According to Steven

LEARNING STORY

ACCORDING TO STEVEN… LESS IS BESS (BEST)!

WRITTEN BY SUZANNE SELF

“THE HUMAN HAND ALLOWS THE MINDS TO REVEAL ITSELF.”                         

  MARIA MONTESSORI

THE ABOVE QUOTE SURMISES A RECENT PRESCHOOL ACTIVITY. STEVEN AND HIS PEERS REQUESTED TO PLAY WITH A BATCH OF RECENTLY MADE PLAY DOUGH. QUICKLY THE “DOUGH MASTERS” PLUNGED TOWARDS THE DOUGH AND BEGAN DIVVYING IT UP (DIVIDING PLAY DOUGH INTO EQUAL AMOUNTS AMONGST FRIENDS, IS A WORK IN PROGRESS). WHEN ALL PARTICIPANTS POSSESSED THEIR “FAIR SHARE”, WORK BEGAN! THERE WERE A FEW REQUESTS FOR DOUGH TOOLS, BUT I DECLINED FROM VENTURING INTO THE DOUGH CABINET, WHICH OVERFLOWS WITH KITCHEN GADGETS FROM THE DOLLAR STORE. INSTEAD I RESPONDED, “LET’S SEE WHAT WE CAN CREATE USING OUR HANDS!”

 

I SENSED A BRIEF DISAPPOINTMENT. PRESCHOOLERS OFTEN ASSUME THE MORE PLAY DOUGH AND TOOLS THEY HAVE, THE BIGGER AND BETTER THE END PRODUCT. THE “MORE IS BETTER” ASSUMPTION MAY SET A FALSE EXPECTATION AND IN THIS EXAMPLE, COULD RESULT IN A CLUTTERED WORK SPACE WITH MANY DISTRACTIONS AND A LARGE, BLOB OF DOUGH. 

 

I WAS DELIGHTED WHEN THE CHILDREN ACCEPTED THE CHALLENGE AND BEGAN WORK USING TWO BASIC INGREDIENTS, HANDS AND DOUGH! I WATCHED WITH GREAT HOPE AND EXPECTATIONS! 

 

STEVEN SMELLED THE SCENTED DOUGH AND COMMENTED ON THE FRUITY SCENT AND RUBY, RED COLOR. MANY CHILDREN CHATTED ABOUT POSSIBLE IDEAS AS TRADITIONAL BALL AND SNAKE STRUCTURES TOOK SHAPE. STEVEN SAT QUIETLY WITH A DETERMINED AND FOCUSED LOOK. HE MOLDED HIS DOUGH INTO SEVERAL TINY PIECES USING HIS FINGERS IN A BACK AND FORTH SAWING MOTION. HIS FINGERS PINCHED AND PLUCKED THE DOUGH INTO CORN-KERNEL SIZED PIECES. HE STOCKPILED DOUGH FRAGMENTS AND RESERVED A SMALL FIST-SIZED QUANTITY. SILENTLY, HE CONTINUED HIS WORK BY FLATTENING THE LARGE SPHERE OF DOUGH AND PULLED THE EDGES UP TO CREATE A SHALLOW, BOWL SHAPE. ONCE THE SIDES WERE SECURE, HE PULLED FROM THE EDGES CREATING A JAGGED EDGE. STEVEN THEN ROLLED STOCKPILED DOUGH PIECES INTO MINISCULE ROUND BALLS AND CAREFULLY PLACED EACH ONE INTO THE CENTER OF HIS DOUGH VESSEL. HE RANDOMLY GLANCED AROUND THE TABLE AT HIS PEER’S CREATIONS, BUT STAYED FIXATED ON HIS TASK. TWENTY MINUTES HAD PASSED AND STEVEN CONTINUED HIS WORK BY ADDING A FEW FINAL DETAILS. UPON COMPLETION HE GRINNED AND WITH PRIDE ANNOUNCED, “I MADE A NEST.” I ENCOURAGED HIM TO DESCRIBE HIS MASTERPIECE TO HIS PEERS AND ME. STEVEN USED FEW WORDS TO DESCRIBE A BIRD’S NEST MADE WITH “POINTY STICKS”. “IT HAS MANY SMALL, BABY, BIRD EGGS WITH A DOOR AND A GATE SO BABIES CAN FLY INSIDE THE NEST AND HAVE A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN GET OUT, AN EXIT”! HIS PEERS MARVELED AT HIS CREATION! 

 

ACCORDING TO STEVEN, FEW INGREDIENTS, “A FAIR SHARE” OF DOUGH AND HIS HANDS, WERE MANDATORY IN CREATING HIS AMAZING DOUGH NEST.  LESS PROVED TO BE MORE!