In addition to her groundbreaking work in education, she wrote books like Growing Pains and Exploring the Child’s World, and hosted the ABC radio and TV series Child’s World with Helen Parkhurst. Her message across all formats was clear: let students speak for themselves.

Her radio show tackled real, messy topics — boredom, creativity, children’s rights — and trusted young people to explore them with honesty. The purpose of the recordings was to give voice to young people and serve as a glimpse into the window of the child’s mind for parents and educators.

Why begin with Creating With One's Hands?

As Helen Pankhurst writes in A Window To The Child’s Mind

Parkhurst’s ASSUMPTION: 

"Children like to make things with their hands; they have creative ideas which they like "to thing" through the media of painting, modeling, weaving, wood-carving, et cetera. When encouraged by new satisfactions, children develop their own ideas (they create), and they reveal new needs. Artistic creation lies at the core of a child's emotional development, for art is emotional articulation."

"Creating is an inner power that develops with encouragement. It comes from the wellsprings of the child's own inner self, and it should be understood. The products of creativity cannot be judged by common standards of beauty; they may not be beautiful to the observer, but they are precious to the child because each thing is of himself; and we should not accept or offer substitutes, lest we destroy his growing power to create.”

These assumptions, as Helen wrote, are powerful vehicles for self-growth and expression, key foundations to a Dalton education. It is important to consider the power of creativity and creating with one's hands within our practice.

With that in mind... Let’s listen to our students explore the topic of creating with one's hands.