Technology and making a bark garden

While trying to find an example of children using non digital technology, all I could think about was telephones, play dough, cars or writing implements.

While all these things can be classed as non-digital they were not what I was after. I then remembered about the process that the children and I went through to make a bark garden. We initially had to look at the area that we were going to use; we had decided to make the garden level with the concrete so we could sweep the bark back into the garden.

We then had to discuss how we were going to take out the excess dirt, where we were going to place the dirt and how to get it there.

 Once the children had decided on what forms of technology they were going to use we then proceeded onto the task at hand.

The children then found all the buckets, spades and anything else that they could use to dig and transport the dirt. They then went about removing and transporting the dirt solving the problems of heavy buckets, and not enough digging equipment amongst themselves.

As stated by Smorti(1999, p. 6) “The children used a process approach to technology, it is the ‘doing’ that is important, rather than the ‘product’. The design phase may involve drawing plans, but is more likely to involve talking about the problem and possible solutions.”

The children decided that because the large buckets were heavy that they needed two people to carry them, or they used smaller buckets and containers. Once the area was at the right level they then found all the rakes in the sandpit and used them to level out the remaining dirt.after the area was level I then put the bark in, and the children leveled it out.

This experience can be linked to the exploration strand linking it to essential skills and learning areas of technology Ministry(1996, p. 98) “in exploring the physical environment, children gain increasing motor and manipulative control and skill in using tools and materials safely, while also using a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore their world.”

Not only did the children look at the task that was required they then looked for the tools that they would need, when they could not find them they asked for the sandpit create to be opened so they could get the tools out. They solved the problems of tools that were needed, how to transport the dirt and where to place it once they had removed it. All this incorporated different technology.

 

Education, M. o. (1996).  Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. . Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, 19, 5-10.