Twisted

Do you ever have one of those moments when you somehow manage to channel someone wiser than yourself and creatively solve a problem--with amazing results?  In my case, I think it was some magical combination of Maria Montessori and Donna Bryant Goertz, author of Children Who are Not Yet Peaceful. 

Discarded weapon-like bent paperclips were appearing in little nooks and crannies around the room . . . and our paperclip basket had a parasite.  Finally, I wised up and took my concern to our class meeting.  "I keep finding paperclips like this.  Paperclips are specially designed to fasten papers together.  When they are bent, they become dangerous and no longer serve their purpose.  Why is this happening to them?"  One brave, honest voice quietly volunteered, "It's fun to bend them." And my mind said, "Well, duh.  It kinda is."

Sooo . . . (and this is when the wisdom channeling happened) I proposed that if we agreed to save paperclips for their intended purpose, I would put a tray of wire with pliers and wire-cutting tools on the art shelf for sculpture. 

I think this is what Dr. Montessori meant when she advised us to "follow the child."  Pay attention to what the child's choices/behaviors are telling you about their needs.  In this case, I had to quite literally hear it.  "It's fun to bend them."  When you recognize a child's need, provide appropriate, constructive ways for the child to meet those needs.

Tada!  The paperclip parasite was instantly eliminated,

creative cat

and fantastic sculpture took its place!

More amazingly, this fostered such an affinity for sculpture that not long after, a student brought in a gift for the class--a container of brightly colored flat, rigid plastic organic shapes that can be fastened together to create sculpture. 












The end-of-year timing could not have been more perfect.  Having something new and engaging on the art shelf was perfect as testing dragged on for over a week in May and we were nearing the last weeks of school.  One child even created "a dimetrodon eating a shark" (and me without my camera!)  Ahhh.  Art.