Clay....

This is one of those on-going, nonlinear posts that I will be adding to as I upload pictures & revist transcripts and video recordings (a few of which I may post if I can figure out how to get my laptop online). So drop by & visit on occasion to "see" what is being added! The "finished" results will also be documented in the classroom for parents (and visitors, should you happen to be in the area feel free to come by!).


I introduced clay on the floor a couple weeks back, in big blocks for the children to work on as a group. I expected the jumping on it--but must admit the sitting on the block was an idea I hadn't ever considered trying myself!













When the slabs of clay had been smashed flat (it didn't take long) one of the children took scissors & began to carve images & words into the clay. I found this interesting, as I have introduced clay as a medium to many, many children...and yet this is the first time I have seen children use it in a two dimensional context. I wonderedif/how this correlates to the interest in symbols & representation I have observed with the children in this class group...



There was a lot of cooperative exploration with the rolling pin, as I only had one of them. I added a second, and considered adding my larger rolling pins (I have enough that each child could have one), but decided to hold off & continue to let the children negotiate the use of the limited available resources.

When revisiting the environment and asking the children for feedback one of the children declared the "paint table" was too "junky"--and, indeed, upon standing back & looking at it I realized this key table, which reflects much of what parents see in our classroom as it is right next to the door, had become a "catch all" for odds and ends painting materials, most of which were not effectively utilized. So, after brief consideration, I decided to put the paint away for now (it's still available if the kids ask for it--and I did leave one easel set up for free use) and "transform" the table into our clay table. A simple garbage back covering, a bucket of rinse water, a few sponges, and we were ready to roll!

http://artatthecenter.blogspot.com/2009/11/clay-and-sticks-and-standing-objects.html

This post from Art at the Center made me think about provocations I could add to the clay table. So far I've given the children a few plastic knives and they've brought several items from the painting/stamping projects (mostly kitchen mixers, potato mashers, etc) to the table themselves, as well as the small rolling pin from the dramatic play center & the iron (who would have thought???). The popsicle sticks are an obvious "next step", I'm also wondering about rocks, perhaps the pinecones from our science center (B was "spraying" them yesterday to see what happens--wonder if he would extend that?)....I know there are a number of items my classes from previous years used, perhaps I should pull them out as well. Now, to decide how to present materials in a way that is provocative but non-directive...

And this article..

http://www.bartelart.com/arted/Clay&Toddlers.html

is a great explanation of why working with clay is important for young children--again, we begin to see that represenational/concerete operational thinking coming into play....

OK, I really have to stop thinking about preschool and actually fold the laundry.

Excellent article...

For parents & educators just beginning to explore Reggio inspiration I've come across an article I think provides a nice overview...

http://earlychildhood.educ.ubc.ca/Publications/Researchintopractice_Vol_IV.htm

I particularly enjoy the five points they make about documentation:

"Five Features of Documentation
1. Documentation involves a specific question that guides the process, often with an epistemological focus (focus on questions of learning).
2. Documentation involves collectively analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating individual and group observations; it is strengthened by multiple perspectives.
3. Documentation makes use of multiple languages (different ways of representing and expressing thinking in various media and symbol systems).
4. Documentation makes learning visible; it is not private. Documentation becomes public when it is shared with learners-whether children, parents, or teachers.
5. Documentation is not only retrospective, it is also prospective. It shapes the design of future contexts for learning."

Good concepts to keep in mind as I work on portfolios & documentation panels next week!

P.S. Anyone want to tell me how this whole link thing works??? Still can't get it to work right...

Clarifying philosophy...

Taking time during the holiday season to catch up on a few of my favorite blogs....not something I get the chance to do often. Here is one of them... sorry I can't get the link to work, you'll have to cut & paste!

http://yoyoreggio.blogspot.com

She had a post on clarifying philosophy that I found interesting....she asked the question

"Do you find yourself picking the 'best' from different systems? How do you reconcile systems or ideas that seem to be at odds? How would you describe your ideal educational philsophy?"

My beginnings of a response....

