Don't Eat a..... POINSETTIA!

 

 

 

Recently, I lugged in some boxes from home labelled, "CHRISTMAS: SCHOOL". I always rejoice in opening up storage/decoration boxes at home, revisiting little treasures that I put away and forgot about. The same holds true for the boxes that I open for school.

 

I pulled out my potted poinsettias, "Olde World" Santa, door wreath, and nutcracker. I am making a conscious effort to not overdecorate with commercial items, and allowing the childrens' work to take centre stage. However, knowing that some symbols are important for developing schema, I decided to introduce the poinsettia. And so the arrangement sat at a table, summoning the children...

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.

 



 

 

Their master pieces continue to fill the room. And without giving too much away (you'll see at the concert :), the children connected with the plant through song and fine arts.

 

 

 

I'll admit that I didn't fully draw their attention to the shape of the leaves each time, but some did notice that the green leaves were similar to the red leaves, except in colour. It was decided that it is really just a leafy plant, with leaves of red and green. And yet, maybe the red ones are the petals?(They were divided). What we all agreed upon - they are not for eating!

 

 

Something else I noticed (seen in the bulletin board display) is that a few children chose to not directly represent the poinsettia itself, but have created something akin to wrapping paper patterns, using the colours RED, GREEN, and YELLOW. So, while not representing the plant itself, their connections are documented too. Poinsettia, wrapping paper. Symbols of the season, dear to them :)

 

Thank you for visiting our busy atelier!

 

The Setting Sun

It was wonderful to reconnect with families this past month, and reflect on the progress and milestones that our junior kindergarten children have met. And yet I know, there are still so many questions that weren't asked and perhaps not answered. I am only too aware that your little ones are never far from your mind. There were reports from some families that they are looking forward to the day when there is more of a daily conversation at home, about the highlights of their child's day. I can relate, and I hope that this blog can be viewed with your children as a prompt.

This blog has been tailored to reflect more about what is the current interest in the classroom, as opposed to "what we will" learn. With the changing pace of kindergarten, I feel it is important to share some of the guiding principles in our classroom. The "emergent curriculum" is drawing the attention of educators across our school board.

And so we ask, "What is emergent curriculum?"

(excerpts taken from pages 17 & 18 : Susan Stacey, 2009, Emergent Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings)

- In its practice, the teacher takes the role of facilitator, taking what they see and hear, and bringing to children the opportunity to discover and construct further knowledge

- It enables childrens' learning and teachers' thinking to be made visible through varied forms of documentation

- It is flexible in that curriculum planning, rather than being done well in advance, is constantly developing.

Traditionally, I have outlined our future units (e.g. migration, hibernation, adaptation). Please be assured that I still have these ideas in the back of my head, though I am making a greater effort to listen to the childrens' ideas and allow this to lead and inspire my instruction as we journey through the year. For this reason, you will not see me pinpointing exactly what we "will be learning" in advance.

While on our nature walks this fall, the children made observations about the Canada geese traveling overhead. With their interest sparked, we took to the books. (A daily read-aloud is still part of our emergent curriculum :) We compared the Canada geese to the Snow geese on a Venn diagram, moved to the "Migration Dance" and explored images - many of which were sunset images.

*courtesy of flickr*

From here, another art project was inspired. And while the children sang the alphabet in French, I took the opportunity to set up a water colour provocation with the intention...

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.

Some care was taken to demonstrate how to create "wet on wet" water colour. With our paper fastened to the tables, the paper was prepared with water. With a  jar of plain tap water and a brush, long sweeping brush strokes were practiced, taking care not to disturb or tear the fibres of the paper.

With broad paint brushes, the children set to work, applying water colour to their wet paper. The children marveled at how the colours ran across the page and made little puddles.

                                       

Perhaps because the children are now accustomed to cleaning off the tables, many were concerned about the paint that was pooling on the paper, and drips that were on the surface of the table. They had to be reassured that this was fine :)

The next morning, they were delighted with the colours that remained on the page. Eager fingers reached out to touch the paper, and several shared their surprise that the painting was no longer wet. Perhaps because the pages were so significantly saturated the day before, they wondered...

