Exploring Black and White

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The Story of A Brat...

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This is a clip I caught during a "puppet show" put on by a 7 year old girl in my evening drop in classes. The topic is one that is just beginning to emerge among children (particularly girls) in the 6-8 year old age range, and her switch almost seamlessly from one viewpoint to another demonstrates an amazing ability for understanding the abstract concepts needed for social negotiation! Throughout the clip there are also many other key elements--an attempt to transfer known vocabulary into a novel situation (I would theorize she was looking for the word "attitude" instead of "opportunity"), hints at what tools she has been given to negotiate social conflict (obviously at one point or another she has been prompted to "control your words"), and the ability to identify and solve problems in social situations. This is why play as a learning tool works. Children who demonstrate these abilities in a dramatic performance are those who are able to transfer those abilities into real-life situations!

Water Exploration

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Exploring Mixed Mediums

We had some wonderful work going on in the studio during open studio time Wednesday! Many of the children have visited the studio multiple times and are now familiar with the materials that are available and understand that they have access to all of them! Needless to say, this has led to some intense exploration. Today I set out a new "provocation"--cardboard squares covered in tinfoil. The children were eager to jump in and explore. They pulled out the glue, collage materials, tempera paint, and even watercolors and went to work. The results were amazing! What was even more amazing was the intense effort that went into developing these works of art, some of the children spent well over an hour on their masterpiece.

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The Hundred Languages of Children

Going to the birds...

Our focused study on birds has lead to some interesting and innovative work in the studio as children explore the ideas of where birds live, what they eat, and how they fly.