In our Kindergarten class, the four and five year old Ladybirds embraced the challenge to build 2D and 3D models using clay and toothpicks, only. They worked in three teams collaborating their thoughts and ideas. There was an array of emotions as they cultivated, modelled and remodeled their work: excitement, team spirit and frustration!
More than just a fun activity there was an enormous amount of learning taking place which was oblivious to the children. The adults in the room took to only observing and encouraging the self-initiated experiments. Some children were shy to begin with whilst others plunged right into the making 3D models. Playing with clay is not only fun but it also helps the children develop important skills and competencies, such as fine motor development for example. The visible learning was observed in the children interacting harmoniously amongst themselves . They were working on effective communication to share their ideas to construct their understanding of the world. Planning and anticipation of next steps was seen in all groups. They used their mathematical knowledge to understand if they could balance their models for the size and shape they erected. Core values such as resilience and persistence were observed as the models kept crashing down. Some children walked around to observe what was happening on other tables and used this information to enhance their models, displaying resourcefulness and awareness of their surroundings. The rich learning that resulted from this interaction with clay can only be described as authentic play-based learning.
