from the atelier - 9/25/07

The three-year-olds: the wonder and excitement of a new material

Before introducing any new material to our children, the teachers come together to discuss and prepare very carefully what we will introduce and how we will introduce it. We think about what seems to interest our children and the ways in which they have explored other materials. We have noticed the way that the children often use their whole bodies and all their senses during their explorations, and we want them to continue exploring in this way.  

For our next material, we have chosen clay because this material is so powerful and inviting to so many children. It is forgiving, sensorial, magical, ever-changing, and tactile.  

The children’s first experience with clay is in small groups in the atelier, where they are introduced to three 25-lb. blocks of grey clay.  It is a large space where the children are given the freedom, the space, and a large block of time to begin to build their relationship with the material.  As we teachers embark on this journey with the children and this material, we wonder: What dialogues will develop while the children work with this material? What
discoveries will they make about the clay? How will their previous experiences with other materials affect the way they experiment with the clay? What relationships will the children build with each other?

The four-year-olds: the value of reflecting - an amazing discovery

The four-year-old class spent time in the tech center last week and then in reflection meetings this week viewing film footage that we had taken of them while they built with clay slabs.  It was amazing to us as we listened and heard each child speak about their work. Not only did the children remember, but they also remembered in
greater detail than when they first spoke about what they were doing. For instance, when AM was working, we found her making a circle and trying to place it onto something. We watched as she finished and tried to 
place something on top of the circle. At the time that she did this, all she would share was that she was done. In revisiting with her, we found out that she had made a skirt and was trying to put on a hat. This shed a whole new light on her original experience and work.

MN pointed out where his slab had broken apart and how he fixed it by painting it with the clay glue.  LJ relived the process, singing and acting out, “You have to scratch, scratch, then paint, paint, then stick stick!” Another amazing discovery was that three-quarters of our classroom had made houses.  Some children’s houses were more realistic, and it was where they lived with their families. Others told of how all their friends and teachers lived in houses all around them.  This has us thinking more about what they were revealing to us and where to go to next with this.

Kindergarten

Below is a video clip that I want to share of the children working in the atelier. On this day, the children were working on glazing their clay pieces.  I was especially proud of last week's classes because of how quietly and thoughtfully the children worked.

Posted on September 25, 2007 8:22 AM | Permalink