The Nerdling
“I was feeling sad. Because I forgot my Nerdling. I wanted to go home.”
When Lemmys teachers brought him into the classroom today, he was crestfallen. He had forgotten his beloved Nerdling at home and the morning looked bleak. For some kids, this touchstone, this small security item, is their emotional buoy.
In our kindergarten classroom, we focus on giving children the real skills and the independence to solve real life problems with concrete solutions. This morning, when Lemmy forgot his Nerdling at home, he was feeling particularly sad. Recalling we had done several curriclum units on hand sewing, machine work and giftgiving, I pulled out the materials that were available and asked Lemmy if he wanted to consider creating a duplicate stuffy.
“I hand sewed it and then I went up to show the big class when I did it. It is so good.
It’s made out of real stuff. I forgot to bring my Nerdling so I made another one.
He looks like he’s a zombie and I like it.”
Lemmy was already pretty skilled at the process after a great deal of practice with sewing - from creating patterns, to cutting them out, pinning, and machine and hand sewing to produce a final result. He was comfortable with this creative language, jumping in right away.
This was a practical solution, and one that we have the unique luxury of time to complete. In our Kindergarten, children are encouraged to take the time that they need in order to practice the skills and achieve the results they are seeking. Social emotional growth and development are tied intimately to skill-based learning in our program.
So many practical real life skills were employed along the road to creating one child's emotional satisfaction and comfort in the classroom. From the mathematical ability to create a pattern that would produce a desired result, to the pinning and placement of stitches and the ability to execute the actual stitch making, many academic goals were achieved throughout this soul-reinforcing individual project work.
Children gathered around Lemmy, curious about the process, and encouraging in their comments. Their support and kindness are not surprising. We place a great emphasis on compassion and understanding of peers, and model daily the problem solving process, engaging friends in finding solutions individualized to each child’s needs. Lemmy's friends, realizing his sadness, were delighted that he was finding a way to create, problem solve and work hard toward his own happy place. And Lemmy was empowered as he used his skills, creativity, intelligence and resilience to generate a solution. As his teacher, I was nearby to lend support, give feedback, and to assure him there was no rush to complete his work. Just all the time needed to think, explore, create and build that all important sense of self and satisfaction.
Dawn Warner is the Lead Kindergarten Teacher at Garden Gate. She is also co-founder and co-director. Dawn brings creativity and joy into the Kindergarten classroom every day, inspiring a deep love of learning in each of her students.
Please contact Garden Gate if you would like more information about our Kindergarten program!