Month: February 2019

Not -Another- Snow- Day Learning Trap

Jennifer Learning Traps
Caught in a Learning Trap. They didn’t stand a chance.

We have had snow, snow and more snow up here in the Pacific Northwest this month! And although I love the white stuff, I’ll admit that all the bundling, sledding and trudging though the snowmageddon we’ve been enduring this February is getting a little old.

Even worse, I noticed that this week my two children who usually LOVE the outdoors and ADORE sledding are opting for more inside play. And while that’s totally fine, I really like to encourage them to get outside as much as possible!

With this in mind, I decided that this week’s learning trap was going to need to be something that would reignite the delight they have for snow. I really wanted to recapture that joy that comes with the very first snowfall of the year. You know the joy I’m talking about, it’s the excitement you hear in their voices when they exclaim “LOOK! It’s SNOWING!”

Because I wanted my learning trap to be extra effective and super sticky, I observed my kids and took notes first. I watched carefully and asked myself, “What is it that’s capturing my little boys’ attention this week?” I saw tinkering, lots of drawing and creating. I also saw mixing and baking and stirring. And…I’ve got it! Time to set the trap.

Learning traps are super sticky, sensationally superb, learning opportunities that children can’t resist. And what makes them so irresistible is the ridiculous amount of research that goes into setting the trap.

Probably you’ve heard of mud kitchens, right? Well earlier in the week I saw another mamma on Instagram (firebirds_and_warriors) who had set up a beautiful mud kitchen for her kiddos and I thought, that’s exactly the kind of thing that my kids really are craving right now. Only…DESPAIR…there’s no mud here.

So then I thought in my little head “Jennifer, you better work with what you’ve got, and bloom where you’re planted, stop feeling sorry for yourself about the fact that you have two feet of snow at the end of February and make something of it.” Or something to that effect anyway… I often give myself little pep talks…but I digress. My point (I’m getting there, I promise) is that this is what inspired my newest learning trap–SNOW KITCHEN.

Use objects that will captivate your littler learners based on their current interests.

Maybe you’d like to set one up too! And if you don’t have snow, use mud, or sand, or whatever other material you’re blessed with, don’t despair! I can tell you that the trap was an instant success, I hardly got it set before my little honeybees were buzzing around their sticky new work. And they’ve been happily playing outside now for an hour, which is what gave me the time to tell all you lovely people about this fun activity.

Snow isn’t just for sledding, snow ball fights and snow angels.

How to set up a snow kitchen:

  1. Observe, make sure your kids will enjoy this activity by watching to see what interests them. Mine are excited about mixing, colors, building and making forms right now so I included objects for this.
  2. Find something elevated that won’t be ruined by water. (We have this old desk that came with our house. It’s in terrible shape and so I have repurposed it for outdoor use.)
  3. Find household objects that will meet your children’s needs and place them on the outdoor space. Make sure your children can see it from indoors or casually mention it. You could even take a quick photo and show it to them (though if they are reluctant learners I would say it’s a photo of the shed, or of the dog, or something else in the picture and let them discover the trap hidden in the background!)
  4. Continue to observe, what is used, what isn’t? Add to and subtract from the items to keep it interesting.

Remember, if you don’t catch any learners on your first try, it’s OK. You just need to observe a little longer and make small changes until you get the formula just right. Happy learning and good luck!

What’s a Learning Trap?

Jennifer Learning Traps , , , , , ,
You can’t force a child to learn, but you can entice them to explore.

Do you have a child who is reluctant to learn? Have you spent hours working on engaging lesson plans only to be completely, and repeatedly, rejected by this child?

And I do mean rejected, because that is exactly how it feels when you put your heart and soul into a lesson plan–one that you are so sure is going to make learning FUN– only to experience flat refusal from said child.

Whether you are a seasoned educator, a brand new teacher or a homeschooling parent, that sinking feeling is the exact same. But let me encourage you to set aside those feelings of rejection, and focus instead on the child who is doing the rejecting. What is going on with this child?

The answer may not be about your careful lesson plans at all. The rejection may be happening for a number of reasons, and the only way to solve the mystery is to go back to square one and observe the child for a while. Here are a few reasons that children resist learning, which I’ve discovered in my observations of this issue:

1. The child feels pressure to perform perfectly.
2. The child is very dreamy and is not interested in anything remotely related to what they perceive as “school.” (Sometimes this child is simply too young for formal education.)
3. The child has had a bad experience with education and feels defensive about learning.

Do any of these examples fit with the child in your life? If so, I have great news for you–I have a trick up my sleeve that works 99.99 percent of the time. I call them learning traps, and they are very effective at grabbing the attention of reluctant learners.

Setting the Trap
Learning traps are strategically and sneakily placed, sticky learning materials, which are sure to grab the attention of a specific child. To set the trap, you must first really get to know this kid. What is interesting to her, what does he love, how does she think? Watch the child carefully for at least a week, and take notes. When do they engage? At what point do they tune out? Remember, you’re going to make this learning opportunity super sticky and irresistibly inviting, so don’t skip ahead of the observing step. If you do, you’re sure to fall into the pit of rejection again, and no one is happy in that pit.

Once you’ve collected your data you’re ready to start setting the trap. The next step is crucial. Do not set this activity up the way you ordinarily would, everything about this activity must be novel and interesting. So if you use the Montessori method, throw caution to the wind and put the trays away. Don’t set things up all tidy on the shelf and hope that the child will pick it up–that wasn’t working, remember? Traditional educators, don’t set up a learning center like you usually do. We have to think outside of our usual boxes for the sake of the child! Fear not, we are going to break all the rules (or at least the ones that are not working), but we are going to maintain our principles.

I can’t tell you exactly how to set your trap because it will vary for each child. However I can give you some pointers to help you get started. Here are some things that have worked for us in the past:

Sometimes moving an activity outdoors helps!
  1. Place your learning materials in a highly visible area, where the child can’t help but run across it. It may take a few tries to find the perfect spot in your home or classroom. Don’t be discouraged, these things take time.
  2. Sit quietly and do the work yourself, narrating as you go. Make obvious mistakes and puzzle over them–some children can’t resist being “teachers” and are very helpful to their poor learning guides who can’t seem to figure out the activity on their own.
  3. Leave very detailed instructions and examples of how the work should be done, either written or with photo sequencing for the perfectionist child. Be extra careful never to praise this child for their perfect work, but instead praise them for the process.
  4. Leave the activity half-way complete, some children love to finish what someone else has begun.
  5. For the child who “hates school” make the invitation to learn low-pressure and playful. Very young children may just not yet be ready for structured, academic learning–go against the grain and be OK with this! Celebrate that this child is determined to protect her childhood. Make the trap extra sticky by making it play-based. Practical life skills and gross motor activities are often very appealing to a child with this mindset.
  6. Take the work outdoors. Most children let down their guard when they are outside in nature! If you can incorporate natural items from your environment, even better.
  7. And don’t forget to watch and take notes. If the child ignores your trap, you haven’t made it sticky enough. If they engage briefly, celebrate the small victory and capitalize on whatever part of the learning material they interacted with. Build on the small victories until you know just what will catch this child’s attention.

So there you have it, my fool-proof, sure-fire, sticky and strategic method for catching even the most reluctant learners. Don’t give up on these children, they need you to gently guide them into a lifelong love of learning. If you carefully observe and prepare, you’re sure to catch a little learner of your own.

Questions? Comments? Need help brainstorming solutions for your child? I’m happy to help. Leave a comment, email me or find me on facebook and IG @branchtobloom.