As educators of young children, we are continually challenged to ensure that every child’s voice be heard. The heart of the Reggio Emilia philosophy embraces the belief that this voice can present itself in many forms, through “The Hundred Languages.” At LNS we invariably encourage children to express themselves using as many of their languages as possible.
Recently as we have introduced new materials, we have discovered that when given the choice, our children are choosing to explore only those areas in which they feel the most confident and comfortable. When encouraged to try something new, they will often flatly refuse and retreat to their comfort zones of building, drawing, or painting.
In an attempt to encourage children to explore their many voices, we are presenting materials that provide new experiences in less conventional ways.
There has been an increasing interest of late in letters, words, and writing names. While putting a pencil to paper can be an exciting and natural activity to some, it is incredibly daunting to others. Magna Doodles, Wikki Stix, and hole punchers have provided a wonderful opportunity for all, including those who have otherwise avoided experimenting with writing and drawing.
The proposition of creating our own building blocks motivated even the most passionate builders to go beyond simply building to enhance their creations. Children worked together stuffing boxes, cutting, taping, wrapping and finally painting and designing the finished blocks.
