What a wonderful first couple weeks of school in Spark Studio. We’re off to an amazing start! Heroes spent this time settling into the their new environment, learning its rhythms and routines and the names of their new friends. They found focus and flow by using building materials, perusing the library shelves, and practicing activities on our practical life shelf trays. (Kinetic sand is just as engaging as you might imagine.)
The emphasis of these first two weeks in the studio was on expanding heroes’ concentration. As they move past the excitement of trying all the new activities and materials, they started focusing for longer and longer periods. Soon they will begin to ease into ever more challenging activities.
Outside, the heroes had the opportunity to engage in more collaborative play. They invented games, imagined pretend worlds for themselves, and even began their first forays into “loose parts” play.
“Loose parts” refers to materials such as plywood, tires, PVC pipes, lumber, tarps and bamboo that we store out back in a little shed behind the playground. During our extended outdoor afternoon period, heroes are free to explore these items, combine them in different ways, and plan and build unique structures.
Spark heroes were understandably unsure about the “loose parts” shed the first couple of days. The playground, climbing trees, and ample space to roam provided more attractive play opportunities. But as soon as it started to rain Wednesday, all of a sudden they were very interested! They came running from all four corners of the outdoor play area to grab materials from the shed to construct rain shelters. Within minutes, tarps draped over picnic tables and PVC pipe frames, and plywood leaned against picnic table benches to protect from the wind. It was so much fun to watch the problem-solving and teamwork take hold in this group.
When it was time to go in it took almost no urging for them to work together to organize it and put it all away. The heroes even used plywood to construct makeshift ramps for easier access to the shed. We could already tell this would be a group that would work and play well together this year. We’re looking forward to next week’s adventures!
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