Category: STEAM

Put Learning in Their Hands

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I’m at a point in my life when I look back and reflect on my decisions, I think about all the steps (and missteps) I’ve made that brought me this far.  The one thing that stands out for me is how working with my hands has been a major theme throughout my childhood, teenage years, and all the decades of my adult life.

Working in the Wonder Studio: June Wrap-up

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The last  two weeks of school found the girls busy wrapping up their spring projects in the Wonder Studio.  Even though I warned them not to start anything new, some of them could not resist.  They spent their recess times painting, making, building mazes, sewing pillow, and making oodles of miniatures.

Finding Her Voice: Building a Tiny House

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As a learning support specialist, I appreciate the time and effort it takes to grow.  There is definitely something to Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 hours rule,” which states that it takes approximately 10, 000 hours to achieve mastery in a particular activity.  I have watched Coco put intense focus and energy into making small objects: tiny coconut people, small animal habitats, or tiny food replicas.  It seems that there were no plans.  Her objects would just appear, but as I watched her, I realized that she were very significant organizational processes going on silently in her imagination.

Working in the Wonder Studio: Creative Spirit

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I have noticed in the last few years that the 5th grade students love to fabricate small intricate items during their final Wonder Studio sessions. I’m not sure if it’s because they want to be able to quickly complete projects that they can take home as mementoes of their Primary School years, or that they are working on a math PBL unit on Tiny Houses, so their minds just naturally go to the miniature. However, most of the students are making objects other than items for their tiny houses, even though I bought materials that would allow them to construct tiny furniture and other accoutrements.

Jingle, Jingle, Gingerbread

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I enjoy three things: children, cooking, and holidays.  Last week, I was able to put all three together.  Nothing says “HOLIDAY” like gingerbread, so I decided to make gingerbread houses with our 1st grade classes, twenty little girls in all.  Nothing could bring more joy than that!  Of course, the motto, “Divide and conquer,” came … Continue reading Jingle, Jingle, Gingerbread

Working in the Wonder Studio: The Play’s the Thing!

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In the Wonder Studio this month, the 5th graders have been busy creating models of tree houses, ornaments, carts, and a sundry of child-generated crafts.  The thing that all the students like best about Wonder Studio is that no adult is telling them what to make or how to make it.

Working in the Wonder Studio: Self-Reliance

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I know people sometimes look at the things the Wonder Studio makers have created and see just a mess of paint and glue and cardboard.  But I see treasure, pure childlike imaginative treasure.  And in that treasure, I see creativity, determination, and resourcefulness, which will stay with them a lifetime. And that makes all the difference!