The Satisfying Feeling
One thing that is absolutely positively puzzling to me as I finished up second year of Arts&crafts is the "satisfying feeling" that so many children are hungry to receive at the Arts room. The majority of them are boys.
It seems like boys crave that feeling, they have such a lack of it. I noticed it last summer with older boys (Mohawks, 10 y.o.) Back then I was searching and searching for ways to find something interesting to do for those boys. Many arts&crafts projects I did with other boys or girls didn't interest them. I was thinking they are older boys, they need something more serious, more different than other groups. So, I tried project after project and every time the result was not very satisfying to me. From a group of 8-9 boys only a couple would be interested.
Turns out i was searching in the wrong places. I discovered what the Mohawks like by accident. One day I forgot to clean up playdough after the little ones. The Mohawks came and literally threw themselves on that playdough as if they've been starving for a while and here was finally some food for them. They all sat down at the table, started talking to each other and playing with playdough. They played it differently than the younger kids, though. The younger kids would make something, look at it, show it to me or other counselors. Another word, they were curious about the end result. The older boys just wanted to get that satisfying feeling from kneading and handling the playdough.
I was puzzled. Here I was searching for something serious for the Mohawks to do, and it turns out all they want to be happy is to play with playdough? 10 year olds?
Well, last summer the Arts&crafts room was not very popular among boys. It was a land of girls mostly. This summer I had an explosion of boys who wanted to do various projects in the room. I would say I got better since last summer by observing what the kids like and learning from it. Or rather, boys. I don't really have to work hard to find what the girls like, that knowledge come natural. Whatever I feel the girls will like as a group, most of the time it's a hit. It's very different with boys. I almost have to get outside of my skin and learn to think and feel differently if I am to find what the boys like.
Playdough continued to be popular this summer. There were quite a few boys who asked for it either as an alternative to what we were doing as a bunk or when they came to do arts individually.
I also discovered that glue was a major "satisfying" thing during arts&crafts projects. We would be gluing something with boys and quite a few of them would start saying out loud how satisfying it is to apply glue on the surface of whatever they were doing. I would wonder at first, don't they glue anywhere else? But then I would think about it, in our electronic filled life probably no, most of them don't get to apply glue anywhere else. Sometimes boys would be so carried away by that satisfaction feeling, they would not really pay attention to the craft itself. Getting satisfaction from glue would be enough.
And then there is applying glue to their hands. Yes, I know that satisfying feeling when the glue dries on your hands and you peel if off a bit at a time. However, it would never occur to me that you can apply a layer of glue to your hands SPECIFICALLY to get that satisfying feeling. I have seen boys of different ages do that in the arts room. And, some boys went even further than that. I witnessed older boys go to the big gallon with glue that now has a pump. Pump out a few handful of glue and use like a hand sanitizer to spread it all over your hands. The first time I witnessed it I was speechless, I had no idea how to react. I wanted to tell the boys not to do that, it can get too messy, they are wasting glue, and blah blah. But I didn't saying anything. I was awed by how much they were enjoying the process.
Also there was also tile making where we use a different kind of glue. I've had 2 boys who were really into that craft. They worked for a number of days, every afternoon making those tiles. One day, during the last week of camp 3 more boys came with them to try out mosaic tile. The newcomers each made one tile and then there was time for the Satisfying feeling. For the tile mosaic I give each boy a tiny little cup with glue. That particular glue is thick and the boys had a blast applying it to their hands and talking about how satisfying it is. Again, I had to repress the comments in my head that it is an expensive glue, let's not waste it on our hands, blah blah.
I'm starting to see that this Satisfying feeling is very important to the boys. Oftentimes as important if not more than the actual craft that they are doing.
The Satisfying feeling exists among girls too, but to a much lesser extent. Girls are not hanged up on that feeling as the boys. They'll comment how satisfying something is and move on to the craft itself. I don't see girls forget about their project and get carried away by the Satisfying feeling. Whereas quite a few boys feel a need to dwell on that feeling.
So, what should I do about the voice in my head that would start counting the prices of a glue bottle, divide it into little cups and figure out how much glue is wasted? Well, some days the Arts&crafts room is starting to feel like an Art Therapy room. Kids come here to get their art therapy. Playdough and glue seem to be their favorite art therapy tools so far. If I think of applying glue in that light then it's not a waste at all. It's an Art therapy tools used to make children feel happy.
Now, I've been thinking about the reason why so many boys crave the Satisfying feeling, but not so many girls. One suggestion is because more boys spend way too much time on electronics, and they don't get enough tactile feelings in life. Girls, on the other hand, tend not to get hanged on electronics as much. Of course, with a Covid year kids spent even more time staring at the screens. And they seem to crave the Satisfying feeling even more.
