Chalkboard walls? Boggle games? Time spent driving robots and completing mazes? Is this really a good use of our children's time at school? In an era of high pressure testing and rigorous expectations, should students spend time playing at school? Yes! Yes! Of course they should! Especially at the youngest ages. Children are wired to learn, but the way they learn is not the same as the way adults learn. Their brains do not work in the same way. They need movement and play to learn, and the Longfellow Library is ready to step in and provide more opportunities to play. Why is play so important? In the course of playing, a child needs to be flexible, think on their feet, negotiate with others and practice interpersonal skills. They get to be creative, and they get to "fail" and try again without fear of disappointing. Children get to be physical and explore. Play is a powerful teacher.
How will the library promote play? Watch for the library to begin offering more hands on, creative experiences. We have already started. Every student at Longfellow had the opportunity to participate in the marshmallow challenge, building structures using nothing but spaghetti noodles, tape and string. Hopefully this year will also see the establishment of a permanent MakerSpace- a center where students can experiment and explore. All grades will have the opportunity to play with robots. Creative exploration will have a home in the library. Do you have a creative skill you would like to share with the students? Please contact the library. We would love your expertise!
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Anyone who has been in the Longfellow Library knows it is a gorgeous space. Light, airy, (very) white, and LOUD. The furniture is solid and not terribly kid friendly. It's sometimes hard to work collaboratively and there is very little space for exploration and creation. I have made it my mission this year to start revamping the space to fit the needs of curious 21st century minds. Part of that library refresh involves embracing the MakerSpace movement- the idea that students need to opportunity to tinker, experiment, and creatively "fail." It's an opportunity for students to try things out without fear that someone will be grading them or judging them, and that when it doesn't work, they can just try again. Here is the "blank slate" I am going to start with-
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