As children of the 21st Century, facts and information are well within their fingertips. A quick search on Google or Youtube can provide children with the information they need to learn knowledge-based skills.
However, our Little Innovators will be facing challenges that are unique to their generation once they enter the work force. They must be equipped with higher order thinking skills in order to think radically out of the box.
As part of our ’Start Small Dream Big’ (SSDB) 2020 project, ‘Today’s Innovators, Tomorrow’s Future’, we wish to look into the endless opportunities that can be created and values that can be nurtured when children are given unorthodox materials. With the finite resources that the world can produce, we wish to investigate how we can adopt a sustainable approach into our everyday teaching practice.
On 8 April 2020, our Home-Based Learning (HBL) kits were disseminated to our Little Atlas Families. Amongst their Book Works, we had included recyclables such as a paper towel roll and egg cartons.
In our HBL kits, children and families experimented with recyclables to completely transform them into interesting toys. We believe that through their craft activities, children will instill important thinking dispositions like curiosity, resilience, risk-taking and cognitive flexibility.
Here are some wonderful examples that our children produced during the Circuit Breaker:
Easter bunnies made out of egg cartons. With the hinge at the back, this bunny can serve to keep trinkets. Not only it is creative, it is purposeful as well!
Our Kindergarten One Innovator used magazine cut-outs to create a collage of her family members. It really adds a pop of colour to her activity book.
We love how this child made use of disposable plastic cups to create a game. The possibilities are simply endless!
As we approach the end of our Circuit breaker, the Little Atlas Team are very excited to welcome our Little Innovators back to school to finally kick start our SSDB project.
We look forward to uncovering the endless possibilities that this project has to offer.
