Surfaces

We love working on surfaces when we’re playing, creating and building and we encourage children to do the same! By a surface we simply mean a dark, flat piece of something, usually rectangular, that is big enough to allow for creativity but not so big as to be unwieldy. Take a look at these two photographs of the same materials -- on a table and on a surface. What do you notice?

For us, a surface brings out the qualities of the materials in interesting ways. The colors look brighter, the shapes are more defined and everything just seems more inviting. Working on a surface also has a way of elevating the work -- it defines your space and intention and sends a message to your brain that this work is important. 

If you don’t have a dark surface (dark cardboard, dark folder, dark construction paper, dark placemat, etc.), you can easily make a surface out of a cereal box. See below for instructions and photos:

The bigger the box the better!

Open both ends and flatten

Cut along one of the lines on the front of the box

Open up the box and cut out the front panel (cover)

Cut off the top and bottom flaps

And now you have a surface for playing, creating and building!