My husband came home right before dinner and asked, “Did you know your girls are trying to make a fire?”
I did know. I gave them permission. I was listening to their play outside, and was fully aware that they were playing with fire.
They were trying to use the microwave to heat up a special animal soup pudding they had created with leaves, flowers, and any other food like items they had found and decided to include. I told them that they were not allowed to use the microwave. They explained their need for a microwave to cook their creation. I asked, “What else do you think you can use?”
“I know! A fire!” My oldest was thrilled with her new idea… which I had to quickly halt and lay down some rules. They can only use things they find outside, no matches or anything. They need to make a ring to contain the fire- just in case.
When my husband came home and saw them so busy, he seemed to think I should have been more concerned. I told him that if they can really make a fire with sticks and rocks than they are doing better than me!
Maybe it seems mean of me to encourage my kids to get involved in a project that I suspect would fail. I did not expect them to build a fire. They dug a great hole and a nice ring of rocks. They made a great stick teepee. They were banging rocks together. It is possible that they could have made a fire, but I doubted it.
The process of experimenting with an authentic problem they created and chose led to a great learning experience. Educators look for and create child led play scenarios where the children activate their stem skills in solving a problem. Children often come up with these experiences in their own play. Instead of discouraging them, there are ways to help make sure they are safe while they play. One silver lining in the quarantine is that my children have plenty of time to develop these projects. They try and fail and tweak their creations. It is so fun to see the quirky things our kids come up with in their play!
What are some funny things your kids have been doing during the quarantine?