Where did the water go?

This is very likely a question (and concept) that we will revisit, time and time again this year. Each time the children experience it, their schema becomes broader. When I probed some of the children for their responses to this question, their thoughts and ideas were recorded:

"It dried up."

"And now it's painted."

"It's under the paint."

"I don't feel any water under there." (feeling under one of the pictures)

"It went into the paper."

"Maybe it went away."

"It goes outside."

"It disappears like magic."

"It's in the sun."

 I look forward to revisiting this science concept as the winter snow trails in,
(and our daylight time gets longer!)
In kindergarten, we keep on "building" at our perfect pace :)

Thanks for visiting our atelier.

In Flanders Fields

This learning opportunity began a while back, with a reading of the story, "The Crayon Box that Talked". It is a story about a box of crayons who sit on a store shelf and bicker. A little girl overhears their conversations, takes pity on them, and brings the box of crayons home. She proceeds to take each crayon out of the box and use them in her beautiful creation. In the end, the crayons all stand back and admire the picture. They realize that together they have worked together in harmony and developed an appreciation for each other's unique qualities.  

 

Connecting the Dots:

You may be wondering how this book is connected to In Flanders Fields. While seemingly unconnected, the message in the story seemed to fit with Remembrance Day. Without going into too much detail about Remembrance Day at this developmental stage in their life, my emphasis is put on working together, taking care of each other, and valuing our unique qualities.

While reading the story, a connection was made to the "Yellow Collage" created by the class during our first month of school. It is an example of how they work together, and appreciate each others creativity. Brilliant.

My plans for introducing the symbol of the poppy through art was inspired on the spot via their connection, and the project evolved. Another collage, and collaborative effort was coming together.

Materials were prepared: tissue paper, graphic/visual inspiration...

...including the famous poem written by Lieut.-Col. John McCrae

In Flanders Fields

 Step 1: The children collaborated and glued the poem/musical score

as backdrop on the "canvas".

Step 2: Tissue paper petals of red, pink and orange overlapped

each other to create poppies. The different colours created dimension.

Our field of child created poppies.

Step 3: The teacher collaboration piece included the greenery.

We brainstormed ideas for the inside of the poppy. My initial thought was to use black pipe cleaners rolled into spirals. Someone suggested paint. And someone else was playing with the seed pods on the floor behind them. Seeds. Pods. Aha! Of course! The centre of the poppy is a seed pod. And the fact that they are actually hosta seeds doesn't really seem to matter, does it? We made connections and were inspired by nature, once again. Life is beautiful.

Step 4: The seeds are glued to the centre of the poppies.

The childrens' collage, titled: Flanders Fields, served as backdrop for our Remembrance Day ceremony this morning. And I am reminded of a quote,

"Art can function as a bridge to understanding others as well

as ourselves. To become comfortable with the creation of art is a

vital step toward healthy, tolerant consciousness."

 Poppies in Flanders Fields are a backdrop for the 

school choir during our assembly today.

Thank you for taking a moment to visit our atelier.

Our Little Pumpkins

 

I am glad to hear reports that everyone had a safe and happy (though a little wet!) Halloween, trick-or-treating in the community. At school, we had a small celebration, parading through the primary hall in our costumes and visiting with our "big" friends from the bus. We graphed our healthy orange and black snacks :) Thank you for sending them in!

 

In French class, Mme. Govenlock helped us carve our pumpkin, and we learned French vocabulary for simple shapes as we created a face for "la citrouille".

       un carre = a square

       une ligne = a line

       un triangle = a triangle

       un cercle = a circle

       un oval = an oval

       un losange = a diamond

 

We have been focusing on the pumpkin harvest, more than the superstitious aspects of Halloween, but did take time to learn a few rhymes and chants. One in particular that the children enjoyed is "5 Little Pumpkins". The children took turns using pumpkin puppets to act out the rhyme, and used their fingers for counting (one to one correspondence), and practiced ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) The dramatic play centre was busy with the children vying for a chance to use the puppets and act out the rhyme from memory.

