Children as Activists

08/03/2017

When the child becomes interested in an object, the teacher must not interrupt, because this activity obeys natural laws and has a cycle; and if it is touched, it disappears like a soap-bubble and all its beauty with it.
Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

"Mealtime with preschool children always reminds me of the pleasure of sharing food with others. Children like to discover who likes the same kinds of foods they do. They love to share food with each other as a way to cultivate connections and build friendships," writes Deb Curtis in Really Seeing Children.

"One year in my preschool class, a number of families were concerned about children sharing the food that was sent from home. We wanted to respect these families' views, so we began reminding the children that their family didn’t want them to share their food. The children strongly let us know that this message totally countered our continual reminders to share in every other aspect of preschool. The children rebelled and designated a sharing table, inviting anyone who wanted to share their snack to eat at that table. We told the families about the children’s passionate activism and worked together to develop guidelines for sharing food that everyone was happy with."

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