Navigating New Waters
A story from Spark Land Vol. 1 from our Assistant Director, Jeni Vash:
Once upon a time, Spark Land Studios (ages 4-7) began engaging in a new activity called SparkPLAY. SparkPLAY was new; no one really understood exactly what to do or why they were doing it. There were strange new materials that were normally not available, such as large buckets, wooden boards, pvc pipes, tarps, bungees, and more! There were new groups to work with, new ideas to consider, new boundaries....new waters to navigate.
Well, one might need a boat to navigate these new waters! Learners thought precisely this: boats were naturally in order. From day one, they began sitting in the large blue buckets and attaching pipes to the bucket handles, so they could have oars. The next day, they started setting buckets in a row, to create longer boats that could hold more passengers. In the days and weeks following, the boats grew longer and more elaborate, with fishing poles and cargo holds. The fish started coming in, and there were now areas designated for fires and cooking. Telephone systems arose so learners in the cabins could communicate with one another and the main control center, mostly to place orders of fish “regular” tacos and corn and talk about overall satisfaction with the food and service. All of this came from the learners’ imaginations, creativity, and without adult influence.
Sounds like smooth sailing…right? Ha! Not without a hitch. For the most part, learners worked organically and fluidly; however, from time to time, there were differences of opinions, those that promoted themselves to leadership positions, and those that anchored to their own ideas despite what a louder, faster, or stronger learner predetermined the course to be. Here is a story of murky waters, as such.
One afternoon, learners rushed to the materials in the loose parts area of SparkPLAY, excited to try out new ideas or continue to build upon their ideas from the day prior. One learner gathered large amounts of materials to get started on the boat; another gathered pipes to build something new: a ladder. As the two worked in the same space, completely engrossed in their work, they did not realize their respective ideas were overlapping in materials and space.
“I’m making a boat,” said a joyful learner.
“I’m making a ladder,” beamed another.
As the learners’ creations took greater form, they realized the encroaching space issue.
“I’m making a boat,” asserted the first.
“I’m making a ladder,” insisted the second.
Voices quickly became shouts.
“I’M MAKING A BOAT!”
“I’M MAKING A LADDER!!!!”
At this point, one learner stormed off and the other came to me, “Ms. Jeni, I’m making a boat!!” As I continued to hold my phone in the learner’s direction, I calmly responded, “I’m making a video.”
This was all it took. Once the learner realized the Guide was not going to throw out a rescue raft, nor help patch the sinking ship…and that he would have to share his actions in this event with the studio during the daily reflection, he paused, turned, and offered a rope to the learner (now crying off by himself) to bring him kindly back in.
And wouldn’t you know, they built the best boat yet, complete with ladder systems and all.
Whether a learner is four…or fourteen, we often want to rescue our learners as they find themselves in murky waters, without realizing by throwing a life raft, the task of building the ship is prolonged. When we simply observe, learners realize they have the tools, knowledge, and skills to problem solve, collaborate, and celebrate together as fellow travelers. While there may be tears, big voices, even abandonment, we must stay steady in the role of Guide and allow our learners to navigate their own journeys. As your family navigates the unknown waters of life, how do you know who is captain and who is crew? When the ship starts to go down, is there mutiny, abandonment, or leadership that inspires and empowers each member to give their all? How do you not fall subject to the turbulent seas, but rather, be the horizon?