All Wrapped Up

Enclosure, Enveloping and Containment.

First, a small disclaimer. I have seen these 3 schemas listed separately in lots of articles but I am going to lump them together. In learning theory they may be worlds apart but in practise I can't tell too much difference!!!
Hi my name is Erin and my child is the one who looks silly in a thousand layers of clothes. If you can see her cos she could be stuffed in that small gap between the couch and the wall. Or in the wardrobe. Or under a pile of cushions. No, she's not a complete fruit loop - it's her schema!!!! Actually the first time I met schema theory I was at playcentre watching her fold herself in a very small box closing the lid over her head. A very wise woman I know handed me a copy of this schema matrix and yes, there she was in the enclosure/ enveloping column. Suddenly her tights, jeans, skirt, long sleeved top, short sleeved dress and veil ensemble made perfect sense!!! As if she was reading over my shoulder her next half hour consisted of: wrapping all the playdough at the playdough table in paper, painting a beautiful picture then obliterating it with a layer of black over the top, burying her legs in the sandpit... when we got home that day I cleared out her wardrobe, put a big cushion in the bottom and voila, for the next year and a half that's where you'd find her if she was sad, tired, recently told off, reading, or just feeling quiet!!
If any of that sounds familiar to you, keep reading, the following activities are probably either already enjoyed by your child or something they would love to do!!!!

Role playing/ family play: cubby houses! I swear it was every day for months the contents of my linen cupboard were utilised for making tents, cubby houses and 'bed nests' and the contents of her room were carried out to furnish these creations. Tunnels are fun to hide in/ crawl through.

Dress ups: clothing is important to these kids, especially wigs, drapey fabric, lace tablecloths, capes, veils and do I need to say layers again? Let them choose their own clothes. And I dare you to leave the house like that!!! Bags to put stuff in.

Stories: my daughter's favourite story at this time was 'There was an old lady who swallowed a fly' I swear it was the Russian doll effect of animals inside animals inside animals that made her want to read it over and over and over.... and over. Owl Babies, another favourite, what enclosure kid wouldn't want to live in a tree? Any of Eric Carle's books are great for the artwork as his illustrations are all done with layers of different tissue paper. And when it comes down to it, any book as long as it's read in a tent is going to be a hit!!

Science: lots of animals live in pretty close quarters, wasps, birds, ants, find some pictures of owls inside trees foxes in a den etc etc You will have ample opportunity to introduce concepts such as capacity volume space and size. Provide containers and different stuff (wet and dry) to pour into them. Think creatively for containers, use a funnel to fill a balloon with rice!
 
Maths: containers that fit inside other containers, nesting boxes, Russian dolls

Art: collage - different flat materials to build up layers with. I had an art box of old cards, cut up junkmail, catalogue pages, that sort of thing. A la Eric Carle try slightly transparent layers. Tissue paper rips easily and may be frustrating for small fingers to work with but sheer fabrics like netting or organza can work well. Frames are often important to enclosure kids too. I look back at almost all the art work from this time and there are either long pieces or string or ribbon glued around the edges or the paper or frames drawn or painted on. Provide long thin things for frames, sticks, string, help cut paper ribbons etc. Painting is great for layering. Don't show your regret and frustration when the elaborate and skilled pictures disappear under a layer of 'night-time' or 'clothes' or 'blankets'!!! Just stand nearby with a camera and get progress pictures so you can remember and remind your child what was underneath. Crayon does interesting layers too and because they don't mix you can even scratch part of the layers off later. Papier mache! Playdough. Try different ways of presenting this to make it even more fun. Hide surprises in it like small toys. Enclose one colour completely inside another colour. Or don't add colour into the dough, roll it into balls, break open each one and pour in some colouring then close them up again. Let them discover the colour when they start manipulating it!  Wrapping paper (even newspaper) and a tape dispenser will provide hours of fun. Especially for you if you are the tape dispenser!!!