环球简讯:惠立幼儿园还有木工课？Carpentry classes at Huili Nursery

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几年前，还在上幼儿园大班的冯语涵在职业木匠爷爷的教导下，逐渐掌握了一些木工基本功。她熟练做木工的视频引得1200多万网友的观看。这从侧面折射出中国家长们对提升小朋友动手能力的迫切需求。

在许多发达国家的幼儿园，木工坊早已成为提升儿童动手能力的常见创设。孩子们在这里拿着木钻、铁锤、铁锯、木板、棍子等专心致志地做工具、做小木船、做小动物之家等。只要有正确的引导，木工工具便不再是许多中国家长眼中“小孩子碰不得的危险品”，而是改造周边、发挥创意的辅助品。

诺贝尔物理学奖获得者、华裔科学家朱棣文曾这样说道：“动手做是很重要的概念，中国学生善于学习书本上的东西，但他们的动手能力较差，创新精神不足。” 通过动手做，孩子们能真实地感知世界，放飞创造力和想象力，去自主思考、创作，逐渐培养起强大的动手能力和敢于改造世界的信心。

在杭州惠立幼儿园，我们也有一片木工坊区域。孩子们在这里专注地学习、谨慎地操作、肆意地创作，摇身一变成心灵手巧的小“木匠”，在实践中大幅提升着自己的动手能力。让我们在杭州惠立幼儿园主任Kelly Ashby的带领下，走进幼儿园的木工坊，一探究竟吧。

Kelly Ashby

惠立幼儿园主任

你听，是叮叮咚咚的阵阵敲打声

你闻，是木头锯开后的缕缕清香

原来呀，是惠立的孩子和老师们

正在木工坊里乐此不疲地忙碌着

这是杭州惠立幼儿园的二楼中常见的热闹景象。木工坊是惠立幼儿园环境创设的内在组成，也是孩子在幼儿园中的重要项目体验。孩子们在这里观察、学习和了解木工的流程，习得能迁移到日常生活中的重要技能。在杭州惠立幼儿园，我们注重赋予孩子自主选择的自由，培养孩子们以创造性的思维去思考，习得解决问题的技能，积累宝贵的成长经验。

全天然材料：多元特性与可持续理念

木工坊选取全天然材料。全天然材料是灵活的、开放的，是优美的、独特的，也是有温度的。相比塑料等人工合成材料，孩子们更能与天然材料建立起连结。探索天然材料时，孩子们能真切地用手去触摸、用心去感受、用脑去研究，获得更全面的幸福感。在木工坊里，孩子们的内心是充实而快乐的，他们有着满满的安全感，在多彩的体验中，逐渐建立起对终身学习的热爱。使用天然材料，还能在孩子心中播下可持续发展的种子：在木工坊里，孩子们从始至终都会去创造出学习和探索所需的资源，不必去新添置最后只能进垃圾桶的一次性人造材料。

木工坊促进项目式研习

满足多种学习风格

木工坊的作用贯穿幼儿园儿童学习和发展的各个方面。在这里，我们以兴趣为导向，结合班级研习项目，搭建起课程之间的联系。目前，各班的探索活动正在有序展开，孩子们学习的广度得到拓展，深入探索的热情也建立起来。通过探索来教学是令人受益匪浅的方法，其益处之一便是可以激励不同学习风格的孩子积极融入课堂，让孩子们用最适合自己的方式主导学习的进展。有的孩子是通过动手实践来学习的，于是，像木工坊这类侧重动手实践的空间正好能让不同学习风格的孩子积极开启探索，也能满足每个孩子的个体需求。木工坊还能帮助孩子们跨越潜在的学习挑战。在杭州惠立幼儿园的日常教学模式中，课程项目式研习（PBL）是重要的组成部分。每个班级都会根据孩子们共同的兴趣点、探索成果和求知欲来开展项目式研习项目。其中，木工坊便是推进项目式研习前进的重要方式。

