Creative Explorations

 

FRAMING OUR LEARNING

As we continue to think critically about our pedagogy when working with children, we also reflect on how our own thinking and practice have developed. Please find below an updated blog post about Kindergarten programming with some new reflections and photos of our journey alongside children. Enjoy! I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Let's chat!

We consider the Kindergarten environment as the third teacher, as reflected in the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education. The learning environment ebbs and flows as relationships with children and materials are nurtured. While curating the learning environment, we are carefully selecting and creating a space that will support the children in their ideas, wonders, and learning. Each material is chosen with intention and for its potential to engage our learners in a rich experience. The play environment is not static. It will change in response to the children's ideas and needs, moving their learning through play forward. Here are a few learning and play invitations we have offered to children. I hope you enjoy taking a peek at the learning environment.

A Place to Wonder

As you welcome a group of children into the play environment, the building of relationships forms the foundation for future play and learning of children's wonders and curiosities. Create within the environment a space where the children can bring their objects of wonder. This may be a research table or even the top of a shelf. The children will often bring treasured nature objects that spark their curiosity about the natural world. Having a space to display the material and creating a place for initial observations and wonders tells children that their interests are valued. Some simple materials to begin with are technology to aid in research, blank paper, clipboards, coloured pencils, and a magnifying lens. Share with the children the book, I Wonder by Annaka Harris and John Rowe. This wonderful book, with its lovely illustrations, is sure to inspire wonder in your children. After reading the book, share a conversation filled with open-ended questions to ignite your children's curiosity.

 

Exploring Self With Loose Parts

An opportunity to create self-portraits allows children to express and reflect their self-image. Offer open-ended loose part materials for children to interpret as their ideas take shape.

Home Away From Home

Creating a space that reflects materials that might be found in a real kitchen was an important consideration for this dramatic play space. Offering a loose parts tray to the children opens the possibilities of play as they imagine and create. Often, art materials make their way into the children's kitchen play as well. Yarn becomes pasta, cut paper transformed into sushi, and felt eggs emerge as children's creativity becomes visible.

Design and Construction

The block play encourages and develops deep mathematical thinking, problem-solving and innovation. Support children's creative play as they explore building, construction, problem solving and innovating with open-ended materials such as cans, lids, carpet squares, tree cookies, animal figurines, wooden trains, and so much more. The addition of children's books to inspire block play is also a wonderful accompaniment to wooden blocks.

Exploring Light and Shadow

Both artificial and natural light play an important role in facilitating wonder and scientific explorations within the learning environment. A light panel and an overhead projector are set up to invite children to explore, experiment, and discover. They have been such a valuable play resource within the play environment. Children love using the rainbow blocks and many other transparent materials when investigating this space. Our initial light explorations were with a DIY light box using an under-the-bed storage box and tap lights. There are many DIY versions out there, and it's easy to create your own as an alternative to purchasing a light panel. Small flashlights provide endless possibilities for light investigations and are always fascinating, as this medium gives children another avenue to explore and express their thinking as they investigate.

Mathematical Explorations

Invitations and materials on the math shelf change and children explore different mathematical concepts. Some of our favourite staple materials are: number stones 0-20, wooden 3-D figures, DIY ten frames using washi tape and a cutting board, cuisenarie rods, pattern shapes, 100 board, and measuring tapes. There are also many wonderful picture books that support mathematical thinking. The text, Friendshape is a lovely book about friendship and shapes a perfect pairing for the math shelf.

Documenting Our Thinking

Support children in documenting their own learning during play. This is a very important step in the learning process as children draw and write about their explorations. Preserving thinking for further reflection that leads to new discoveries and ideas when shared with others. Children's work can be kept in a binder, journal, photo book, or even digitally. Access to paper, drawing mediums, and a camera gives children autonomy over their own learning journey.

Sensory Explorations

The intention of this invitation in the sand bin was to encourage imaginary play and storytelling. The children contributed to this play by incorporating the flashlights from our light and shadow area into their play. As well, there was a bin of cardboard tubes nearby that they added to the bin. The proximity of materials to each other in the play environment is very important. Children often bring materials over from other spaces as they have the freedom to extend their ideas during play explorations.

