Celebrating the mind – body – spirit potential through natural play and learning, art and design, creative expression, poetry and prose, sharing and caring.
Our materially rich world of object – bound entertainment holds ourselves and our children from natural creative occupation; no longer do we take time to spontaneously celebrate or authentically communicate or express genuine gratitude – these things cannot be bought as a prepack package of convenience. Our easy life of robots and machinery, our world of electric slaves and power struggles, distract us from playing with the flowers, listening to the birds and rolling on the grass. Without these freedoms and spontaneity, where does the inspirational flow of creativity find its source? When does the heart burst into songs of communication that overflows into a space of natural play and learning?
Through creative activity we can facilitate personal expression, social interaction, and spiritual growth. Creative games and activity by their very nature do not have a pre-determined measure of success.
Detailed and accurate sensory information is essential for learning through discovery and imitation. When sensory information illustrates detailed and associated structural information, within a conceptual context of communication, the learner can gain a broader and more detailed understanding.
Sensory information is paramount to all learning but the depth of human potential goes far beyond integration within the physical sensory system. Human potential embraces feelings, imaginative thoughts, conceptual understanding and multi-levels of consciousness. This gives our learning the added potential to go beyond that of imitation or simple copying.
‘In other words, you must see why everything that awakens intense interest in children also helps strengthen their memory. We must increase the power of memory through the feeling and will and not through simple intellectual memory exercises.’ (The Foundations of Human experience, Steiner 1996:page137)
Interactive games and creative activities motivate learning through social interaction and multisensory aesthetic experience. Thus individual and unique creative variations are held within the boundaries required for mastery of desired and required skills. Creative expression is directed as a unique moment by moment interaction. Many aspects of exploration that might otherwise be defined as failure become windows of learning and encouragement. The celebration is thus experienced in the doing and the sharing rather than competitive levels of academic achievement. Through creativity we embrace the universal love that sanctifies faith and units us within the grace of joy and peace.
Creativity is born from heart magic – when ideas, feelings and experiences flow togerther like the water in the stream; where an infinite freedom is contanined within the boundaryies of the geographical terain and the earthly laws of physics.
Multisensory learning is fundamental to the integration of creativity, aesthetic appreciation and divergent thinking. The deeper the understanding through open ended learning the more opportunity the learner has to transfer the learning appropriately into other situations.
The true art of teaching is to creatively present multisensory information through an integrated spectrum of accurate conceptual communication. The true master successfully supports others to discover for themselves what s/he can already do with natural ease, genuine understanding, authentic passion and notable attention to small detail.
Maria Montessori pioneered didactic (intending to teach) apparatus that promotes sensory-motor activities and develops skills of differentiation related to colour, 2D and 3D shape, sound and smell. Montessori methods place a particular emphasis upon the importance of training the child to isolate, refine, improve, and make sense of specified areas of sensory perception and discrimination.
Eastwood Education approaches learning through multi-sensory integration as a basis for discovery learning and conceptual understanding. Through our senses we recognise elements of our world that support inner assessment and judgement.
This approach to multi-sensory learning requires environmental scaffolding that inspires:-
- a broad spectrum of creativity and aesthetic appreciation,
- development and mastery of skills,
- self-correction,
- co-operative interaction and internal self-discipline.
‘….thus you can now comprehend judging as a living bodily process that arises because your senses present you with a world analysed into parts…..Here the act of judgement becomes an expression of your entire human being.’ (The Foundations of Human experience, Steiner 1996:page144-145)
When consciously looking at our reactions and interactions we can consider all aspects of our lifeas part of our way forward to higher levels of learning and consciousness. We can thereby acknowledge a sense of greater responsibility for what and how we experience what we bring towards ourselves, and what interaction we chose to follow.
Steiner presented that before the change of teeth the young child is ‘essentially an ensouled sense organ entirely given over in a bodily religious way to what comes towards it from the surrounding world’ and that sensory experience ‘permeates the child’s entire organism.’ He suggests that whatever is happening in the child’s environment is wholly and subconsciously received by his senses and thereby also affects his soul and spiritual development. [Steiner, R. The Child’s Changing Consciousness, Anthroposophic Press; New York, 1988: pages 40&75)]
Steiner presented that we have 12 senses incorporated within our inner sense of ‘life’ :-
| The sense of hearing The sense of speech The sense of seeing The sense of colour The sense of taste The sense of smell |
The sense of hearing The sense of speech The sense of seeing The sense of colour The sense of taste The sense of smell |
These twelve senses are experienced within our capacity to integrate the three states of thinking, feeling and willing.
