Light Panel and Crystal Climbers

Recently, we offered the children an invitation with crystal climbers and a light panel. The children were unfamiliar with Crystal Climbers, the colorful plastic manipulative with pre-cut slots in each shape. They look fantastic on the light table, so I thought the children would enjoy creating with them. 

On occasion, I bring in materials from my home studio for the children to explore. I recently purchased the Crystal Climbers and wanted to see if the school-age children would like to create with them. The Crystal Climbers might be a more appealing material for younger children.

After looking over the pieces, the children started experimenting with the crystal climbers to learn how they connect. Through experimentation with different shapes, the children decided how they wanted to create with the material.

Learning about a new material was exciting for some children and frustrating for others. Some children were uncomfortable working with the crystal climbers and called them "stupid" and "dumb." My initial reaction as an educator might be frustration as the children shared specific challenges with the material. In my experience, some school-age children are more comfortable with precise directions. While learning a new skill, some children verbalize their challenges thinking the educators will tell them how to overcome them. As educators, our role is to scaffold and work alongside the children while supporting the investigation and struggle without fixing the problem.

One child started working with focus. They connected three triangular yellow shapes and three triangular green shapes. Then they called it a "BUG!" Another child used all the yellow shapes and joined them as "a structure." Then the children created a "motorbike" and an "arrow mobile." Another child made a "dimensional diamond." They used four triangles and a circle shape to anchor the work.

Once the first group of children was comfortable using the material, other children wanted to explore it. The original group of children started teaching the new arrivals how to use the material. The invitation transformed into an opportunity to share ideas. Interesting open-ended materials are a social connector and support collaboration in the learning community.

The new group of children experimented with the different shapes and colors. They made designs and took them apart. Unlike the first group, this group was less verbal as they worked and did not name any of their creations. I heard a few children talk about creating, but I did not want to ask too many questions. I wanted the children to become more comfortable experimenting and working with the material. 

When documenting as the children work, I am careful not to talk too much. It influences their exploration and learning journey. I concentrate on recording my observations, staying in the moment, and experiencing the children at work. The information collected during observation is a valuable resource and gives us insight into how the work may advance during the next work session.

The work session ended. After some initial apprehension, the children enjoyed working with the Crystal Climbers. One child said that working on the light panel with Magna-Tiles would look cool and sounded like an exciting extension of our current exploration. 

My role as an educator is to listen to the children's ideas. The suggestion of using the light panel with a different material is terrific. It is wonderful when the children develop a vision to expand exploration. An important role as an educator is to respond to children's ideas so the work can progress and the possibilities for discoveries become available.

What are some materials the children in your program enjoy exploring with light?