Early years with a touch of magic: our 2024 Journey
- Frédérique and the Wooden Fellows
Dear Giggler and Chiseler,
On June 2nd, 2024, I shared our very first post with much excitement, hoping to create a space that highlights the often unseen potential of young children. The core idea? To spark curiosity in grown-ups about the uniqueness of young children while keeping us all grounded in those magic early years of life and our own childhood experiences. How? Through stories, research-based insights, and an imaginary world involving four wooden puppets.
Now, six months later, the team has grown to a group of 5, including four wooden Fellows, and myself : ) Today, we are delighted to take some time to reflect on our journey towards early years, with a touch of magic, before stepping away for a short break to recharge.
How we elevated early years
At Giggles and Chisels, LLC, we believe that young children have unique abilities, sometimes unseen or misunderstood by grown-ups around them. Once we recognize these abilities, though, we can engage with children more meaningfully without needing elaborate settings or activities. Sometimes, all it takes is pausing, listening, and truly seeing the child for who they are. All it takes is seeing, and appreciating the uniqueness of young children.
Noticing the uniqueness of a young child
In the past few months, we explored the beauty of listening to young children to better understand their unique abilities and their own milestones. For instance, we reviewed three reasons we should all take the time to listen to young children, as listening gives us clues on how to extend their learning further while building a solid relationship with them. In addition, we wrote about simple activities– like playing, drawing, or reading picturebooks–as entry points to the journey of truly listening to young children. We also touched on the delicate balance between “listening” and “teaching,” using a French article to delve into when to step back and when to engage. Finally, we were also excited to address a very first question from one of our followers about raising caring and responsible young children, leading us to a post on empathy and responsibility in the early years.
Embracing early mathematics as an opportunity to engage with a young child
At Giggles and Chisels, LLC, we also believe that embracing early mathematics offers a powerful opportunity not only to stimulate young children’s brains but also to reassure the adults around them who may have had negative experiences with mathematics at school.
Mathematics is indeed all around, and we all use it daily, whether it is to balance our checkbook, manage time, avoid collisions, cook, woodworking, and countless other activities.
Hence, we wrote several posts related to early mathematics and young children.
We began by reviewing the various areas of early mathematics– numbers and operations, geometry and spatial sense, early algebra, measurement, and data representation.
From there, we delved deeper into each area. We highlighted the importance of Zero and go on a number hunt to observe how numbers appear in our environment. We sparked algebraic thinking by noticing patterns around Chicago, IL. We discussed how young children perceive time and used our spatial sense in Paris, France. We sorted buttons—a beloved tool for young children. Finally, we posted our first video, modeling how to make a board game to easily stimulate young children’s mathematical thinking.
How we stayed grounded into the magical years of early childhood
At Giggles and Chisels, we furthermore believe our younger selves are still a part of who we are. Whether our early childhood was filled with positive experiences or more challenging ones, staying grounded in those years helps us better connect with and support young children today. To honor this connection, we draw inspiration from an imaginary world first created by Rosie, my daughter, when she was just 4 years old. We brought this world to life with four wooden puppets—our “Fellows”—who are now an integral part of the Giggles and Chisels team. These playful wooden Fellows remind us to embrace life with playfulness and the wonder and creativity that young children bring into our lives. They now tag along with me all the time, making them all critical components of our team.
Maurice
First came Maurice, who will hence always have a special spot in my heart. Although early childhood is often associated with playfulness, Maurice reminds us that morosity, melancholy or sadness is a state of life and that young children, too, experience difficult times.
Maurice deeply inspired me to write a post about grieving, bringing healing to my own past, and a post sharing resources for supporting young children through tough moments.
Madame Rigolotte
Then came Madame Rigolotte, our most mature yet profoundly playful Fellow. You may have seen her sharing her expertise in colors or bathing in a box of buttons.
Madame Rigolotte brings joy, fun, and a lighthearted approach to everything, reminding us to keep play and creativity alive, no matter our age.
Petite Clothilde
Petite Clothilde joined the team third and is the dreamer of our group. She reminded us of the importance of not forgetting to care for ourselves as we care for young children. Petite Clothilde encourages us to embrace this essential balance. She also inspires us to keep our dreams big.
Pierre Qui Roule
Finally, Pierre-Qui-Roule, our Mousse-Mousse deeply connected to nature, completed our team, joining us with his whimsical pet, Poule-de-Poil. He recently took us on a walk in nature, highlighting how the simple act of walking can open up endless possibilities for engaging with young children.
What's next?
The past six months have been incredible, and we cannot wait to see what 2025 brings. As we believe we are stronger together, we will continue to reach out to a broader community through Instagram and Pinterest. We will also continue donating a percentage of our profits from Etsy to organizations focused on the well-being of young children. Our YouTube channel will remain open and we will begin offering training opportunities to further support your journey with young children.
The wooden Fellows and I would love to hear from you. What has been the most surprising or meaningful part of your own journey with young children? What topics would you like to read about on our blog? Share your thoughts with us as we continue to learn, grow, and celebrate the magic of the early years together.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday seasons. The wooden Fellows and I will be back early January!
Stay tuned,
Maurice, Petite Clothilde, Mme Rigolottle, Pierre-Qui-Roule, and me!