The nature of everything that constitutes a human being is partly cognitive (thinking), partly feeling and partly willing. These three things ‘work together and are interwoven into a unity…..What is Cognitive is mainly Cognitive, but also has aspects of Feeling and Willing’ and this is the same with Feeling and Willing. (The Foundations of Human experience, Steiner 1996:page137)
Steiner described the twelve senses in three groups of four:-
- The four lower physical senses of life, touch, movement and balance give us a sense of our physical being through the BODY. These senses are exercised through the will and subsequent movement of the limbs.
- The four middle senses of smell, taste, warmth and sight (colour, shape, form and movement). These senses are associated with our perception of the surrounding environment. These senses establish an organic sense of organisation and rhythm which relates to our inner feelings and emanates from the original nature of the soul.
- The four higher senses of hearing, language, thought and Ego are experienced through our relationship and interactions with others; our cognitive and conceptual senses that emanate from the spiritual qualities of our being.
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Clean Heart Clear Mind Compassionate Disposition |
The spiritual quality of our being is expressed through authentic interaction. The author presents that authenticity is an integration of the following three aspects of human interaction:-
Active Communication – An outward expression of our inner disposition; a reflective projection of inner thoughts, feelings and desires.
Compassionate Listening – perception of someone’s (or something’s) outward expression of communication.
Interactive Sharing – an intimate exchange that integrates external perceptions with compassionate listening and active communication.
‘Only through the power of unconditional love can we hope to provide an abundance of creative opportunity for personal empowerment and self-directed learning.’
| This is the Day
This is the day that only I can live! These are the visions that only I can see. These are the thoughts that only I can think. |
This is the grief only I can forgive.This is the art only I can create This is the love that only I can feel. God’s blessings the only ones that heal.Now is the life that only I can live. Still is the time that I know as mine. This is the gift only I can send. This is the day that will never end. Helena |
Multisensory Learning as the Foundation of Natural Play and Learning and Child-directed Creativity
Creativity is the gift of movement
Joy is the gift of love
Happiness is the gift of being present
Peace is the gift of calm contemplation
Gratitude is the gift of sharing
Devotion is the gift of life
Reverence is the gift of humility
Patience is the gift of time
Eastwood Education is not presented as a curriculum as such. It illustrates how learning can be presented within a mind map that creates its own presentation of human intelligence through celebration of aesthetic appreciation and natural enthusiasm. Creativity and co-operative interaction are the foundations of multisensory learning. Multisensory integration, through the heart and soul-spirit, creates a depth and richness to our interaction with the world. Thus, when multi-sensory information is framed within creative freedom and passionate interaction, learning can be experienced as personal discovery and thereby provide an infinite future potential for meaningful expansion.
Creativity, multisensory learning, aesthetic appreciation and divergent thinking plus some heart magic, are born when ideas, feelings and experiences flow togerther like the water within a stream; where an infinite freedom is contanined within the boundaryies of the geographical terain and the earthly laws of physics.
The true art of teaching is to creatively present multisensory information through an integrated spectrum of accurate conceptual communication. The true master can successfully support others to discover for themselves: attention to small detail, authentic passion and genuine understanding. The apprentice thereby learns, over a period of time, to achieve what the master can already do with natural ease and uses these skills to develop his/her own natural field of excellence.
Scaffolding learning from a multisensory perspective comes from the heart. From this sweet place activities and feelings embrace a natural balance of mental and physical activity. A harmonious combination of both musical and structural aspects of creativity that organically integrates imagination with a tangible expression of creative interaction. This supports our natural desire to gain conscious awareness and understanding.
Adults can provide a harmonizing balance of care and encouragement in the form of:-
- Personal interaction : Compassion Boundaries Authenticity
- A safe physical environment with freedom to : Explore Experiment Creatively manipulate environmental resources
- A socially interactive environment whereby free play, creativity and child-directed learning are positively supported through : –
Sharing and caring
Reflective and complimentary interaction
Independent and co-operative play.
