Waste Materials as Resources

11/30/2015

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
Viktor Frankl, from his book, Man’s Search for Meaning

In the Exchange article "Waste Materials as Resources," which serves as the basis for an Out of the Box Training Kit by the same name, Tiziana Ciccone describes how they started to insert waste materials (loose parts) into their curriculum....

"Then it was time to invite the children to engage with the loose materials. It was not difficult to entice them. Their natural curiosity led them; and they were encouraged to investigate and explore texture, dimension, and various properties of the materials...

"The children were uncertain of the uses for these materials, and in an attempt to coax them the teachers began to give the loose materials form. They began using the materials themselves designing collages, making flowers, butterflies, and scenery. Although this seemed restrictive, we found it necessary to give the children some incentive to explore the materials themselves. Eventually the children began to feel more comfortable on their own and the teachers stepped back. It was amazing to watch the children surpass our expectations!

"...As the children became more familiar with the loose materials, they began to work in new contexts designing elaborate backdrops for stories, forests, labyrinths, and representations of their theories on how things work. They began testing their theories, and making predictions and redesigning their work to fit their new models of thinking.

"...Parents began to understand what the vast collections were for. However, they also began to ask questions regarding the usefulness of the experiences. Yes, of course, the work was beautiful. But was it educational? What were the children learning?

"Prompted by these questions from parents, we began to look at the loose materials in a new way. We asked how this unique collection might meet the demands placed on us to support the guidelines provided by the Ontario Curriculum for Kindergarten. And so we were challenged to add yet another aspect to our work: The materials became tools for supporting math, literacy, science, and other concepts that parents wanted to see in their children's education."

Adventures in Preschool Second Language Acquisition.

Connect4Learning - Math and Science in the Classroom.

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