I just love strewing things for my children to find and explore. (You can read more about strewing on this
wonderful website.) For the baby, I leave his blocks stacked up for him to knock down, baskets of toys based on a theme (ovoids, ring type toys, spherical toys, kitchen utensils....).
For Bear, I used to strew all the time on our kitchen counter. There was always an interesting thing for her to discover on our kitchen counter, which she would reach with the two-step stepstool. Straws and an empty parmesan container, a stamp pad and different lids to stamp on paper. Now I strew by leaving her material or books on her work mat.
One thing I have found very interesting is that using pretty baskets to store things entices Bear to use them more. For example the dominoes just sat in their tin box a lot, but now that they are in a shallow open basket on her shelf, she frequently takes them out. The same applies to her pattern blocks.
We spent all morning at garage sales and I found a ton of baskets for 20 cents a piece. Soon I'll be able to share photos of how I've set up the school room and play room. Stay tuned.
I agree - I noticed that leaving something in the open usually entices daughter to try it - at least once. But it has to rotate - otherwise it slips out of her mind completely like this one activity that needs my supervision. I left it for her to find, then she asked me for days to do it, but I was busy. Now she stopped asking and kind of lost interest in it.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. I've only done it a couple times, but it definitely catches their attention.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so right that having objects in an attractive container makes them get played with much more frequently! I guess marketing works from birth...
Thanks for the post and the link. I had heard the term before but didn't know what it was all about. This fits well with the direction we're heading these days.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big strew-er (and I love saying the word too!) and believer that the way you present things to kids definately makes a difference to their interest and involvement in the play activity.
ReplyDeleteAt preschool we often put a couple of interesting objects about - in home corner or block corner for example - and see what the kids do with them.