Messy Kids - Reasons Why We Love 'Em

As one little girl asked to change her clothes for the 2nd time today (those boots SEEM taller before she wades in the big playground puddles!), I imagined my classroom parents wondering why there is always so much darn laundry.

Did you know that there are many reasons that we should all actually encourage children to make messes? I've taken a few of these from a website called Left Brain/Craft Brain, an engineering site for young people.

* It teaches cause and effect - if I do this, then this happens.
* It ignites the senses, making vivid memories and more intense learning.
* It's about the journey. We don't always get the finished product we wanted, but that's okay.
* It inspires open-ended learning.

and, finally:

* It's fun.

Here are a couple pictures of today's messes:

This picture is actually PRE-mess. Painting our valentine collection boxes today turned into a totally sensory experience.

The playground goes from snowy-icy mess to muddy-water mess. It's all fun, and my engineers go wild with the possibilities.