Share:
Tweet
  • Home
  • About the Book
  • Excerpts
  • Authors
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Buy the Book

The Missing Alphabet>

Home » Blog » A Place for Ideas

A Place for Ideas

August 7, 2015 | by Cynthia Herbert

MuralWhen I was a young girl, my family did not have a lot of money and I remember how proud they were when they were able to buy a new bedroom suite for my sister and me. I didn’t say anything, but in truth, I hated the furniture—there were lots and lots of drawers with very little room between all the drawers and the bed. If I had been consulted, I would have asked for the following (besides the bed): a work table, tall open shelves, and a backyard with a tree. Those would have supported my young creative mind. (Of course, other children will have other preferences!) My parents meant well—and, as a parent and grandparent myself, I know we sometimes miss the mark with our children.

ser-naturaleza

Many years ago, Susan Marcus (then Russell) and I wrote a book entitled, Everychild’s Everyday, published by Doubleday. Our aim was to help parents become more child-centered by observing their child’s favorite activities and areas of interest—particularly when they were engaged in creative activities.  Then we provided many suggestions for creating environments and other resources in the home that supported their child’s unique creative mind.

Nowadays there are movements, such as “The Third Teacher,” that extend that idea to the community level and beyond: Investigate the needs and special characteristics of a place and help them design an environment that supports their goals and dreams.

For 15 years I worked with a USAID-funded program, SEED, in San Antonio. Teachers from rural areas in Latin America came to our country to study for a year and then returned to be change agents in their communities and countries. Many of them did not have potable water, electricity, books or paper at their schools. We put our energies into helping support their creativity and giving them opportunities to experiment with environments they might replicate at home. One idea was to help them see how the sometimes amazing natural environments in their countries could be classrooms where they could teach, not just science, but creative writing and other subjects as well. The social and cultural aspects they grew up with were also places where learning could be extended into social studies, social-emotional development, literature and other subjects. With them we found creative ways to use simple and recycled materials to make spaces and manipulatives for learning.

The best activities we did were to help them transform both the classroom they were in with me and additional temporary buildings to reinforce learning and create libraries and interactive spaces. We even hooked up Skype between one room and another so that they could practice sharing best environment ideas between countries.

CCULI Class

Through social media, I keep in touch with many of the over 400 teachers with whom I worked and am gratified to see them continuing to use their creativity to create places where children and ideas can thrive.

In the USA, many of us have access to various forms of technology which are also potentially useful in creating a context for creativity. I hope you as parents and teachers will seek out ways you can create new environments—high tech, high touch, etc.,–to inspire individuals and communities of learners.

IMG_7328

Filed Under: Uncategorized

« Previous Post
Next Post »

The Missing Alphabet... is important and compelling reading."

– David Lawrence
Chair of The Children's Movement of Florida

Sign Up for Emails

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Blog Archives

  • March 2018 (2)
  • February 2018 (4)
  • January 2018 (5)
  • December 2017 (3)
  • September 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (1)
  • April 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (3)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (4)
  • October 2016 (4)
  • September 2016 (5)
  • August 2016 (5)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • April 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (2)
  • October 2015 (3)
  • September 2015 (5)
  • August 2015 (5)
  • July 2015 (3)
  • June 2015 (5)
  • May 2015 (5)
  • April 2015 (5)
  • March 2015 (7)
  • February 2015 (7)
  • January 2015 (9)
  • December 2014 (6)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (1)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (4)
  • October 2013 (4)
  • August 2013 (1)
  • July 2013 (2)
  • June 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (6)
  • December 2012 (5)
  • November 2012 (9)
  • October 2012 (5)

Questions about The Missing Alphabet?

Ask the Authors

© 2012 The Missing Alphabet   |   Terms and Conditions   |   Contact