Technical workshops with the crate of creativity and cross-curricular learning

Današnji potrošniški svet strmi k situacijam, kako bi na čim hitrejši način dobili največ, kako bi na najlažji način prišli do želenega cilja in kako bi dobro kakovost zanemarili za ugodno ceno. To se odraža tudi v raznovrstnosti igrač, ki so nam na voljo in jih otroku kupimo, ker je morda to njegova želja, pri čemer pa zanemarimo kakovost ali celo primernost igrače za otroka. Se morda uspemo vprašati, kaj bo igrača prispevala otrokovi ustvarjalnosti, bo z igračo krepil svoje miselne ali gibalne sposobnosti? V večini primerov bo le zadovoljila neko trenutno potrebo otroka. Zato menim, da je vloga vzgojiteljev v vrtcu na tem področju še kako pomembna. Ravno to je bil zadosten razlog, da sem si postavila izziv, kako samostojno izdelati igračo, ki bo zadovoljila čim večji spekter otrokovih potreb, hkrati pa bo nudila možnost nadgradnje. Poleg izdelave igrač pa smo si postavili še dodaten izziv, in sicer kako lahko z različnimi jezikovnimi spodbudami otroke privabimo k večji ustvarjalnosti ob novi večfunkcijski didaktični igrači. Pod drobnogled bomo postavili otroke, stare med tri in štiri leta, ki bodo igračo preizkusili in jo kritično ocenili. Prav vzgojiteljeva ustvarjalnost je tista, ki najbolj koristi otroku, da tudi sam razvije svoj ustvarjalni potencial, da si upa biti drzen in pusti domišljiji prosto pot. Projektno delo s področja tehnike in tehnologije je zelo zaželeno v vzgojno-izobraževalnem procesu, saj ta proces omogoča tako vzgojitelju kot otroku, da spozna več faz, od začetne ideje, načrtovanja, izdelave prototipa, konstruiranja ter ne nazadnje do vrednotenja dela, ki ga podkrepijo otroci s preizkušanjem končnega izdelka. Otrok mora biti aktiven udeleženec v celotnem procesu, mora imeti možnost, da izrazi svoje želje, mišljenje, da sam nekaj ustvari in da pride do želenega cilja, ki si ga je zadal. Zato želim s svojim diplomskim delom spodbuditi strokovne delavce, da si upajo, da so pri svojem delu čim bolj ustvarjalni te r v kurikularna področja vpletajo tudi tehnične elemente. Kajti vse kar naredimo skupaj z otroki, bodisi igračo ali igro, jim bo le ta pomenila bistveno več, kot tista, ki je kupljena. Tako bo igrača ali igra otroku nudila še večji izziv, saj je igračo oziroma igro izdelal sam ali skupaj s prijatelji.The consumer-oriented world we live in today strives towards getting as much as possible in the shortest possible time, trying to achieve our goals in the easiest way possible and often neglects quality for the sake of affordable price. This can also be seen in the availability of toys that we buy for our children, because that is what they seem to want. However, oftentimes in the process of buying, we/parents do not pay attention to the quality of the toy and whether the toy is appropriate for the child or not. Do we even ask ourselves what, if anything, will the toy bring to our children\u27s creativity, and if the children will use them to strengthen their mental and physical capabilities? In most cases, the toy will only satisfy their current needs. This is why I believe the role of the preschool teachers in this area is vital. That alone was the reason enough for me to set a challenge to construct a toy all by myself. One that will satisfy as wide of a range of children’s needs as possible and at the same time offer the possibility of further improvement. Alongside building a toy, we set an additional challenge. Specifically, how to induce greater creativity in the process of using this multifunctional didactic toy by means of various verbal incentives. We will focus on children from age of three to four years who will try and evaluate the toy. It is the teacher’s creativity that benefits the children the most in the way that it enables them to develop their own potentials, to let them be bold and to free their imagination. This kind of product assignment in the field of technics and technology is very desirable in the educational process as it enables the teacher and the child to familiarize themselves with all the phases of the process. From the initial idea, to the planning, making of the prototype, construction and lastly the assessment of the final product, which is then provided by the children. The child has to be an active participant in the whole process, has to have the opportunity to express his wishes and thoughts, to create something by himself and to achieve the goal that was set in the beginning. With my thesis I want to encourage teachers to be as creative as possible and to include more technical elements in their curriculum. Whatever the teachers will create with the children, whether it is a toy or a game, will certainly provide a bigger range of challenges and mean much more to the children than the toys bought in the store