E A R T H S I D E
USEFUL TEACHING IDEAS FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS
First Contact
The Sense of Touch is underestimated as a factor in education.
The sense of touch tells us two things; one, there is something there, and, two, that we are here, present physically in the world. The newborn, whacking her arms about in the cradle, isn’t primarily experiencing the objects contacted (she has no idea what they are), but is finding her place in the world. She starts to become aware of her physical presence and location in space.
Children, allowed to play with natural materials, will generally develop a normal and ‘sufficient’ sense of touch. A child who spends too many hours merely watching television may not.
Touch is underestimated as a factor in education. Parents and schools attend to ear and eye problems but there are cultural reasons why we might fail to value touch. Gentle infant massage, holding and hugs may be much more important than we currently realise.
One great material for schoolchildren which invigorates the sense of touch is modelling clay. It can be cold or warm, hard or soft, dry or too wet. The clay changes its consistency as it is worked. Acomplishment requires ever increasing sensitivity to the effect of the fingers and palms. The clay dries on the skin, causing a tightening sensation. A preschool or school age child can spend hours fascinated with the muck in their hands, and experience the power of their touch.
Mucking about in the mud is a basic right of a child. Schools, unfortunately, have become sanitised places. Traditional activities like climbing trees, building cubbies and playing ‘war’ are often banned, for reasons of safety and school culture, yet such activities involved the sense of touch in varied ways. Schools need to allow these or replace them with other, comparable activities. Some alternatives might be woodwork, kites, gardening and maze construction. Other good touch activities include string games, handicrafts, finger rhymes and puppetry. One great activity, which often baffles the academically-quick child more than others, is to write with a crayon or pencil held between the toes. Children love playing ‘Nimbletoes’, which involves the picking up of small stones or marbles and placing them in a basket, individually or in teams, and with a time limit.
Focusing on Touch reminds us that the young child needs to be active, actually doing things; not insulated, passively amused, artificially made still, or prevented from contact with the world.
Earthside Education
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ES010© Sean David Burke 2010. Free to Copy as is.
Sean is the author of Lighting the Literacy Fire: Creative Ideas for Teachers and Parents
Earthside Blog Index
1. Get a Grip: Starting the Day with a Handshake
3. Teach Something Meaningless
5. The Teacher as a Sower of Seeds
8. A Succession of Memorable Experiences
9. Writing Verses for Your Class
