from the atelier 2/28/08

The Kahala Mall self-portrait show was a success!  I'd like to thank all of the parents who set up and took down on those two Sundays; your help and support to our program mean a lot!  I also want to thank all of the children; they worked so hard on the drawings, paintings, and sculptures!

This past week the children visited the show and had a wonderful time viewing their work and walking around the mall!  Thank you, parents and grandparents who were able to attend.

Announcement: the Golden Owls' boxes and the Kindergarten self-portraits are on display in Wilcox at the end of the hallway, in front of Ms. Koshi's room.

The past few weeks have been full of wonderful work and conversations.

The three-year-old class continues to build their relationship with clay.  As we have witnessed, the small groups that have been working with the clay are also building strong relationships and collaborations with each other, which is one of the most significant things developmentally at their age.  The children continue to investigate the wet clay, which is not stiff but almost dough-like. We are noticing that the children like to use large amounts of clay while creating their ideas. Other observations are of the vocabulary that is developing, the depth of the knowledge that is being built with this material, and the pure delight and happiness that the children are feeling.  Of course there is a lot to clean up, and many children have been sent home with dirty clothes, but I know you don't mind!
 The children are also working on their 100-years-in-Manoa project, the little houses that you have been seeing around.  I know that Miss Iris sent a letter home for you all to collect treasures to use for collage, including pictures, things that are meaningful to the children, etc.  Each house represents the child in their school community and should be special for each of them!

The four-year-old class has been reflecting on their assemblage boxes as well as on the video we shot while out and about in our neighborhood. We have been looking as educators at what is most memorable to the children, and how the experiences and memories they will take from these walks and outings will shape their understanding of their world and how they interact with it.  A constant theme with these outings has been water -- flowing water, puddles, waterfalls and the way in which they move, where the water comes from, etc.  Our Manoa community was built by using water as a natural resource to support farming, so it is interesting how fascinated the children have become with water in this environment.  Presently we are looking at video clips with the children more closely to discover what they find so interesting about the water and how they relate to it.

Kindergarten
Last week the children worked on color wheels and mixing palettes, which they really enjoyed because they made so many discoveries during paint mixing.  After reflecting on painting and mixing, many of the children wanted to paint more and were interested in incorporating the solar system into their paintings.  After discussing with the children whether they wanted to make the actual solar system or create their own solar system using their imaginations, the children decided to create their own. This week we started working on a mural, and the children worked together to create new planets with new names and ideas. 

Posted on February 28, 2008 7:39 AM | Permalink