 

On our nature walk, the children started picking up sticks, and inspired the following craft. Needless to say, we got a lot of mileage out of a sweet and simple rhyme.

 

                            5 Little Pumpkins  (see podcast below)

                                                  

                            5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate

 

                            The 1st one said, "Oh my! It's getting late."

                            The 2nd one said, "There are witches in the air."

                            The 3rd one said, "But I don't care."

                            The 4th one said, "Let's run and run and run."

                            The 5th one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

 

                            Woooooo-ooo went the wind.

                                 And out went the lights.

                                        And the 5 little pumpkins, rolled out of sight.

 

 

Thank you for visiting our atelier. I hope you enjoy the podcast from your "Little Pumpkins", below.

  

Grey Ghost

Rolling with the child directed pumpkin theme this fall, we watched a video on the life cycle of a pumpkin. Different varieties of pumpkins were featured, and the grey and blue pumpkin fascinated the children. I made another trip to a local market and brought in a special pumpkin for exploration. And then I set up the provovocation...

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create. 

"Grey Ghost" Pumpkin Provocation

Each day the centre was set out, I would discover the pumpkin was decorated with paint. From what I understand from the snippets I heard when passing by, they were trying to find the right match of grey. How clever. And each afternoon, the little Grey Ghost would have a bath and make itself ready for the next bunch of curious still life artists :)

 

Once again, I left no instructions on "how" to use the materials before them. The children were faced with the pumpkin, a brush and a paper plate palette featuring a glob of white paint, and glob of black. Interestingly enough, I was not consulted this time. I let them talk amongst themselves and I listened in...

 

"Can we paint it?"

 

"How do we paint it? We only have black."

 

"....I have black and white."

 

"What are we supposed to do?"

 

 

"Do we paint the pumpkin?"

 

(...and they did! They painted directly on the pumpkin!)

 

"That is too much black."

 

"Let's put white on."

 

(...wait for it....)

 

"Hey!  We made grey!"

 

And the experience continued. They added white to the pumpkin. They added more black. Back and forth they went. Until the pumpkin was quite literally dripping with tempera. At this point, I did step in and casually suggest putting some of the paint on the paper in front of them.

 

This blog is a one method of documenting the learning that is taking place in our atelier. It is one method of communicating to you, as parents. But for me, it has also developed into part of my reflective practice. As I upload these pictures (am I uploading or downloading? I don't know - there is a learning curve here) and write this post, I am truly delighting in the fact that I am facing assumptions I made. As much as I would like to admit that I carefully planned this lesson on mixing black and white to create grey, it was incidental. It is a gift for me witness the learning experiences of these little people, and when I take the time to document these little scenarios, I am overwhelmed with the beauty of their creations. My living room is currently sprawled with their work, as I assemble their October Lap Book which will make their way home to you shortly. These lap books celebrate their accomplishments and document their learning throughout the year.

 

As always, thank you for visiting our atelier!

Cornucopia

    
Thanksgiving and the beautiful long weekend has passed us by, but we are still bringing in the harvest in JK. While visiting one of my favourite local family run markets, I picked up some interesting little gourds.

And while the children sang songs in French, and scavenged the room for items that were "jaune", "rouge" et "vert", I set up the invitation at the atelier...

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.

 

I am thankful for the natural light shines into our classroom.

 

Some ground had already been covered. At circle, these little gourds were passed around. We took notice of the funny shapes and some thought they resembled a phone, a horn, a sock, a balloon and a pear. How clever of these little people to draw comparisons, and make connections. Some children pointed out the stripes of varying shades, and "freckles" like the teacher's. The texture was subject to some discussion, as one gourd was covered in bumps, while the others were smooth. Some vocabulary from our seed pod discussion ("Seed Pod" show & share for a future post) was borrowed, and more comparisons were made to enhance our description. I view this oral language as an essential stepping stone for future writing.

Oil pastels are one of my favourite mediums,

because of their vibrant colours

and how they glide across the page.

