I've been reading other's entries about their children's year end projects ( see KayInMaine and MaggieRaye) and thought they were great. We're working on a year end project also and I think it's going great but last night my youngest really "WOW'd" me with her creativity.
We're doing a Civil War project, one that is quite involved---possibly to involved I've been thinking! But I guess I was wrong. The other day my youngest (12) told me she wanted to make a model encampment for part of her display. We had some white fabric and wooden skewers so I gave them to her along with the trusty glue gun and she went at it. She was going to put it on cardboard but we had some extra styrofoam (used for insulating foundations-thank you carpenter hubby) so she started out at one end of it to build her encampment. This project has grown a bit BUT as she added painting the styrofoam green, then decided her soldiers needed water and added a stream and on to a mini roughly fenced off area for the horses and a larger tent for the generals... I realized that she had been very observant during our studies. She even made a cemetery, making me realize that although she loves camping she saw the casualties and reality of war.
Last night I noticed lots of little pieces of cut off skewers and fabric bits and mentioned to her that they needed to be cleaned up afterall, we might need our dining room table to.. perhaps... eat on? I was watching a dvd (on the civil war of course) and she was puttering around at the table. When I next went over there she had taken the scraps and made miniature cots, chairs (for the general) table, battle plan papers, candle for the table, rifles with bayonets etc...etc... with them! All with skewers, glue, white fabric and a little poster paint! She had cleaned up her mess but not thrown anything away!
Sometimes we have an illusion of what teaching and learning are. You know, teach this topic, make them do this, expect these results..... when all we need to do is present the facts, share in an interesting 'real' way and let them well, let them teach us! God has given our children wonderful minds. Think about the obvious, He created them for a purpose, they have what they need, our job is to instill, nurture and allow the Lord to expand what He created. I'm so glad He's chosen me to help with this task. Yes, even when the end of the year project fair is looming, even when things are totally crazy, even when....... Thank you Lord!