I am not a Reggio "purist" by any means, I would say it is the primary inspiration for my classroom but I also draw from Waldorf, Montessori, and general constructivist views, and every once and awhile throw a bit of (gasps of horror) academia in. My personally feeling on the matter is that there is not one "right way" for anything--each child's needs and interests are different, and part of centering the environment around the child is being open to considering options that may not fit our "ideal" view.
I have a child who absolutely loves to do math worksheets. I, who am ademantly against pen & paper work in the early years, am providing this child with worksheets. Is it a result of her time spent in a "traditional" class? Probably. But she is drawn to it, spends a few minutes on it, then moves on to something else. I don't think there is any permanant harm being done. I would, at one time, have argued that there isn't any permanant good being done--until I observed this same child conducting self-directed "lessons" in mathematics to the other children. Her confidence is amazing, her grasp of the concepts is apparent, and the other children are learning from her. Truly an exceptional example of children as the best teachers.
There are wonderful aspects of Montessori, but I too have been concerned about the lack of creative expression--particularly the emphasis on NO imaginative play (this comes directly from Montessori's viewpoints). I love the materials, and use them in the classroom to introduce concepts regularly--but it is also not uncommon to see the pink tower being used to build a barn & last year the brown stairs made an exceptional play yard for snails. Montessori, I'm sure, would be horrified--but the children weren't!

I will, I am certian, continue dwelling on this question as I eagerly delve into some of the books I've been waiting to get my hands on. Actually, this is a well-timed question since I intend to "formally" introduce some of the Montessori materials beginning in January. I've informally introduced some of them--the moveable alphabet, sandpaper letters, etc.--in reading lessons with K & P, and utilized many of the mathematical tools--spindle boxes, numbers & counters--primarily with L as we work on her developing interest in numerical concepts, but haven't utilized any form of a "structured" introductory approach.

I would never, never, tell a child they could not do something because the precursory "lesson" has not yet been introduced. However, I also see value in the natural flow between one lesson and another as they are presented in the Montessori classroom. So I may pull out my "checklist" of lessons and present them in the order they are listed.

However, I may also decide I'm already doing way too much anyway & don't need yet another checklist to distract me from what is truly going on in my classroom. Part of my learning process is accepting that I can not do everything I would like to do. I would love to have several ongoing projects, introduce every Montessori material, offer hand works such as knitting & draw in other Waldorf inspirations, pull from the state standards and make sure every child is hitting every standard, conference constantly with parents......but I only have so many hours in a week (20, to be exact, is my mandated maxium). So I do what I can, what gets done gets done, and I revisit our work at the end of the week & decide where my priorities lie. When it comes down to it I would rather L. spend two hours squishing paint between her toes than complete the spindle box work every morning...

Light...

When we were doing our music time last week N. noticed the reflection on the ceiling from the sun shining through the windows & onto her cymbals. I wondered if this observation was something they may want to follow up on, so I decided to move the class into the "light room" (in the back room) to provide further opportunities to explore lights & reflections. I provided the light table, a strand of decorative lights, flashlights, translucent blocks and materials, a reflective mirror surface, and several other odds & ends items. We talked briefly about what light is & where it comes from--they were able to draw a correlation between power that comes from the plug & power that comes from batteries. Then I set them loose to explore.

The flashlights were one of the first things the children went too, each took one and shined it around the classroom. I lay down with a flashlight & shined it on the ceiling, just to see what would happen--B grabbed his flashlight and tried to cover my light. This soon evolved into a game of "catch", with the children chasing each reflection around on the ceiling, laughing gleefully when they "caught" another light. When they wanted the lights to "go home" they would switch them off.

L was initially nervous about coming into the darkned room (apparently a wory about ghosts is lingering from Halloween), but once she became involved in the game she quickly forgot her concerns.

After awhile they tired of the flashlight games & P pointed out the box of baby toys that was stored in the closet. As a general rule I dislike baby toys with lights & music (overstimulating for baby--even worse for mom/teacher!), but they actually tied in very well with our exploration. We spent some time playing "catch" with a ball that had lights on it, rolling it from one person to another.