The artists set to "work" using oil pastels, which seem to effortlessly

move across the page and deliver vibrant colour.

 

The shape and colour of the gourd were the details

which this artist felt important to capture. 

 

An additional gourd (orange, with stripes) was added to this artist's

work, after the original green one was created.

 

This artist replicated the textured bumps found

on one of the gourds.

 

This piece has evolved to include all three gourds. 

Note the perspective that has been achieved.

They appear to be tucked one in behind the other.

 

Colour and texture are vividly interpreted here.  

 

I am currently reading my second book by Richard Louv, titled "The Nature Principle" which explores the coined term "nature deficit disorder" and gleaning so much insight. While we are preparing the childen for a future and jobs that do not even exist yet, there is a need for a connection to this earth and attention to detail. And thus, our atelier continues to build on the human genius and creativity. We are all connected to nature. We are open to expansion and growth.

 

Thank you for visiting our atelier.

C'est L'automne

 

 

The beauty of the season surrounds us. The dew collects on our shoes each morning as we walk across the grass and the sun shines upon our faces as we greet each day. Our little troop has been outdoors a lot these past sunny weeks, experiencing nature walks and our Terry Fox walk. It is hard not to be inspired by the change of season, and the change of colours.   

 

 

We captured this picture of the tiny maple in our yard. It will be the subject

of our documentation and exploration of the change in seasons in the year ahead.

 

With our brief study of yellow (yellow collage: mixed media, Mellow in Yellow) and our study of red (red apples still life: pastel on paper, Les Pommes) still fresh in our minds, the two colours returned once again, to the atelier. This time, they were in the form of water colour.

 

Water colour is a very subtle art form. The vibrancy that we see with pastel, is instead very subdued. The use of the paint brushes must also be executed with gentle brush strokes, or else the paper will tear. There is a certain skill involved in using water colour in order for the children to feel success, and so this is where direct teaching comes into play. 

 

                                

 

The provocation was carefully planned. And I hoped that the branches I'd collected on a nature walk with my boys would be enough of an invitation for the children...

 

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.  

 

Our "feuilles de l'automne"

 

It never ceases to amaze me how the presentation of materials can entice a group of children so quickly. And the intricacies of using water colours and paper were not lost on this group of 3 & 4 year olds. My concern was that through the act of modeling how water colour painting is usually performed, I'd stifle their creative exploration.

 

There was some careful planning that went on behind the scenes too. The stage was already set. We'd read stories about the changes we experience in fall. We sang songs, and we chanted rhymes. We also explored the leaf itself, prior to painting. We noticed the colours and we observed the lines (veins) that branch out in the leaf. So, it should not have been a surprise when these were some of the results...

This artist pointed specifically to the lines they created on the painting and

told me that they were the lines seen on a leaf.

 

This artist attempted to initially paint directly on the leaf. When the water

colours didn't adhere, and the leaf was lifted, it was discovered that an outline

was created. The method was replicated on a another section of the paper.

 

 

When I approached this artist with my clipboard in hand, they proudly started

talking about the process and their experience.

 

I briefly wondered if perhaps the children are becoming more aware that they

are intuitively reflecting on the process, and finding the vocabulary to express it.

 

Artist: The red is lighter (indicating the water colour on the paper, and then pointing to the jar. They were comparing & contrasting).

 

Artist: Whenever we add more yellow and more red, it is orange. I add some yellow (water colour), and then some red, and some more yellow. And now I have orange leaves!

 

Artist: There are different kinds of leaves there (indicating the areas of colour mixing on the paper).

 

 

This artist was excited to show me their colour mixing discovery, and

pointed eagerly at the book on display.

 

Artist: When we mix yellow and red, we get orange.

 

Artist: See. I made this leaf (pointing to a orange leaf in the resource book on the table).

 

 

While I sat at the atelier with the artists and watched them revel in their discovery that the yellow and red water colours created orange, I was reminded of a quote by Jean Piaget.

 

“When you teach a child something you take away forever

his chance of discovering it for himself.”

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting with us at the atelier.