From a CANVAS Facebook post

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[Kids Creative Lab at Meiji University]

On Sunday, March 8, the event was held at the Research Institute at Meiji University.

The preschool class held an activity called “Shapes Made with Straws.” When we first showed
them a square made out of
straws, they observed it from various angles, exclaiming, “It’s a square!” and “It looks like a diamond, too!”They
also used the way the straws bent to transform the shapes on their own—
saying things like, “It’s chopsticks!” or “There are two squares!”—without us having to say a word.
This really took us by surprise.

Some children created “something” in a specific shape; others repeatedly connected and bent pieces; still others created various shapes from a single one… It was striking to see how, based on
each child’s interests, discoveries, and desires, completely different worlds emerged even though they were all using the same
material.

The elementary school class held a “Build a Tower with Straws” activity.
How do you build a tall tower that won’t fall over???
How should you connect the straws? What kind of structure should you make? The students spent their time quietly building while pondering
these questions.
Some children spent a lot of time on the base, others focused on making their towers as tall as possible and learned from their mistakes when they fell over, and still others created towers with exquisitely balanced shapes… Before long, the room was filled with a multitude of towers built by the students. The look of pride on their faces when they managed to get their towers standing again
after they had fallen over—and after some trial and error—was truly heartwarming.

This was the final session of this term’s Kids Creative Lab at Meiji University.
I’m looking forward to being there again starting in April to witness the children’s many firsts, discoveries, and creative ideas!