Selecting and Using Media as Launchpads for Informal Learning

First, younger children, especially preschoolers, love seeing familiar faces and environments. By now, they are probably asking about them and struggling to understand why they can’t go anywhere. Check out your local library or local businesses’ Facebook pages or websites, as many of them are live streaming or posting videos of story times, arts and crafts activities, or dance routines. Finding that local touch will go a long way for these kiddos!

Here in Vermont, we’ve been watching the amazing Ms. Jess and Ms. Marcie doing story time and music. They do the same routines (sprinkling listening dust or singing the same songs and doing the same arm movements) that our girls know and look forward to. One of the songs was The Bear Goes Over the Mountain. We found something to use as the mountain, and then the girls each used their teddy bears to go over, under, and around the mountain, which are words that help kids develop spatial thinking skills. (These words are also great for describing everyone’s positions at a table during a meal or activity (e.g., I'm across from/next to you!)

Second, children in the K-2 age group often teeter on the edge of distinguishing fantasy from reality. This makes the job of selecting appropriate media even more important because far out things can feel real and scary to them. Knowing what they are watching can help you guide them through this. Here’s what I mean:

Last night we started the movie Hook with our 7- and 10-year-olds. They have both seen the Star Wars movies and never questioned whether those events actually took place. But our 7-year-old was clearly shaken by some of the events in the movie, and went to bed quite concerned about scorpions being dropped in a box with a pirate who betrayed Captain Hook. When we reminded him that it’s a movie with actors and not real, he was still concerned for the actor and if he was okay (nevermind why Captain Hook did that). There are many layers here, but an important point is that children don’t have the same knowledge we do, and, if we’re there, we can be aware of that gap and begin to fill it.

This then led to a further opportunity: This morning, when that same 7-year-old woke up, he was still asking about scorpions. So we decided to find out more. We have access to Pebblego, which scaffolds the research process for kids, but you can also use National Geographic for Kids. We spent some time looking at fun facts and learning more about scorpions (did you know some scorpions can survive eating only 1 insect per year?). He decided to organize this information in a short PowerPoint presentation that he is excited to share with his brother and dad tonight before we finish the movie, and to anyone who will listen after that!