"在一起讨论和计划项目的过程中，孩子的社会技能得到了发展。他们能学会分享想法和向他人学习的价值。"

——英国早期教育学家皮特·穆尔豪斯

谈“幼儿园里的木工坊”

木工坊里，安全第一

使用木工坊的第一步，也是最重要的一步，就是让孩子们熟悉木工坊里的工具和安全规范。锤子是什么？为什么要使用这个工具？怎样才能安全地使用它？孩子们在老师的指引下，熟悉各种工具和材料，安全地开展木工操作。在掌握了基本的工具使用和操作技能后，孩子们就能在安全的空间里使用工具，自主地解决遇到的挑战。长此以往，孩子的自我意识、自豪感和自尊心就会不断增强，让老师们倍感欣慰。

惠立的木工小专家

大班的孩子们是幼儿园里的“木工专家”。经过几年的沉浸式体验，孩子们的木工技能已经非常娴熟，还常把自己的知识传授给其他孩子，不仅巩固了自己的学习成果，还充分彰显了惠立五大价值观中的“责任”和“尊重”。

上一学年，大（B）班的孩子们已经开始着手做一个建筑项目。他们想为班里的小动物们建造房子，于是全班的孩子一起投票，一同来制造大家最心仪的 "房子"。孩子们要设计并搭建户外帐篷，为惠立小熊建一个家，再建一个“虫虫旅馆”。在项目研习的过程中，孩子们讨论到“犯错”这一关键点。老师带领孩子们回顾了三个小组在建“房子”时失败的经验，让孩子们认识到犯错其实也给了我们重新设计小屋结构的好机会，于是，孩子们纷纷说道：“我们可以从错误中学习。”就这样，我们帮助孩子们在不断试错的过程中收获对世界的认知，更收获探索和挑战的勇气。

班级木工坊：未来可期

目前，大（A）班已经邀请专家家长来为孩子们传授更多的木工技能。他们要一起在阳台上搭建班级木工坊。目前，该项目正处在规划阶段。这场木工之旅中，孩子们会遇到怎样的惊喜呢？让我们共同期待吧。

思既往，明开来。在惠立精心打造的幼儿园的木工坊中，孩子们锻炼着认知世界的能力，学习必备的安全要求，促进了身体、情感和社会能力的发展，从而成长为秉承惠立价值观和特质、具备优质综合才能的孩子，以饱满的姿态在日新月异的世界中茁壮成长。

向右滑动，查看中文内容

A few years ago, a video featuring a nursery child called Feng Yuhan doing carpentry went viral with over 12 million views on Chinese social media. Yuhan learned basic carpentry skills from her grandfather, a professional carpenter. The popularity of the video reflected how Chinese parents desperately want to improve their children’s hands-on experience.

Carpentry space has become a common setting to improve practical skills at nurseries in many developed countries. Here, children can concentrate on making tools, wooden boats, and shelters for class animals with wooden drills, hammers, hacksaws, boards and sticks. With the correct guidance, carpentry tools are no longer “dangerous things not to be held by children” in the eyes of Chinese parents but items for a child to be innovative and make a difference.

Zhu Diwen, a Chinese American scientist and Nobel laureate in physics, once commented, “Hands-on work is an important concept. Chinese students are good at learning from books, but their hands-on ability is less impressive and less innovative.” By doing, children feel the world in their hands, and their creativity and imagination are unleashed. As a result, they can think and innovate independently and grow into people with strong practical abilities with increasing confidence to make a difference.

At Huili Nursery Hangzhou, there is also a Woodwork Station. It is a space where the children become handy carpenters - learn attentively, operate with caution, and create freely. Their hands-on experience improves dramatically through practice. Let us follow the lead of Kelly Ashby, Assistant Head of Early Years, and take a journey into the Woodwork Station at Huili nursery to find out more. 

