Today is Day 9 of the Slice of Life Writing Challenge by twowritingteachers.wordpress.com.
On the radio today, I heard a commentator mention the dresses being designed by a four year old little girl and her mother. I did a search and found the http://www.fashionbymayhem.com/ website along with a photo essay of the little girl wearing the dresses whom they call Mayhem at
http://www.fubiz.net/en/2014/02/27/paper-dresses-by-4-year-old-girl/
I loved the following quote that her mom wrote in the FAQ section of the http://www.fashionbymayhem.com/ website:
“Truthfully, the dress making is more about spending time with my favorite pint sized person everyday and watching her learn and grow. And seeing the sparks of creativity and completely uninhibited imagination. Her mind is wildly creative and hasn’t been spoiled by the idea that there are things that are impossible. I hope to keep it that way for as long as possible.”
You have to visit the photo essay that I mentioned above to appreciate the amazing designs that this child creates using construction paper and see her wearing the designs! It inspires me to know that her mom has provided the child with materials then let her experiment. Sparks of creativity fly as the child uses paper to create dresses that she has seen out in the world and design her own creations.
As a teacher, I want to mimic this child’s mom and never forget the power of creativity. Children can produce brilliant products in a variety of forms including art, music, dance, writing, and digital products on tablets and computers. Teachers have to provide needed materials like books, art supplies, tablets, apps, etc. to help children develop their innovations. Once we give children the right tools, their imaginations will lead the way. I know that the girl works on the dresses alongside of her mom so her mom is Vygotsky’s “more knowledgeable other” because mom shows her how to use scissors and tape with care. The girl then unleashes her vision from her mind to actually making dresses out of the paper. Whether it’s during Genius Hour, 20% Time like the Google 80/20 time, Passion Projects, Project Based Learning or in response to what students have read, teachers can cultivate conditions that lead to amazing creative products.
I like that there are so many creative digital options that I heard about at the NCTIES(North Carolina Technology In Education Society) Conference that I attended last week. I am planning during the next few weeks to blog about many of the digital storytelling apps that I have encountered at NCTIES and share other dynamic digital devices that were shared with me. I know that sparks have been flying in my mind as I have been considering how to plan my technology lessons using the apps and websites. I look forward to sharing and hope that the sparks of creativity will leap off the blog page to where you are! There are too many sparks in my mind about NCTIES, so I will share slices of NCTIES sessions that I attended during the Slice of Life Writing Challenge over the next few weeks.
Teaching STREAM 