Next summer I will continue to explore various options to see how can more boys get the Satisfying feeling. Air clay, model magic, and maybe I'll find something else.
August 15, 2021
It seems like boys crave that feeling, they have such a lack of it. I noticed it last summer with older boys (Mohawks, 10 y.o.) Back then I was searching and searching for ways to find something interesting to do for those boys. Many arts&crafts projects I did with other boys or girls didn't interest them. I was thinking they are older boys, they need something more serious, more different than other groups. So, I tried project after project and every time the result was not very satisfying to me. From a group of 8-9 boys only a couple would be interested.
Turns out i was searching in the wrong places. I discovered what the Mohawks like by accident. One day I forgot to clean up playdough after the little ones. The Mohawks came and literally threw themselves on that playdough as if they've been starving for a while and here was finally some food for them. They all sat down at the table, started talking to each other and playing with playdough. They played it differently than the younger kids, though. The younger kids would make something, look at it, show it to me or other counselors. Another word, they were curious about the end result. The older boys just wanted to get that satisfying feeling from kneading and handling the playdough.
I was puzzled. Here I was searching for something serious for the Mohawks to do, and it turns out all they want to be happy is to play with playdough? 10 year olds?
Well, last summer the Arts&crafts room was not very popular among boys. It was a land of girls mostly. This summer I had an explosion of boys who wanted to do various projects in the room. I would say I got better since last summer by observing what the kids like and learning from it. Or rather, boys. I don't really have to work hard to find what the girls like, that knowledge come natural. Whatever I feel the girls will like as a group, most of the time it's a hit. It's very different with boys. I almost have to get outside of my skin and learn to think and feel differently if I am to find what the boys like.
Playdough continued to be popular this summer. There were quite a few boys who asked for it either as an alternative to what we were doing as a bunk or when they came to do arts individually.
I also discovered that glue was a major "satisfying" thing during arts&crafts projects. We would be gluing something with boys and quite a few of them would start saying out loud how satisfying it is to apply glue on the surface of whatever they were doing. I would wonder at first, don't they glue anywhere else? But then I would think about it, in our electronic filled life probably no, most of them don't get to apply glue anywhere else. Sometimes boys would be so carried away by that satisfaction feeling, they would not really pay attention to the craft itself. Getting satisfaction from glue would be enough.
And then there is applying glue to their hands. Yes, I know that satisfying feeling when the glue dries on your hands and you peel if off a bit at a time. However, it would never occur to me that you can apply a layer of glue to your hands SPECIFICALLY to get that satisfying feeling. I have seen boys of different ages do that in the arts room. And, some boys went even further than that. I witnessed older boys go to the big gallon with glue that now has a pump. Pump out a few handful of glue and use like a hand sanitizer to spread it all over your hands. The first time I witnessed it I was speechless, I had no idea how to react. I wanted to tell the boys not to do that, it can get too messy, they are wasting glue, and blah blah. But I didn't saying anything. I was awed by how much they were enjoying the process.
Also there was also tile making where we use a different kind of glue. I've had 2 boys who were really into that craft. They worked for a number of days, every afternoon making those tiles. One day, during the last week of camp 3 more boys came with them to try out mosaic tile. The newcomers each made one tile and then there was time for the Satisfying feeling. For the tile mosaic I give each boy a tiny little cup with glue. That particular glue is thick and the boys had a blast applying it to their hands and talking about how satisfying it is. Again, I had to repress the comments in my head that it is an expensive glue, let's not waste it on our hands, blah blah.
I'm starting to see that this Satisfying feeling is very important to the boys. Oftentimes as important if not more than the actual craft that they are doing.
The Satisfying feeling exists among girls too, but to a much lesser extent. Girls are not hanged up on that feeling as the boys. They'll comment how satisfying something is and move on to the craft itself. I don't see girls forget about their project and get carried away by the Satisfying feeling. Whereas quite a few boys feel a need to dwell on that feeling.
So, what should I do about the voice in my head that would start counting the prices of a glue bottle, divide it into little cups and figure out how much glue is wasted? Well, some days the Arts&crafts room is starting to feel like an Art Therapy room. Kids come here to get their art therapy. Playdough and glue seem to be their favorite art therapy tools so far. If I think of applying glue in that light then it's not a waste at all. It's an Art therapy tools used to make children feel happy.
Now, I've been thinking about the reason why so many boys crave the Satisfying feeling, but not so many girls. One suggestion is because more boys spend way too much time on electronics, and they don't get enough tactile feelings in life. Girls, on the other hand, tend not to get hanged on electronics as much. Of course, with a Covid year kids spent even more time staring at the screens. And they seem to crave the Satisfying feeling even more.
Next summer I will continue to explore various options to see how can more boys get the Satisfying feeling. Air clay, model magic, and maybe I'll find something else.
August 15, 2021