We often use large dishpans as sensory bins too! Our favourite is a clear under the bed storage bin. This works well on a tabletop or the floor. There are even DIY sensory tables that you could create as well.

Sensory play engages the whole child and all of their senses in exploration. This collection of buttons was a donation and a treasured material. Creating the environment is most meaningful when the materials have their own history to contribute to the space. The children, their families, and the environment are our richest resources.

Environmental Explorations

Create an environmental exploration area where children can collect natural items. Bowls are filled by the children with seashells, acorns, feathers, pinecones, maple keys, and sticks. These natural loose parts are there for the children to look closely at, create with and investigate. The children will also continue to add to the space as they collect new natural items that capture their interest during outdoor investigations.

Early Literacy & Books

Children are invited to explore books throughout the play environment. Guided by the children's current interests and investigations, books are added to several areas, such as the block area, kitchen, and art studio. Early literacy skills are supported through play as children manipulate materials as they develop letter recognition, letter sounds, and words. A few materials to add to your play space are letter stones or tiles, alphabet cards, objects for initial letter sound play, and paper/writing materials.

Storytelling and Communication

This was perhaps one of my favourite little projects to do. I had an idea for the use of these colourful people stones in the art studio or atelier. The stones were placed in the small world area first. I so much fun painting these stones. First, I chose 10 stones by size so that they grew from smallest to largest. The stones were painted in rainbow order. On their bellies, the paint graduates in colour from white to pure colour at the bottom. Therefore, creating various tints of the colour. Wow, so many ways to inspire creative play with these stones. The children included them in their play. The small world area was right beside the doll house and the children placed all ten stones in the bed. Of course, we then had to sing, "There were 10 in the bed."

The Art Studio - Our Atelier

The importance of the atelier is paramount to our learning and play with children. It is one of my favourite spaces as an artist with a visual arts background. What I have come to discover as we continue with our thinking and study of the Reggio Emilia philosophy is that every space in the environment becomes the atelier. Whether it's the children bringing art supplies over to where they are investigating to document, or the intentional placement of coloured pencils, pastels, and loose parts throughout the play environment and at invitations offered to children. The materials placed within the art studio are done so with intention. We begin with crayons, coloured pencils, and oil pastels. Then, as children build their experience and relationship with the materials new art mediums are added and explored. Next, you might investigate watercolour paint, clay and charcoal. Each time an art medium is added, it is supported with education about techniques, through discussions and modelling.

The Engineering Station

The engineering table is set with materials to spark the children's innovative thinking. The use of mirrors on the back of the shelf beside the table allows for multiple perspectives of the children's play and investigations. The table was covered with a large piece of butcher paper. In the past, we have added markers to this space for the children to use as well as a tray of loose parts. This space serves many purposes and can be used with the wooden trains or as a research space, and a building place for the Magna Tiles or Lego.

"Save My Work"

Honouring the effort that children have put into their play by allowing them to keep their work so that they can revisit their ideas is important. Documenting their play in video, photo or through the visual arts is also a way to support the children in preserving their ideas. When designing the play environment, we are cognizant of this important aspect of our pedagogy. We think carefully about how we can move if needed the children's work for continued explorations. We have used trays, open shelf space, and small tables to hold children's creations. We also acknowledge that this is sometimes challenging as tables are used for eating, and space can be at a premium. Try to find the best solution for your situation while still honouring the children's work.

A Space For Peace

The peace table is a place to explore emotions and well-being. Storybooks are added throughout the year to explore and develop self-regulation, along with invitations to pause, take a mindful breath, and reflect. This is a space of safety, beauty and calmness. Children are not sent here to calm their bodies; they choose to explore here of their own accord as they self-regulate themselves during busy days. One of our favourite books, is In My Heart A Book Of Feelings, by Jo Witek.

As our journey continues alongside children through everyday play and learning, we continue to reflect together. There have been many changes to our thinking and the play environment since the original sharing of this blog post. I hope that you have been inspired within your own play space with children, too. It is through shared ideas and discussion that we move forward with the heart of children's learning and play at the forefront of our daily relationships and interactions with children.

"Observe and listen to children because when they ask "Why?"

They are not simply asking for the answer from you.

They are requesting the courage to find

a collection of possible answers."

Loris Malaguzzi

Sincerely,

Michelle