This week we showcase an article by Early Childhood Consultant Luke Touhill. Luke is highly experienced in the early childhood sector with more than twenty years' experience working as a teacher, service director, manager, trainer, academic and consultant.
Luke strongly believes in the idea of incorporating 'real' experiences, such as cooking, gardening and woodwork into early childhood programs and the article he has submitted provides strong evidence for this style of learning experience.
"Real" Learning: Cooking, Gardening and Woodwork for Young Children
Cooking, gardening and woodwork are all examples of "real" experiences – meaning that they involve children in using real tools and real materials to undertake real everyday tasks. When children participate in them they are not pretending to cook, to garden or to make things – they are actually doing these things. Which is not to say that pretend play is not a valuable experience – far from it. But there is something about the chance to use "real" tools and engage in "real" grown–up experiences that holds immense appeal for most children.
To a child the adult world is powerfully attractive. Surrounded by the daily goings-on of parents, teachers and all the other "grown ups" in their lives, children are often bystanders to an adult world that is both an integral part of their experience while also remaining tantalisingly out of reach. As a result there is something of the forbidden in even the dullest of adult chores; something that makes even the washing up a fascinating and compelling experience for the average preschooler.
Of course there are good reasons why we choose to protect children from many aspects of the adult world. But sometimes our concern for children's safety and wellbeing takes us too far, and rather than helping children to safely negotiate the increasingly complex, difficult (and even dangerous) aspects of their lives we respond by cocooning them from any potential risk, often without thought for the potential long term effects of our well intentioned efforts. In recent years numerous authors have commented on just these effects, pointing out that our desire for "risk free" childhood may actually have serious unintended consequences in later life.
I don't want to rehash that argument here, but I do wonder whether this focus on "safety" has also been responsible for a move away from providing children with opportunities to engage in "real" experiences, using "real" tools and "real" materials. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) "real" materials tend to bring with them the potential for danger. Using a knife, hammer or spade there is always a chance that you will slip, cut or scratch yourself. If our focus is exclusively on safety such materials can seem too dangerous. These risks however need to be put into perspective. Yes they are real but so is the learning that occurs at the same time. As educators we need to balance our concerns for safety with our appreciation of that learning. In most cases, the benefits will far outweigh the risk.
So, why are "real" experiences so valuable?
Firstly, they offer children the chance to undertake useful and meaningful work. There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from making or doing something for yourself. This is what makes real experiences such powerful contributors to children's feelings of achievement, wellbeing and self-worth.
Secondly, "real" experiences are usually complex and engaging. The very fact that they seem "adult" provides motivation for children to participate. The complexity and real-life nature of such experiences also means that the kind of learning that they promote is often deeper and more relevant than that offered by other experiences. Cooking provides a great example of this. As children cook they are potentially learning maths (as they measure and weigh ingredients); language (as they read and follow a recipe or describe what they see); science (as they combine ingredients and observe the results); social skills (as they work as part of a group to complete task) and fine motor coordination (as they chop and mix ingredients or manipulate utensils and kitchen equipment). That such learning is integrated into a single, enjoyable experience makes it even more valuable.
Thirdly, "real" experiences, done properly, tend to take time. Often the skills needed in one experience build on and develop those from previous experiences. Because of this "real" experiences tend to be ongoing. By revisiting or returning to previous experiences children have opportunities to make connections between what they are learning as well as to practice and develop skills. This repetition, far from being boring, is in fact a crucial part of effective learning.
Fourthly, they promote a sense of "connectedness", both to the real world and to others. Experiences such as cooking and gardening help children to develop understandings of the natural world and of our food chain; others such as woodwork provide connections to real world skills such as building and engineering. Working with, and learning from, knowledgeable adults and peers also creates valuable opportunities for social connections and relationships to develop.
This is not to say that valuable learning can only occur through "real" experiences. Of course it can and does occur through the whole range of experiences that make up each day in an early childhood service. But when real experiences offer such a wealth of opportunities for deep and sustained engagement then we would be foolish to pass them over. Yet unfortunately this often seems to be what we do. Sometimes in the busy-ness of the average day "real" experiences just seem too messy, dangerous and hard to control. They can also challenge our ideas of what young children are capable of, and of what is "appropriate" curriculum in the early years.
So, where do you start? How do you go about incorporating "real" experiences into your day?
- Start small. Don't try to do everything at once. If you, or the children you work with, aren't used to "real" experiences it will take time to introduce them. Tools can be dangerous if they are not used properly so it is important to take the time to teach children how to use them safely.
Start with something simple and work up from there. Squeezing orange juice and using it to make iceblocks isn't fine dining but it can be a good introduction to cooking and food preparation. Remember, while the result is important so is the process. Take the time to get both aspects of what you are doing right.
- And keep it small. "Real" experiences work best as small group experiences. That way everyone gets a turn without frustration. Safety issues are also far easier to manage with a small group. Think about how you plan your day so that "real" experiences don't become exercises in crowd control.
- Do your homework. It is frustrating and discouraging when something new doesn't work. Make sure you plan carefully and do your homework. Find out the best place to site your new vegetable garden so that your plants get adequate sun and water; set up your cooking table so that all the ingredients and utensils are close to hand; make sure your woodwork table is sturdy and stocked with enough materials and tools.
- Do it regularly. "Real" experiences don't usually work as one-offs. Often, because they are so appealing, everyone wants to join in. When you offer experiences on a regular basis no one needs to feel like they are missing out if they don't get a turn straight away. Set aside a regular time in your day for experiences to occur. There is no reason why you can't cook, garden and do woodwork everyday. They are certainly interesting enough to sustain this level of involvement. And you won't see the full benefit of such experiences unless they are regular, ongoing parts of your program.
- Talk to families about what you are trying to do. Concerns about safety are genuine and not everyone will automatically feel comfortable with the idea of their child using real tools. Take the time to show that you have thought through how you will do this and how you will keep it safe. Usually once families start to see the results they are surprised and thrilled at what their children are capable of.
Think about when and where you can offer other real experiences throughout the day. Cooking, gardening and woodwork are all important but think about how else children can be involved in the daily life of your service. Before buying the toy version of something think about whether the real version might be possible instead. Look at your routines and consider how children might help. Can they sweep up? hang washing? set the tables?
- Consider safety carefully. Real experiences can be dangerous if they are not handled well. However with forethought and careful planning they need not be any more risky than other parts of your program. Consider supervision, how you will judge children's capacities, and how you will set rules and/or guidelines for participation? Remember that each group of children will be different. What one group handles with confidence others may not. Adjust your experiences to the situation rather than thinking the same experience will always work in the same way.
- Develop your own skills and confidence. It is hard to manage a potentially risky situation if you are not confident yourself. If you have never done any woodwork yourself it is probably not a good idea to try and introduce it to a group of young children until you know what you are doing. Upskill yourself, or else find out who amongst your team has an interest in cooking, gardening or building things. The best teachers are those who are themselves interested in what they are teaching – make use of your own and others interests and skills.
Finally, a word of caution, "real" experiences are addictive! The child who has experienced woodworking with real tools is unlikely to return easily to the plastic, pretend tools that we so often provide for young children. However by integrating regular, ongoing opportunities for "real" experiences into the daily program we can offer children far more than the plastic and pretend might. We can provide opportunities to develop valuable skills and, perhaps most importantly, the chance to feel good about themselves as they master difficult and challenging tasks.
For more information on Luke visit his website.
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