One thing lead to another, and soon our exploration of lights was abandoned in favor of a game of limbo....we have to get our energy out somehow when it's too cold to go outside!!!

Overall, they were less interested in this exploration than I had expected them to be. I may re-visit it after the holidays to see if it goes anywhere....or maybe not. Who knows what the kids have in mind?

Check ins?

It's getting harder to check in because the kids for some reason have started objecting to taking pictures--and I'm not sure how helpful the summaries are for parents (anybody out there?) If you could shoot me a comment or two & let me know if they are helpful I'll keep doing them--otherwise I'm going to try to focus on the philosophical bits here & report daily happenings on the parents board in the classroom. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Breakthrough science technology

Folks, I just want you all to know you've been parenting your children totally & completely wrong. You see, you're missing one critical element to your parenting style. You hold the key to sucess for your children--simply by paying a large sum of money (not sure how much, they don't give any information without contact info) to have a complete gene profile that will tell you all of your child's strengths and weaknesses. Does it sound too good to be true? Like something from a science fiction novel? Nope---it's for real. At least that's what he says on the website.

http://www.mychildtalentprofile.com/

Genetic profiling at it's best, folks. sign up now and I'll give you a discount on the next psycho-developmental assessment I perform. Oh wait, I don't charge extra for the psych-developmental assesment, or the speech/language assessment, or the physical development assessment--or the running records, anecdotal note taking, generalized observations, dialogue and thinking/re-thinking that goes into developing an individual education experience based on your child's interests and enthusiasm.....wonder what gene enthusiasm is correlated with?

More color mixing pictures...

Homework: Vision Questions...

I've been bouncing these questions around for quite awhile...

Who is a child?
What is childhood?
How do children learn?
What is the role of school in the life of a young child? (This is a new one)...

I've got several posts in progress relating to this. I don't think there's an arbitrary line between the questions, they all come together to form one's view of the child. I like something that came to mind in the last class session (not a direct quote, but a general idea)...Reggio is not something you can do, it's something you become.

As far as the role of the school, this is how I view it....

The environment as the third teacher communicates to the child, "This is your space. You are welcome here". It calls to the children's soul, drawing them in as a place to explore. The role of the school is a place for..

Climbing, jumping, skipping, clapping, laughing--moving...
Digging, splashing, pouring, stirring, mixing--doing...
Questioning, exploring, investigating, engaging, growing and progressing---being...

Education is the lighting of a fire, not the filling of a bucket
-William Butler Yates

Homework: Daily Schedule

One of our homework assignments for the online class I am taking is to write out, in detail, our classroom schedule. I found this a bit challenging, as ours is constantly changing and evolving! Here's a general overview of how our day goes....

8:30ish
The kids trickle in a few at a time & begin self-directed learning activities (also known in some circles as "free play", but that hardly describes the learning & exploring that goes on during this time!).

9:00ish
I attempt a morning meeting. So far this isn't going so well. The kids have just begun activities & don't want to stop. I've tried moving morning meeting up, but then the kids who show up later miss out. I've tried doing more structured activities as they come in (ie. puzzles at the table) & they're just not interested. I'm welcoming any suggestions to "fix" this problem! I love the idea of gathering to share fruit as they do in the Diana school (I think?), but I'm kind of guessing food in a room with white carpet isn't a great idea. Perhaps I should move our meeting place? Grapes or bananas may be okay. Still debating over the options.

9:30ish-10:30ish
Our self directed learning activities continue. If there are two teachers the children may move freely from our classroom to the outdoors, if it's just me they usually go out with the older kids about 10:00. I try to get everyone outside for at least 15 minutes, but this doesn't always happen--especially when it's 20 degrees outside! The kids have free access to the "studio", where I've typically set up 2-3 provocations (we have a painting table & two investigation/exploration tables) based on whatever projects or topics we are studying. They also have open access to the centers room--blocks, kitchen/dramatic play, books, various math manipulatives, writing and literacy materials, etc. For the most part I am "hands off" during this time, observing, taking notes, and occasionally bringing out materials to extend activities they seem interested in. Occasionally I'll try specifically to work math & literacy into the activities they are excited about. Often, right now especially, I'm gently guiding their conflict resolution skills and helping them learn to problem solve. I do try to do 1-2 "official" assessments each month (math/literacy, scientific knowledge, language devleopment, etc) so I also complete these during this time period--most of it can be done simply through observation.

