There are no wrong answers here; EVERY PATH LEADS TO LEARNING!
Adult Role:
“Children naturally love learning, we are simply their guides.”
During PNWK Parent/Child classes, the adult’s role is to be a tool in their child’s exploration. We are here to assist in implementing plans, ask thought provoking questions and support their growth.
Understanding the importance of the following can help you get the most of your PNWK class: The Art of Questioning, Loose Parts Play, Pretend Play
The Art of Questioning:
1. Use divergent or open-ended questions, such as "What do you think?" "What should we try ?" or "What would happen if... ?" These questions have no right or wrong answers. In fact, they can have many different answers. As a result, children are more likely to use critical- and creative-thinking skills.
2. Try to avoid convergent or dose-ended questions, such as "How many do you see?" or "What color is this?" More open-ended questions lead to creative thinking and problem solving. Sometimes close-ended questions are necessary, but ask as many open-ended questions as possible.
3. Offer question starters. Pay attention to the ways you begin your questions. Open-ended questions start with phrases such as:
"How do you think we could ...?"
"How many ways can you ... ?"
"What might happen if... ?"
Close-ended questions often begin with phrases such as "What is...?” or "Which are...?"
4. Take advantage of opportunities to question. Some questions encourage children to brainstorm many possibilities:
"What are all the ways we can use the tarps today?"
"How many ways can we get this bucket from one tree to the other?"
Other questions invite children to find a solution to a problem:
"I found this rope on the ground. How can we find out where it belongs?"
"It is getting very noisy in the forest today. I think we need to do something. How many ways can we find to make the space feel quieter?"
5. Accept every answer equally. Although one child's response might excite you more than other responses, it's important for children to see and feel that their ideas and answers are not being judged.
6. Encourage children to elaborate on their ideas. Sometimes children may need your help to keep open-ended conversations going. If children seem stuck, try asking additional questions based on their previous comments and responses. For example, you might ask, "What else can you tell me about it?" or "What do you think would happen next?"
7. Repeat children's answers. You validate children's ideas when you repeat them back with excitement. By doing this, you encourage children to continue expressing, and trying out new ideas.
Loose Parts Play:
Loose parts play is a type of play that supports invention, divergent thinking, problem solving and offers a sense of wonder to children. They are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials.
The versatility of these materials provides children with virtually endless ways to create. Access to a variety of transient materials during play and exploration aids in the following:
Problem Solving
Engineering
Creativity
Concentration
Hand-eye coordination
Fine motor development
Gross motor development
Language and vocabulary building
Mathematical & Scientific thinking
Literacy
Social/emotional development
Pretend Play:
Young children learn by imagining and doing. Have you ever watched your child pick up a stone and pretend it is a zooming car, or hop a Lego across the table as if it were a person or a bunny? Your child is using an object to represent something else while giving it action and motion. But this pretend play is not as simple as it may seem. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas.