Through a series of events and medical awesomeness, I became the mother of two amazing, creative children who love to build. They are makers. Perhaps it is my science background mixed with their father's carpentry skills, but my kids love to create. Maybe they attended one too many Odyssey of the Mind meetings with my students as babies and caught the bug before being vaccinated. I also put them in art class before they could talk, so that might have played a role in their development and uncanny ability to recite all of the color choices in the 64 pack. I believe the biggest factor in this whole game is that making is fun. They fail, they mess up, but they start all over again and get better. In this maker world of theirs, they learn and become masters.
They started young stacking cans as soon as they could crawl. We have bins full of Kinex and Legos and most nights involve creating something new. Do you have any idea how much those pieces hurt when stepped on in the middle of the night? I often trip over the ramps and tracks for the car races going through our little home and I firmly believe my son has redefined, at lease in his school, the term Angry Bird. The phrase evolved into Angry Birding and, as his structures involved real projectiles, it was quickly banned at school. At home, we use Amazon cardboard boxes, plush Angry Bird toys, and exercise elastic bands for outdoor Angry Birding.
My 3 and 5 year old are exploring the world of littlebits, Makey Makey, and SnapCircuits. In this whole new world, I am learning alongside my children. Sure, I studied physics in college, but I majored in and taught biology. I never used circuits in my teaching. I didn't even begin to think about these things until my little ones came along. Learning this stuff is hard and takes effort. Then, all of a sudden, my professional world and my personal life collided. I shifted from a classroom teacher with a more narrow view to a curriculum supervisor with a district view of science education. I saw the connection between what my children were doing and what the students in our classrooms were not. I saw the joy of creating something new and the pride in making and knew that I had to advocate for students to have the same experiences. All students should be creating, tinkering, building, and making. They should be collaborating, communicating their ideas, thinking critically, and above all else, being CREATIVE!
These experiences are the ones that will propel our students into the readiness category for careers and college and I know that many of students do not have enough making in their day. So now I am tasked with a mission to create minions who see the value in making as well so our students can build, fail, learn, and succeed. If you are a momma, or a poppa, ask your child's principal what type of maker spaces or design programs they are promoting in schools. If you are a teacher, do your research and invent creative spaces in your classroom based on the 4 Cs (http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/4csposter.pdf). Let's build something awesome for the future, together.
No comments