Reflecting on one of the most joyous learning experiences Meg and I shared with our students, I realize the immense joy of creating hands-on, engaging lessons. This past month, we’ve delved into the fascinating world of weather and climate in our third-grade classroom. Before unraveling the complexities of weather systems, we needed to lay a solid foundation by discussing the world itself—continents, oceans, and the places where weather occurs. Instead of just using maps, we wanted our students to immerse themselves in this knowledge in a more profound, tactile way. And so, our globe-making adventure began, starting with punch balloons and evolving into a lively, yet fulfilling paper mache project. It all started with a seemingly simple task: handing out punch balloons for the kids to blow up. However, as any elementary teacher knows, something involving balloons is more complex than it seems. The excitement (and frustration) was palpable as 24 students in each of our classes attempted to inflate their balloons. Meg preemptively told them, "Today is not the day to learn how to blow up a balloon. If you don’t know how to do it, find a friend who does." It was one of those moments where you laugh to yourself, knowing that the most challenging part of the lesson might just be getting through the balloon-blowing stage! With the punch balloons finally inflated, the next step was where the real adventure began: paper mache. Now, picture this—a commons area filled with 75 third graders, each holding a balloon and eagerly waiting to coat it in flour-water paste and newspaper strips. Our team of teachers prepared everything in advance, from trays of paste to heaps of newspaper, but there’s only so much you can control when you have dozens of young students, flour paste, and fragile balloons in one room. The scene was nothing short of organized chaos. Balloons flying around, strips of newspaper stuck to shoes and hands, and kids covered in goop from head to toe. Despite the mess, the project wasn’t just about having fun with paper mache. It had a clear purpose. Our students were creating their own globes as part of their journey toward understanding weather and climate around the world. Before they could grasp why weather systems differ from place to place, they needed to understand the geographical layout of continents and oceans. The hands-on nature of the project made this abstract knowledge more concrete, even if the results were less-than-perfect. This year’s globes were, well, let’s just say, "less globe-shaped" than we had hoped. Still, the learning that happened along the way made the entire messy process worthwhile. From doing this project year after year, I've learned that it’s not about the product but the process. The first year we did this, every single globe came out beautifully. They were round, well-painted, and the continents fit perfectly. This year? Not so much. But that’s okay. There’s so much value in the students’ struggle and experimentation. Sometimes, they have to figure out that their way of doing something isn’t working before they’ll stop and try it a different way. And honestly, that’s where a lot of the learning happens. It's in these moments of struggle and experimentation that students truly learn and grow, and as educators, we need to trust in this process. As teachers, we have to be comfortable with stepping back and letting students work through these challenges, even when it’s hard to watch them struggle. I’ve learned to walk away for a bit, give them space to figure things out, and then come back to check on their progress. There’s a delicate balance between offering guidance and letting them problem-solve, and I’ve found that letting them take the reins often leads to a deeper sense of pride in their work. It’s just like a butterfly's struggle to emerge from the cocoon, which is essential for developing the strength in its wings needed for survival and flight. By the end of the project, the kids had learned more than just how to paper-mache a balloon. They had worked together, shared materials, navigated the mess, and—most importantly—had fun while learning. While not Pinterest-perfect, their globes represented their own visual understanding of the world. Some globes even defied the odds of surviving the drying process, ending up moldy or collapsing once the balloon inside popped. But even those unfortunate globes taught the students about trial and error, persistence, and flexibility. As educators, we often plan these experiences knowing that they will be messy, literally and figuratively. However, at IntegratED, we also understand that these hands-on activities create connections that go beyond the classroom. The globes our students made sparked conversations at home, with parents hearing all about the project at the dinner table. These moments of connection, from school to home, are just as important as the lessons we teach in the classroom. They create a sense of community and shared experience that is invaluable in the learning process. Ultimately, these experiences aren’t just about learning geography or climate—they’re about building connections, problem-solving, and creating memorable moments that turn into long-term knowledge. Even if the globes themselves eventually find their way to the trash (which, let’s face it, most of them will), the learning that happened along the way is something our students will carry with them. And as teachers, it’s these messy, chaotic, wonderfully rewarding moments that remind us why we do what we do.
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AuthorMegan and Kara are educational leaders, professional development experts, and current classroom teachers who are improving the way instruction is being delivered in the standard classroom. Archives
November 2024
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