential interest. A friend recently pointed out that this has been given a name: "strewing."
It makes me wonder how else I could apply this idea to my life, to my children's, that would support other important experiences. Support in a meaningful way, that isn't contrived or manipulated. Or, how perhaps, I already do, but haven't thought about it.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about it, too. Leave a comment and share!
in Reggio they call these types of invitations “provocations” — a word i much prefer to strewing!
ReplyDeletere: supporting children without contrivance or manipulation, i think it’s all about intention. if you have a specific idea in mind and you’re trying to herd them there, it’s manipulation. if you are pretending you don’t care what they do with the provocation but you really do, that’s contrivance. if you genuinely just want to offer a setting that suggests ideas to children and then supports *whatever they want to do with those ideas*, that’s authentic support.
What a lovely articulation of this. Thank you!
DeleteAnd, I like "provocations" -- also "invitations." Both speak to the respectful interaction between the adult & child (in this case).
as far as the adult side of things, yes, I have current projects out and ready to be picked up. it's hard when it's a shared area--my kids haven't had use of the art table in several days because I've been using it. Oh, well. It's a balance! We all live here.
ReplyDeleteI like Lori's articulation of things, too, but she usually clears things right up, doesn't she?!
hee — thank you, amy! ;D
Deletefor some reason “strewing” always sounds a little manipulative to me; i prefer the out-and-out “i’m making an interesting environment for you to do with whatever you please” — it just seems more direct and more, as you said, jen, an invitation. <3
I also used to rotate the kids playthings when they were younger. It seemed that when there was too much stuff available, it was overwhelming, but a constant rotation of the same or different things kept them stimulated and interested...
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. Am thinking now that maybe I could figure out a way to do this for myself... Seems like there might be something in there... I'm thinking: books? sewing projects? recipes? So many things... hmm...
DeleteThanks for getting me thinking this way!
in days long ago, i was a consultant with The Pampered Chef. one of the things i learned to tell my kitchen party hosts/hostesses was to keep their kitchen tools out where they could see them. in the tool turn-about. hanging from pot racks. in places where they could be easily reached rather than tucked away in corner drawers and inaccessible. if they saw them, they would use them. some might think this was simply a clever marketing ploy to sell more items, but i really took it to heart and still do. if i have things put away or simply out of sight, i forget about them and don't spend time with them. it doesn't necessarily mean i've lost interest, i've just lost my immediate connection with those things and focus my attention elsewhere.
ReplyDeletei wonder if we could also consider this "staging" in a way. setting a scene with a plentiful - but not overwhelming - variety and amount of materials for us to use in our "work" (i put this in quotes because it's what we've begun to call anything we are deeply engaged in. me with blogging, dd with writing, ds with building new lego creations.) it is not scripted or directed by me in any way; they are free to use or not use any and all things i leave out for them. i do ask for feedback on how useful those things are that i put out for dd, and those discussions lead to insights on both our parts.
the number of things we are rediscovering as i unpack our boxes in our new home is staggering, and i am working hard to provide the little stages around our home, complete with the materials of our work.
I always feel so inspired when our house is in this state! It's just occurring to me that maybe that's part of what unnerves me about a "messy" house -- maybe it's not so much the mess, but the lack of spaces available for these provocations and invitations! A-ha moment! Thank you!
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