In my business we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about loose parts. (We spend a lot of time picking them up, too.) Loose parts play has certainly been around for as long as childhood, but the term was coined in the early seventies by British architect Simon Nicholson.
Dr. Montessori believed that “the hands are the tools of the mind” and created an approach to learning which engages each child in the two-fold process of purposeful activity and intellectual development. In Education for a New World, Dr. Montessori recognized that,
“Mind and movement are two parts of a single cycle; and movement is the superior expression. … If through force of circumstances the child cannot use his hands, the child remains incapable of obedience or initiative, lazy and sad, whereas the child who can work with his hands shows firmness of character.”
Being a father of a nine year old boy and a Montessori educator, I read with great interest what has become a popular theme growing both in notoriety and credibility, schools at every level of education are failing boys.
Two words that look yucky together: child and diagnosis. I had the wind knocked out of me by a diagnosis of head lice two years ago, and found myself searching the night sky for clues: Why me? More recently, my eight year old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and I had precisely the same [...]
If you have more than one child, you already know that spending time with just one of them—without other siblings underfoot and vying for our attention—is rare.
Not as often as I would like, but since my boys were toddlers, I have made an effort to spend some one-on-one time with each of them. Since my boys are twins—and have always been on the same nap, playdate and now after-school schedule—creating one-on-one time with each one I thought was important to their development and confidence. Time away from a sibling’s shadow, allows each of them space to express and explore their own opinions and interests. My husband and I have tried to make one-on-one time a special outing or activity but sometimes it’s as simple as grocery shopping with a treat or curling up reading together when no one else is home.
Thanks Jill Davidson for continuing our conversation of raising kids in a digital world and reminding us that as parents, mentors and educators we should be mindful of how we use technology and how we share it with our children. We live in an exciting world where technology entertains, educates, and connects us but with any tool, there are rules to follow and safety concerns along with it’s creative potential. – Anisa
Her education column in October’s East Side Monthly focuses not on school but on learning as it happens throughout our lives—in this case, learning as a family about ways to live safely and confidently in the digital world.
Read This Digital Life: October 2011′s East Side Monthly Column
