Børn to Play

Børn = Danish for “children.”

I am truly blessed with the opportunity to work at Pakhuset, a “mega-integrated kindergarten and after school program” with Danish kids 3-10 years old for my Positive Psychology practicum. Typically these kiddos are divided by age into a viggestue (nursery), a børnehave (kindergarden), or an SFO (after school program), so luckily I’m immersed in the chaos of all 3! All Danish, all the time… a tad bit difficult considering I’m not even taking Danish language courses but this is honestly the most motivating way to learn!

Best way to describe the experience: fostering creativity through independent learning. Kids learn by doing. This means they climb trees on the playground, use scissors at age 3, and help cut and peel carrots for snack. What if they get hurt? The teachers soothe the boo-boo and encourage the kiddos to learn their lesson. If they are intelligent the kids don’t do it again. Seems a bit too self-explanatory for the American education… oh, hey there reality check. We shelter the crap out of our kids. Thank goodness I came here before hitting the parenting stage of life!

Walking in, a little blonde hair, icy blue eyed tot hopped up and down enthusiastically wanting me to join in on their play! The language barrier was quite difficult considering Danes are less expressive than Americans, but I made it through. Best part? They practice my personal childhood pastimes in the classroom! First I helped a girl craft a house out of an old shoe box for her Polly Pocket fairies, decked out in sequins and all. Then we crafted masks and decorations for their Fastelavn props. Fastelavn is a holiday mixed between the American version Mardi gras and Halloween. Kids go to school dressed in costume and go door-to-door for sweets. It occurs 7 weeks before Easter. My children at the Pakhuset will be smacking down a piñata cat… I haven’t quite worked out the cat factor in the holiday yet…

I witnessed numerous instances that simply would not fly in the American school system. I liked it. Bathrooms were actually co-ed. As in a little boy would be using the restroom while a girl waltzes in to wash a paint brush. Scandal or merely preventing the American taboo over sexuality? I prefer the latter. Granted, the kids over 9 would shut and lock the door for privacy. Children walked in and out of the classrooms as they pleased. Focus remained on their tasks, not the teachers. If they had a question, they asked and were accommodated. If they were doing something incorrectly, they would be given constructive criticism. The atmosphere was incredibly casual. If kids were building a house on a table and there wasn’t enough room, they sat on the table… problem solved. They climbed up furniture and if they fell they learned their lesson. Bullies were still scolded, but the victims were encouraged to constructively handle the situation without violence. Snacks were apples, bananas, and carrots not Hostess cakes and Coke. Lunch was eaten family style with the teachers. Equality across the board. Teachers constantly had conversations with the children about interests, hobbies, current events… similar to the relationships cultivated between mentors and pupils among college aged Americans… if we are lucky enough discover a mentor.

Oh, and I learned the Danish colors while helping a little girl paint a bird mask for her play (not affiliated with school). She giggled at my mispronunciations and it warmed my heart.

Student of life met the students of well-being. It was a great day J