Use Too Much!

The children in our preschool program are given free access to all materials that are in the classroom.  

There are typically no rules as to how much or how little of something they can use.  This is most evident in our art area of the classroom. 

Yep!  That is glue.  Many teachers would limit the glue use.  It is messy, it is sticky and it is not fun to clean up.  When I first started teaching I preferred glue sticks.  They are so much easier to clean up and control.  That is the key word, CONTROL.   I now trust children as learners.  I trust that they will make decisions about their day based on their needs and interests.  So, I have learned to trust them with a bottle of glue.  Typically, children need to experience too much of something before they know what just the right amount is.  By allowing children to experience the full effect of glue, they will learn on their own how much is too much and how much is too little.   

By allowing this freedom of glue exploration, the children are also learning many skills: eye-hand coordination, viscosity, gravity and they are having to use their little hand muscles to squeeze those bottles with all their might!  

We give children time and trust.  We give children control of their own learning.  

Trust us.  Trust your child.  Trust the process.