A Lesson in Bonding and Growth
Yes! And here's why...
After International Women and Girls in Science day recently I've been thinking about this a lot
Now I’m not talking about some mechanical version of our much-loved honey producing insects, no. These are little programmable robots designed to look a bit like a cute bumble bee! I thought Dinky was Science? What’s robots got to do with it? Good question! Dinky aspires to cover the range of STEM topics which very much includes science, but you notice a healthy dose of maths and engineering in there too (the M and E). The T stands for technology, which in our weekly topics can be a bit harder to include… Cue the entrance of cute bee bots! Yes, these little characters are specifically designed for little hands and minds to use. They open up a world of screen-free, hands-on coding fun for our littlies! We know that screens are a part of our lives, I’m writing this using a screen, you are reading this using a screen. But screens allow us to access so much that it can be quite distracting – I don’t just mean for our kids. (Yes I fall down numerous rabbit holes when on a screen as I’m sure you’ve experienced too!) As well as the distraction we know that prolonged screen time for young children is not great for their eye sight, social interactions and general wellbeing. I’m rambling on a bit (!) I’m trying to say it’s great that these Bee Bots offer us screen free coding as a fun first taster. I bought these little cuties before lockdown and before I ever go to try them at Dinky, I found them invaluable during lockdown. We used them for all sorts of learning alongside coding and the best bit – the kids just thought they were playing having a great time! The Bee Bots first involvement in a Dinky session was this week for World Science Day and they were so popular with both kids and adults! This has really spurred me on to revive my ambition to start a pre-schoolers coding course. Would you be interested? I have a 6-week course mapped out where we build the kids coding skills week on week. This would be aimed at 3+ years for the kids to get the most out of it. Tell me if you’re interested and when you’d want the course to run so I can get it in my 2023 plan asap!
Love it or hate it, hear me out!
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Confucius
Firstly, a personal welcome from me. If you don’t spot me immediately, don’t worry it’s likely I’ll be fetching water from the kitchen or I might be crouched down chatting to one of the children. As soon as I see you I’ll be over 😊 I’ll introduce myself to your child so that they know my name and to start building engagement. I’ll explain to you how the session format works before inviting you to explore the free play station if you wish or find a spot to sit ready for the experiments. So, what is the session format then? 1. Arrival and welcome . Everybody is getting settled, free play is available, and I invite the children to help me set out the equipment for our experiments. 2. Introduce the topic . I’ll encourage everyone to find a seat at a table and tray before introducing our topic for the week. The topic changes each week, meaning that we explore two new experiments each week. 3. First experiment . I guide the group through the experiment, asking age-appropriate questions and encouraging them to ask me questions too. 4. Second experiment . If there is going to be a messy experiment I try and do it second… but sometimes they are both messy! As per the first one I guide the group through the experiment. 5. Tidy up . As it sounds! I also encourage children to help with pouring into my “slop” bucket which is often a favourite! 6. Story time . I read a story that fits in with our topic. It’s a chance for us all to calm down after the excitement. 7. Thank you and close . I’ll let the group know what have planned for next week and also keep everyone updated about term dates and booking for future places. Dinky is a friendly and relaxed place to spend time with your child. Listing out all the parts of the session makes it sound rigid, when it really is not! It’s fluid and interactive all the way through. I’m always asking questions and encouraging the children to contribute so when they do, I will acknowledge and include it in the session. As you might imagine this can lead to some very random conversations – we’ve paused many a time to appreciate a cement mixer passing by or to notice a spider weaving its web. But what’s important to Dinky is that the children feel it’s their session and they are truly involved in the science. Children are welcome to contribute at any point through the session. To help build the children’s confidence and engagement in the sessions I make sure every child receives lots of personalised positive reinforcement and praise for investigating in their own way, having a go – even if it doesn’t work out, and asking and answering questions. No question is considered silly here! I also want you to feel relaxed and enjoy the time you spend with your child at Dinky. So, if