10:30-11:00ish
I typically try to do more structured activities for about half an hour, specifially with small groups while the other children continue self directed activities. Many of the children join the primary class during this time to meet up with their "reading buddies". Right now on my "official" lesson plan I'm trying to do math on Tuesdays & literacy on Thursdays since I have a parent helper those days, but this is extremely flexible.

At about 11:00 we start clean up (I wrote a note today to remind me we really do need to stop what we're doing & clean up what absolutely must be picked up--we have been struggling with this lately, though parent helpers have made it workable). The kids help sweep, wipe tables, put toys away, etc. Then we gather for a closing group--again, I'm struggling to work this in and keep the kids engaged. I try to do songs & stories, I'm specifically focusing right now on getting at least one book in a day. The high point of our group time is 'tickle time' which I randomly stumbled across in an attempt to keep a certain child engaged while singing our closing song ("Sing Your Way Home"). Tickling one child just didn't cut it--so now everyone gets at least one turn (usually more). I've found this to be one of the more rewarding moments of the day, and miss it on the days when we don't quite find time for it.

C's been watching me type this up and insisted on adding his opinion on our schedule for the class he attended yesterday...

We cleaned up and played. I played, let's see here...I don't remember. Blocks and kitchen and that's all. We got the gelatin and colored it with paint. I want to color it with more paint. What makes green? Yellow and green and blue. Then we put it yellow and green and put that watery stuff in, then I mixed yellow and made green. Then we put flour and green and that's all, and water. We ate snacks, played. And I played with blocks, kitchen stuff, and that's all.

What I noticed about C's day yesterday (also known as "So what did he learn???)...

Social/Emotional Skills:
He came right into class, and had no difficulty joining in with B even though he has never met him before. He spent the vast majority of his time actively engaged in cooperative play with L, even though she is younger than he is. He used excellent conflict resolution skills when he wanted something she had--something we don't always see at home. He even stepped in to moderate between B & L when they had a disagreement.

Math & Science:
C. was able to identify the difference between the gelatin cups that had been in the fridge & those that we'd put in the freezer. He shared his theories about why they were different. He actively explored & experimented. He spent nearly an hour mixing, dumping, and pouring. He was able to count the number of cups, and quickly grasped the concept of 2 half cups=1 whole. He demonstrated competency in understanding the concept of conservation(the ability to recognize that there is the same amount of water in two different containers)--a key skill for geometry later on. He mixed colors and was able to tell me which primary colors produced green.

Language & Literacy:
C. worked on increasing his vocabulary, identifying "solids" and "liquids", as well as some understanding about what the word "mass" means. He demonstrates an understanding of various word endings...you add water to make something "watery".

Hmm...not at all bad for a child who "just" played for 3 hours!!!

Check in...

I put out the paint pumps, cardboard, and various "tools" for the children to use to make prints--but who wants to use tools when you can use THESE??? Anyone want to place a bet on whose little toes these are? I bet you could get it in one guess....






Our spelling lesson for the week, P. selected the words "Joy to the world the Lord has come". Wonder what songs she's been listening to over the weekend? She copied the entire phrase down all by herself, and L. decided she wanted to work on "spelling" as well. She's really getting the hang of letter-like forms and is able to copy many of the letters--quite impressive for a just-under-4 year old!






The weather is cooperating with our "states of matter" exploration, our "pond" is now frozen completely solid so the kids can stand on it. They were excited to observe the rocks that have been frozen under the water--I wonder how that happened?









Loads of fun, with more to come!

Ms. Heather