Kelly Ashby

Assistant Head of Early Years

It is not unusual to walk up the stairs to the second floor of Huili Nursery Hangzhou and hear the sound of tap, tap, tapping with hammers, the smell of wood sawing and the sight of children, and adults alike, with high levels of involvement in our Woodwork Station. This area is an integral part of the facilities we provide for our children and is a key part of their nursery experience. The Woodwork Station allows children to observe, learn and understand processes and key skills transferable to essential life skills. At HNH, giving children the freedom to make their own choices, think creatively and develop their problem-solving skills is a valuable investment in their development. 

All-natural material –

flexible and sustainable

The materials in any woodwork or carpentry area are natural by default. They are flexible, open-ended, aesthetic, unique and warm. Children can relate to these much more than synthetic, manmade materials, such as plastic, which are much colder in comparison. Using natural materials connects children’s hands, hearts and minds, organically supporting high levels of wellbeing. You will see happy, competent children who feel safe, secure and very busy developing a passion for lifelong learning. Another benefit of children interacting with natural materials is that we begin to sow the seeds of sustainability. Children create the resources they need to support their learning from scratch rather than buying new, potentially synthetic resources that will eventually end up in a landfill. 

It facilitates

Project Based Learning (PBL)

and suits various learning styles

Woodwork encompasses all aspects of learning and development, connecting our curriculum through emergent interests and class projects. Knowledge is extended, due to the nature of the ongoing projects, fostering in-depth investigations. One of the many reasons we deliver through enquiry is that children with differing learning styles can all be engaged in their learning; they can lead their knowledge in ways that work for them. Some children will learn by doing. Therefore, facilities such as a Woodwork Station will ensure that children of differing learning styles are engaged, with their individual needs met too. Woodwork can unlock potential barriers to learning for many children. Project Based Learning (PBL) is a fundamental part of how we deliver the curriculum in the nursery, with each class following their collective interests, enquiries and wonderings. Our woodwork station is a significant channel that facilitates our PBL.

“When children discuss and plan a project, their social skillsdevelop. They learn the value of sharing ideas and learning from others.”

– Pete Moorhouse,

Woodwork in the Early Years

Safety first

The first and most crucial step of children using the Woodwork Station is that children become familiar with the tools and know how to use them safely. What is a hammer? Why do we use this? How can we use this safely? Children are supervised, and the tools and materials are introduced correctly, ensuring that woodwork is a low-risk activity. Once they know these fundamental skills, children are given the space to persevere and solve their challenges. We then see that their sense of self, pride and self-esteem grow and flourish, which is an absolute joy to observe!

Young expert carpenters at Huili

The children in EY4 are the experts in woodwork in the nursery. Those with us for several years have developed their skills and often use their knowledge to teach their peers. They consolidate their learning and develop fundamental Huili values, such as Responsibility and Respect. For example, last year, our EY4B children began a Construction project that started with children building homes in class for animals. The class then placed their votes to make the ‘house’ that interested them the most; this included designing and constructing an outdoor tent, a home for Huili Bear and a bug hotel. One of the key discussions during their project was about making mistakes, “mistakes can help us to learn.” They looked at all the mistakes they made whilst constructing in their three teams and how these errors were perfect opportunities to re-design their structures so they were even stronger. The children were offered the chance to face the failures together and develop an understanding of the world and the Courage to keep trying and exploring.

Class wood station

Our current EY4A class has invited expert parents to teach the children additional woodwork skills. They worked together to create a class Woodwork station on their balcony and are currently in the ‘planning’ phase of their project. We can’t wait to see what direction their woodwork journey will take.

At Huili, we follow a proud tradition and cultivate children for the future. The carefully designed woodwork station offers the children at the nursery an opportunity to increase their understanding of the world and learn necessary safety rules that promote their physical, emotional and social development. As a result, we are confident that our nursery children will grow into well-rounded individuals with strong values and the skills to thrive in an ever-changing world.