your child needs a brain break at any time, or if the experiment doesn’t interest them, they can go for a play at the free-play station. If you need to go with them to supervise that’s fine, or if you want to stay and continue the experiment so that they can join in again when they are ready, that’s fine too. Sometimes the children like to do their own version of the experiment rather than follow my guidance, and as long as it’s safe to do so, that’s fine too. You know your child best so I will follow your lead on how much to encourage them to participate in the experiments. Dinky is passionate about making sure its venues are accessible and with great facilities. You’ll find level access for wheelchairs and pushchairs, as well as modern and clean baby change, disabled toilet and facilities. I also welcome anyone with special needs; get in touch with me before attending so that I know what support I can put in place. The experiments are mostly table top based which makes this a great group for those less able to sit or play at floor level. Finally, let’s not forget about the experiments! Dinky provides age-appropriate experiments in a fun and relatable way. I use stories, role play, challenges and “cool tricks” to present the experiments in an exciting way. I always try to relate the science we are investigating to something they will have experienced in day-to-day life, or to a familiar character. For example, relating melting of ice with the character Olaf from Frozen. It's fun for the adults too! This is a class where you might find yourself learning alongside your child and having a blast too! You certainly do not need to be a science expert to bring your child to Dinky. Everyone welcome :D
What if my child is not great at listening? Or can’t sit still? I’m worried they’ll disrupt everyone.
If you think back to when your child was a baby, you'll remember they started putting things in their mouth early on and perhaps they still do. This is one of easiest signs of curiosity to spot in a baby. Mouthing objects is a way of finding out about it. Is it soft or hard? Rough or smooth? Hot or cold? In other words, being curious is helping the baby to build an understanding of the world around them. And it's important to notice that "mistakes" are a vital part of building this understanding. A baby might mouth something that they don't like the taste or sensation of. They'll likely do it a number of times before learning not to. What about pre-schoolers though? Well, pre-schoolers have developed more ways to be curious than babies such as through speech, but perhaps more importantly through their play. You'll have noticed an element of trial and error in their play as they figure out what works and what doesn't. Another important factor is that pre-schoolers are not yet under the influence of "society norms". As we grow up, we start to care what others think of us and this can actually hinder our free thinking. Pre-schoolers are brilliant free thinkers because they don't tend to worry about whether it makes them look silly. They say what they see, as it were. This is why at Dinky we believe it's really important to give positive reinforcement for all questions asked, to praise them for using their curiosity and asking the question that's on their mind. You may also be aware that pre-schoolers live very much in the moment. This is actually helpful because they are not held back by a concern of making a mess. Perhaps a more freeing factor for pre-schoolers is that they have no preconceived ideas to conflict with, this ties in closely with them having no concept of "looking silly" for saying or thinking something. There's one final thing that pre-schoolers have on their side when living in the moment - that is the ability to become utterly absorbed in it for those 5-10 minutes. Unlike our adult minds which are cluttered with responsible thoughts about what's for lunch or did I pack that banana, which can pop up and interrupt our curiosity. Another great quality that a pre-schooler scientist can bring to the lab bench is their use of their senses. They make more use of their senses in day to day life than most adults tend to. A big part of being a scientist is observing for changes, so pre-schoolers are well placed to notice when something feels different, or produces a smell, or even sounds different. The final "superpower" of pre-schoolers that I want to highlight is perhaps the most unexpected; their unpredictability. Yes this can seem like a drawback but bear with me… Accidents happen, we all know and accept that. But did you know that some scientific discoveries have been made by accident? Now I'm not suggesting that a 3 year old is going to discover a solution to anti-biotic resistance, but I see that these "accidents" (that are inevitable) can lead to something awesome. Not a discovery for human kind, but perhaps a discovery for that pre-schooler. Maybe it makes a connection in their mind that an adult wouldn't have thought of, but that helps them to understand the world around them.
