The Problem With Plastic
Plastic toys sound like the dream come true, they are safe to use, long lasting and come in a wealth of colours, textures and come in any form imaginable. However, there is a fatal flaw. What are they actually teaching our children? Are they igniting true creativity, sustaining intrigue, and inspiring questioning? Plastic toys often get thrown across the room, left on the floor, are stepped on or even drawn on. Children think that they are indestructible and that there are no consequences to this rough and often careless use. These resources do not break, are hard to bend, and they can withstand being mistreated.
Do we want our children to think they live in a world where their actions have no consequences? Do we want them to only play with ‘pretend’ and unbreakable resources? Children have the innate skill of curiosity, and it is our aim as educators to inspire and nurture their inquisitive minds. Children love to do what older peers or adults are doing and like to re-create real life scenarios and experiences. They want our cups, tools, mobiles phones or cameras. So why do we only give them replicas of the real thing? Is this helping them or hindering them?
The environment has a huge part to play in developing children’s curiosity, in essence if curetted sensitively and thoughtfully it can be classed as a third teacher.
“Children of all ages need places where they can learn by touching, manipulating, and making things with their hands… trigger the senses. Sound, smell, taste, touch, and movement power memory. An environment rich in sensory experiences helps students retain and retrieve what they learn.” Maria Montessori
A learning environment that contains carefully selected resources that inspire conversation and exploration, where resources and tasks are not rigidly defined, and the learner can explore in ways that appeal to them is an environment that truly develops children's individuality and creativity. Authentic and open ended resources can help children to create and imagine, to develop new skills and extend language. Meaningful and mindful spaces offer a place to become engaged and become lost in a world of wonder and imagination. Authentic resources also help to develop curiosity in children. They are out of the ordinary, they may be items from form a bygone era that they have never seen before. They may be items that seem ordinary or mundane to adults but to a child they can be transformed into anything that they can imagine. there are no limits. Can a fixed plastic toy offer such variety of use, and develop such creative thinking? After all, a toy garage with its plastic ramps is always going to be a toy garage?
Such everyday objects or treasures as I like to think of them can be found at car boot sales, charity shops or in a family member’s attic and by re-using them we are also playing a part in helping the environment which can only be a positive example to set for such young minds.
Whilst using these treasures children are taught how to take care of them, how to show respect and they learn that if they do not, they can and will break.
There are of course many benefits to technology and some plastic toys, but the balance has to be right.
Think back to the adventures you had as a child with just a cardboard box? Was it a den, a boat, a home, a car or castle? This simple, undefined resource allowed you to explore, create and stretch your imagination.
Since gradually introducing natural, intriguing, and authentic items we have already observed a positive change in the children attitude towards their environment. Through careful modelling children understand how special these items are and they have been given the responsibility of looking after them. They are being used with the care and enthusiasm that we had hoped for. The ideas that they inspire and the language that is being used whilst children are truly engaged with them is a joy to see. Let us value our treasures and all the learning opportunities they can provide, let us hope that the age of drowning in plastic is behind us.
Elli Fillingham-Howarth
Head of Pre-Prep Department
