Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/docia-shares-a-story-about-responding-to-the-moment/5008561/
A director of an early childhood program had traveled far and wide and in the course of her travels had collected objects and materials to be used in her center. In her collection were bells of different sizes, shapes, and sounds. She was very proud of them.A student assigned to an activity with a small group of four year old children saw the bells in a basket on a closet shelf and, thinking the children would enjoy feeling, seeing, and hearing them, took the basket from the shelf and placed it on the floor. The children were enchanted. They held the bells, lined them up, took turns listening to them, and with the student talked about them.
Everything was going beautifully until the director came in, rushed over to the group, picked up the basket, and said, "No, no, no. This is tomorrow's new experience."
Why can't it be today's new experience?
Why not take advantage of the children's interest at the moment, or does an activity always have to be preplanned and controlled by adults? Why wait until tomorrow? If the activity is appropriate, timely, and fun, go for it. The ...