Whereby: The Keys to Empowerment are fully maintained and each individual’s learning potential is acknowledged as:-
Knowledge – subject to Personal Experience,
Choice – as fundamental to every individual,
Authentic creativity – as essential to natural play and learning,
Compassionate understanding – felt through co-operative sharing.
Trust, gratitude and appreciation embraced within a positive attitude.
Working on small easy steps and simple steady improvements can anchor our efforts to seed new growth within the harmony of Highest Good and our individual capacity to live, love and learn together. Simple structures of communication can deeply nurture seeds of encouragement for meaningful experiences and accompany the sweetness of personal empowerment. It is the very nature of this simple and successful scaffolding that wisely supports new levels of thinking that can encourage and nurture supportive scaffolding within the practicalities of our everyday living. Can we empower our children to develop their individuality and creativity beyond that of the limitations of our present day? Our children are the future; their lives could take them far beyond where we are now. Their thoughts may create a different future for mankind. Their thoughts can pioneer new dimensions, fulfilling the maturity of mankind’s destiny into realms of expanded consciousness. These realms could leave the present knowledge and structures as an immature, infantile beginning, caught in the influence of sensory information. Hopefully our children will initiate steps towards new realms of thought and sincerity, and embrace positive energy powers far beyond infantile ignorance and childlike innocence. We do not need to teach our children anything, for all we know is possibly too limiting to be useful in their future. Their strength is in their ability to creatively go beyond our today and expand their thoughts across fields of enlightenment. They may powerfully support the establishment of true harmony within the earth planet’s future ecology. What we can offer is simply: loving shelter in their early development; heartfelt celebration of their undaunted creativity; and reverence for their higher levels of consciousness. We are their carers not their keepers, our endeavours and God’s mercy will guide them into their future.
As the carers of children of the future golden age, it is time to embrace a new form of education for all ages and all talents: Embracing a new approach based on natural play and multisensory learning.
Together we can
Aspire to go beyond what has been done before.
Make gratitude the most important part of your day.
Know that the natural world nurtures the secrets of life.
Embrace our soul-spirit as the source of wellbeing.
So Be It Love and light, Helena
Eastwood Education Celebrating beyond the conventional into an abundance of potential.
A Multisensory Approach to Learning Through Creative Expression Multi-Sensory Interaction and Self-Directed Discovery Learning
Creative foundations for Literacy and Numeracy:-
- A rich multi-sensory resource of games, activities and creative incentives.
- Didactic resources designed to facilitate ‘Discovery Learning’.
- Scaffolding self-directed and self-correcting approaches to learning.
The rich sensory compendium of activities, games and interactive learning materials is designed to enhance: exploration and creative expression. The priority on creative expression encourages: reception and expression of aesthetic appreciation, self-directed focus and mastery of conceptual understanding.Eastwood Education uses creative activity, sensory integration and social interaction as natural catalysts to support authentic communication and enhanced participation.
Eastwood Education provides multi-sensory foundations for basic:-
Literacy skills: language enrichment, handwriting, spelling and creative writing.
Numeracy skills: number values, the base ten system and multiplication tables.
Geometry and algebra: expanding mathematical skills through investigation and conceptual understanding.
Art and design: basic 3d and 2D integration through a progressive curriculum of sensory exploration and spontaneous creative expression.
The resources are suitable for children [and adults] of all ages and ability (from seven years and over). Interactive participation can creatively accommodate spontaneous enthusiasm and erratic participation. Adult supervision can organically facilitate younger participants to join in appropriately at their own level of ability. Adults can also enjoy the games as a rewarding challenge for themselves while successfully accommodating younger, often more creative, participants.
[Helena offers interactive courses in all of the above areas of learning, private tutoring, educational assessments and consultancy. The courses include Computer Data for Teaching Materials that can be produced with the aid of a laminator and designs for the production of the 3D learning materials using commercially available wooden blocks and wooden letters.]
| A famous composer once said, ‘If I don’t feel the music in my heart! The listeners won’t hear the music!’ |
