A Box of Delights

A Box of Delights - a one day family workshop

Like many ideas ‘A Box of Delights’ was invented while sitting around the kitchen table with my three children. Like all children over the years they have often asked the question ‘What was it like when I was born?’ and over the years the story has grown from a simple explanation of when, where and what it was like to a fantastical adventure of daring do’s and don’ts. This story changes as our family grows and changes. It is unique and special to us and enables us to talk together and to explore and experiment with new ideas. Above all a family story, whether it is about the time we lost one of them at the supermarket or the seaside, the time when an aunty got married or we walked to the top of hill, or took our first train journey contains all the ingredients to support children in becoming active learners for life. Like a shoebox safely storing objects to be remembered, played with and talked about so a family who tells stories together can safely enable a child to explore their way of learning, have a go, make mistakes, learn from others and above all learn to learn for life.

Sharing stories about holidays, relatives and events in your family as well as making up stories is a good way of putting the skills needed to learn into practise. An enjoyable way to re-create or create a family story is to build a ‘mind map’ of the story. Using a large sheet of paper place the idea, object or memory relating to the story in the middle of the paper. Then, draw three branches at 12 o’clock, 4 o’clock and 7 o’clock. Label them beginning, middle and end. Next, as quickly as you can write or draw ideas and memories relating to where the story is set, the people in it and what happened. These will branch from the 3 main branches. When you have remembered as much as you can begin to organise the information by linking and making connections. Your mind map can be as colourful as you like. Mind maps mirror the way in which our brains manage information and so are a very easy and creative way of thinking. To capture the story and to share it with everyone in your family objects, photos and the mind map itself can be kept in ‘a Box of Delights’ created from decorating a shoebox together. As interactive as any computer game, every-time the box is opened the story will change and grow in a similar way to our brains.

If you would like to learn more about creating a learning community please email sue@learning-tree.org.uk or click here to contact us.