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A Study in Mark-Making: Children’s Creative Development & Monochromatic Art

  Working on dark-coloured paper is a fascinating study in mark-making and tonality. When you limit the palette to a single colour, the focus shifts to how the materials are explored and manipulated, and to the relationship between the artist and the medium. Over the holidays, we explored drawing on black paper with white markers. It reminded me of the time the children investigated white as a colour. The materials offered were black paper, white-coloured pencils, white oil pastels, white crayons, and white paint.  Through the process of creating with these materials, children learn that pressure, movement, and time shape the outcome of their mark-making. The journey of exploring how materials interact drives children’s early art explorations. Often, you can observe children working with materials until the paper becomes saturated, ripped, and muddied with colour. This is part of a developmental experience that deepens as children nurture their understanding of how materials...
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Nature's Gifts for Creative Play

Have you ever stood in awe beneath a canopy of trees as their branches danced and sang in the breeze? Maybe you've sat quietly on the banks of a stream gazing into the mirrored reflection of the sky? Perhaps you've even danced in the rain. When we are deeply connected to the world around us our lives are rich with these experiences. The natural world offers us peace, serenity and well-being. 




Children benefit greatly from nature play. Their natural curiosity about the world around them fills their minds with questions and wonders as they explore nature's gifts. When we provide an opportunity for children to gather, collect, wonder about and investigate nature items we enhance their learning. Blurring the lines between the indoor and outdoor learning environment we can enhance children's learning. Allowing nature's materials into the classroom or home gives validity to children's natural curiosities. Providing time and space for their collections to be displayed and played with deepens their understandings and connections to the world. 

Creative play with items such as sticks, acorns, rocks and leaves allows children's imaginations to soar. Materials become transformed and manipulated to support their play. Often we will include these natural materials within our sensory bins, small world play and at our nature discovery tables. When natural materials are offered to children along with traditional materials whether in the indoor or outdoor learning space children's play is enriched and deepened. Children learn to care for the natural world. They come to value nature's materials which in turn supports their developing stewardship for the environment. Considering the environmental concerns of our current society this is imperative as we guide children in their life's journey.


Providing a space in the indoor or home learning environment for nature to be celebrated and investigated tells children that the gifts of nature are valued and important. Simply place a beautiful tray or basket out to get started. Soon your space will be connected to children's curiosities and creative thinking as they play with both traditional play materials and nature's gifts. 



To see how nature has inspired my newest creative play materials collection ~ Click Here . 

Wishing you many creative explorations!
Michelle


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