Working Undercover

Top-secret task: without detection, create a fun, rich environment where children learn.

Ultimate goal: children develop all kinds of skills for living and learning ... and have heaps of fun with you!

Necessary tools: a keen eye for learning opportunities (they're EVERYWHERE!), patience, spontaneity, creativity and the belief that a child’s mind is a brilliant thing. Of course, it helps to have a hefty supply of quality books, sports equipment, craft supplies, cooking ingredients, tools and toys on hand. There will be cases though, when you don't need a single thing but time.

The cartoon above was created to express an idea: that teaching doesn't need to mean 'sit down, shut up and learn'. There are so many opportunities in day-to-day life for learning. To make our job even easier, children are naturally inquisitive about the world around them. There is little need to formalise things. If I casually mutter to myself ‘c-c-carrots’ while preparing the dinner, sometimes a keen pair of ears will prick up nearby. Later on, if I stop at the fridge door and arrange the fridge magnet letters into the word ‘carrot’, someone just may ask what I'm doing. Then, let the games begin! You’ve laid the clues – let them solve the mysteries, day by day.

Pressuring a child to perform or bombarding them with facts is unlikely to set a positive tone for learning. In fact, it could make a child scream and run in the opposite direction. Stress isn’t conducive to learning and it negatively affects memory. When it boils down to it, if something is not enjoyable, we tend not to want to do it. The less we do it, the less practise we get and the less chances we have to improve. A very simple equation!

This blog is a work-in-progress. I hope this will become a place we can share experiences and support one another as we nurture our children in every way.