Under Construction
On a gloomy October morning, the Autumn room ventured deep into our woods hoping for an adventure. We weren’t sure what we might find back among the trees, and the students were delighted when they stumbled upon a run-down and seemingly forgotten fort! Nails stuck up from boards at odd angles, and a tarp lay crumpled on the ground. Immediately, ideas began pouring out from the students: “We can fix it up!” “It can be a secret castle!” “These nails aren’t very safe…”
Out of the teacher's backpack came hemp rope, garden clippers, and a hammer. In small groups, students learned how to use these tools carefully and with explicit instruction. Kids learned about the parts of a hammer and how to ensure it was safe to swing by checking their surroundings. Other children learned about using sharp garden clippers to clean brush and snip rope. Within a single play period, the dangerous nails were hammered down, errant branches were removed from our fort, and the tarp was rehung up through the trees. Back inside the classroom, students effusively expressed excitement and pride in their work: “I used a hammer!” “We hung the shade back up!”
Inviting preschool students to use adult tools like hammers, saws, and clippers might initially seem like a bad idea, but there are multiple benefits to doing so! Children develop listening skills and practice following directions. Because the risks of using these tools are so obvious to children - that the saw is sharp, that the hammer is heavy - they naturally understand the importance of using them safely.
Furthermore, because the preschooler’s little hands are engaged in holding tight to saws and hammers and maneuvering them, this type of play helps to develop important hand and arm muscles needed for handwriting and fine motor movements. Successfully hammering a nail requires hand-eye coordination and a significant amount of teamwork is needed to execute group plans.
In just the few sessions the Autumn Room has been using tools outdoors, students have engaged in great work: adding a rung to a wooden ladder to make it easier for our smaller friends to climb up, securing boards, and creating plans to enhance our forts. This is one of the joys of students using real tools: their work is real, too! They aren’t using their imagination to fix a ladder; they are literally fixing the ladder. The confidence that comes from children being in charge of these transformations and their pride in being so fully in control of improving their play spaces is deeply powerful!