Simple Materials: Heartwarming Benefits for Complex Times

In the beautiful book, Cup, part of the Reimagining Our Work series, authors Bridgett Towle and Angela Heape provide an incredible example of how a seemingly simple material (plastic cups) could act as a catalyst for profound and heartwarming experiences between children and educators. The authors’ examples of how to respect and build on children’s unique ideas offer an antidote to the complex, challenging times children are currently experiencing. "Who would have thought that exchanges between four-year-olds and simple plastic cups would result in such intricate, creative building designs?" the authors ask. "The 'cup craze' was affecting us as much as the children. As we listened, observed, and participated in the unfolding events, our sensitivity to the force of materials as agents in the children's creative learning processes was being activated and enlivened...we offered them additional materials and objects to experiment with, including fabrics, numbers and loose parts such as sticks and cardboard tubes...We thought carefully about how we could provoke new threads of thinking and creative possibilities."

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