What Is An Idea?

Many times we hear friends mention, "I have an idea". It indeed sparks an opportunity for us to unpack it. We move forward with our inquiry of what an idea is all about. We bring a storybook titled What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada. This storybook is about a child who one day discovers he has an idea. He wonders where the idea comes from. However, he feels afraid to tell others about his idea for his friends may think it is silly. 

Usually on Monday, as the first day of the week for us, we take time to unpack of some possibilities to project to the next step for the rest of the week. It is something that we, educators and children, think together about areas of progress and issues under the umbrella of our big picture. For example, under the umbrella of values and identities, this week we connect to something we’ve been hearing lingering around us lately - I have an idea.

Therefore, we ask ourselves about  our different ideas of different things. Our focus is to welcome and nurture ideas with patience and persistence, no matter how big or small, no matter how unique or similar, and they may grow to change the world.

Understanding the abstract characteristic of this concept, we choose to walk slowly and take pauses, whenever necessary. While ideas are real, they aren't concrete, physical things that we experience directly via our traditional senses.

Unpacking what we think of an idea is, we formulate our sense of touch, by closing our sense of sight. to evoke some memory, feeling, or picture into the mind. Clay has become our choice in working with our representations of ideas as an initial invitation. Throughout our experience, we converse about the characteristics of clay. It can be stiff, soft, dense, and runny. It can pile up, slipper down, or dry. One of the many risen ideas is my idea is to make an inukshuk - Vivaan.

Going back to the storybook and start thinking about an idea again. We think about the question - where do our ideas comes from? and what do we do with our ideas?. According to Yoyo ideas comes from imagination and imagination comes from big things. He too adds that ideas flow, keep on changing and moving from one thing to another.
Through an ongoing dialogue we build our understanding  upon where our ideas comes from. Each one of our friends has own perspective. Fides thinks that ideas can change. Moreover, Elie says that her brain and her body give her ideas.
We come up with different views and opinions about ideas:

• Sometimes I have so many ideas in my mind
• I have very silly ideas
• Ideas can be big and small
• We can also share the ideas
• Sometimes my brain keeps on thinking about new ideas
  
• Ideas can explode too.

We always try to look out for the possibilities that can align with our learning and inquiry. As we provide them opportunity to think about their ideas by giving them actual materials like water balloons. Some friends share about the similarities between their brain and water balloons. Elie shares that sometimes her brain is filled with so many ideas at the same time same as the bubbles in the water balloon. 

Kindest,
Children & Friends.