Wonders at work

Working in a kindergarten, everyday we are outdoors with the children a bit.
And as there is a sandpit, they like to play in it of course!

But why does it happen that I find sand in my hair everyday after work?
It is something that keeps puzzling me....and I thought of several possibilities on the why and how:

1. It just comes from the cover on top of the sandpit, that protects against sunlight. When helping to clean up, it drizzles down on the head.
2. Children throw sand on me without me even noticing.
3. I secretly enjoy the sand and put it on my hair, once again without me noticing.
4. There are little fairies that fly around and drizzle sand on everyone!

Especially number 4 might be true.... as I often find myself covered in glitter, too!

Is anything really truly "ours"?

While this question obviously is not being asked in everyday life, still it can give a good starting point to think about the value of possessions and we define as "mine" and "yours" or "theirs" and "ours". So let me just give this little trail of thoughts, and let you decide where it leads to:

That favorite book/DVD/game that lies there in your shelf...is it really truly yours? Sure you bought it with money, but you didn't really make it by yourself, right? Neither did you produce the money nor the DVD. You worked so you could get the money that has been produced (mainly by machines), to buy something that has been produced (mainly by machines). And if you have the knowledge to make the book? Well, then you still have to get the paper that someone else made. If you can make the paper by yourself too, you still have to cut down the tree, not to mentioned the materials for the needed tools. And before the tree can grow to the size where it can be used to make paper, first has to be planted. And so on. In the end, close to everything that we one we have thanks to the common effort of several people involved.

So when children are starting to learn the conceptions of 'mine' and 'yours', what should they actually be taught? Of course it is accepted that toys they bring from home are theirs, and they can decided who can play with it. On the same time, it is simply assumed and requested that the toys at kindergarten are those of everyone, with no specific child as an owner! Especially at the beginning time, when coming newly into such a group, a child can be confused about it. Everything was their own, so why is it not the way now? Oh it's not mine, then just let me break it, if it's not mine, no one can have it! (Unfortunately, there are even adult who still have this way of thought)

Maybe instead of teaching about ownership and rules concerning it, it would be more important and appropriate to start off with showing and teaching that every living being and object has to be treated with care and respect! If we knew and trusted that the other side also uses our items with care, we might be inclined to share it much easier.

Eventually, such kind of understanding also might help with the discussions about digital ownership, rights to ideas, concepts and inventions, etc. 

A fresh start for a new academic year

Whether the new academic year has started for you already, will soon or is already half way through, I wish all students, teachers and educators a successful  'new year'!

Everyday we can learn new things and make new experiences. And as teachers, most importantly, we can also learn from our students, as well as the good and the bad days! Explore something new each day!