Keep Those Hands Up

"Ask a group of 25 preschoolers if they are good at something, and they will all invariably raise their hands and enthusiastically proclaim their competency,” write Sandra Duncan and Jody Martin in their beautiful new book, Bringing the Outside In: Ideas for Creating Nature-Based Classroom Experiences for Children. "Ask a group of 25 elementary students the same question and less than 50% will raise their hands, and only one hand will pop up when high school students are asked. So, what happened? More importantly how can we help young children keep their inherent enthusiasm for life and learning?"

The authors assert, "Nothing dulls children’s enthusiasm more than lack-luster environments filled with plastic and laminated cardboard, commercially purchased toys, and one-use learning materials. Instead, create enthusiastic environments where children can play without adult intervention; jump, sing and dance; create and construct without any adult saying what to do and what not to do; be silly and fool around; have opportunities to make choices and decisions; and most importantly, have provocative, interesting, and engaging natural materials and objects to explore, investigate, and discover."

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