We had less than thirty minutes to do something. We’d just finished practicing for the upcoming graduation ceremony but it wasn’t yet time for the end of the day carpool. It was Friday with only one week of school left before summer vacation began. No need for new lessons. No time to get into anything too meaningful. We had Kindergarten, Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary students combined in one room. What to do?
We decided on a challenge drawing. We’ve done these before. I drew a random symbol (line, dot, squiggle, etc.) on a paper and the child had the task of turning it into a picture. Today, we paired up the children as partners and added a twist. They had to draw a picture together using only one pencil, taking turns, without talking.
I really thought this would last five minutes. Ten if we were lucky. Really, how do you even begin to tackle this challenge? I underestimated these children greatly! Not only did they complete the task, they enjoyed it. What started as a squiggle soon became a map, a few circles turned into a flower garden, random shapes even became a ‘microscopic view’. They became so involved, we had to stop some of them after thirty minutes because it was time to go home! They had created some of the most amazing art I’ve seen all year. Creativity flowing, shared visions, engaging together…this is our Montessori classroom. Sometimes the least planned project becomes the most amazing activity!
Written by Shannon Bennett, who claims she can turn anything into a lesson.
We decided on a challenge drawing. We’ve done these before. I drew a random symbol (line, dot, squiggle, etc.) on a paper and the child had the task of turning it into a picture. Today, we paired up the children as partners and added a twist. They had to draw a picture together using only one pencil, taking turns, without talking.
I really thought this would last five minutes. Ten if we were lucky. Really, how do you even begin to tackle this challenge? I underestimated these children greatly! Not only did they complete the task, they enjoyed it. What started as a squiggle soon became a map, a few circles turned into a flower garden, random shapes even became a ‘microscopic view’. They became so involved, we had to stop some of them after thirty minutes because it was time to go home! They had created some of the most amazing art I’ve seen all year. Creativity flowing, shared visions, engaging together…this is our Montessori classroom. Sometimes the least planned project becomes the most amazing activity!
Written by Shannon Bennett, who claims she can turn anything into a lesson.
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