Art - Guillory

Creative Minds at Work

2008-09-26T01:17:14Z

Preschool 3's

The children continue their exploration with color and paint in the atelier, while black and white painting remains in the classroom for further discovery. As the children build on their sensory experiences with paint, they are using their minds to absorb the transformations occurring within the materials. Although this experience is new and fun and exciting, the children have also taken a great interest in glue and collage in the mini-atelier.

Through our observations, we have presented the children with materials that resemble Chihuly's artworks. This week in the atelier, each child was invited to play with straws for a period of time to familiarize themselves with the materials. They placed the straws of different lengths and colors in lines, while others tried to fit straws together or made sounds with the straws by striking the larger straws together. They were then given a sheet of paper and a bottle of glue to display their thoughts. As the children began their masterpiece, the thought process was clear and evident from the deliberate placement of straws to the silence in the room as children worked with amazing focus. We will continue to observe as the children PLAY, invent and discover new ways of working and creating pieces of art with these materials.

Preschool 4's

As the children continue their observational drawings, they struggle with the challenge of learning to recycle materials (mostly paper) within the classroom. Some students have spent time in the atelier gathering paper-like materials that can be used and recycled within the classroom's mini-atelier.

The children were also invited into the atelier to construct with recycled cardboard boxes and masking tape. Through the building and taping, this became another drawing surface on a larger scale.

In the classroom, the children were given an opportunity to use chalk for drawing on both white and black paper. This was simply another way for them to express their thoughts on paper and to enrich their love for drawing, but more importantly, to reintroduce chalk as a valuable drawing tool.

Kindergarten

The kindergarten students recently took a walk to photograph things in nature. We will be using these pictures to sketch on larger paper, then finish with paint to bring the picture to life. This process will challenge the children to focus on linear forms and shapes along with the minute details. It will also support the development of fine motor skills in relation to their control of movement when using writing or drawing tools. They continue to explore the centers in the atelier.

If you have not done so already, please check the gallery for your child's self-portrait.

Beginning Explorations

2008-09-03T22:05:38Z

Preschool 3's

In the preschool 3's class, the children are beginning to explore color using paint. The study began with mixing red and yellow paint in a jar. As the children watched the transformation occur, they wondered what it would look like on paper and how the paint would feel on their hands. Was it a cool temperature? Did it feel squishy or gooey? Was it sticky? The children loved making new discoveries with the paint as they transferred it to
a paper surface. We wondered what movements or engagement they'd have with the color. We observed children mashing, swirling, smoothening, and scratching the color. As the children interact with color in different ways, the energy level in the atelier is high, full of excitement and joy!

Preschool 4's

As the children continue on their journey, new discoveries are made everyday and little treasures are found throughout their weekly walks. The children returned one day with a ripe papaya and began to use their senses to explore this wonderful fruit. They looked at the shape, smelled it, felt the skin, listened to the sounds it made as they shook it and as it was cut open. Lastly, they were able to taste this delicious fruit. From this experience, the children began observational drawing only using a pencil at first. The children also mixed paint to match the papaya's tone at the easel. Later, the children were reintroduced to craypas as another tool to use for their drawing. We will continue doing observational drawings as the children return with more treasures.

Kindergarten

The kindergarten students are exploring the different centers within the atelier: metal insets, drawing, beading, painting, blocks, light table, and collage. As the children use this time to create and imagine, we will also be doing self-portrait drawings. This process allows the children to look at themselves, to see the differences and similarities in each other, and to have a greater appreciation for who they are. Each drawing will be posted in the gallery in the upcoming weeks.

Welcome to Atelier

2008-08-29T01:01:59Z

Aloha and Welcome back to all new and returning students!

For the past three weeks, the children and I have been getting to know each other. The preschool teams and I felt this was the best way for all of us to get acquainted and to build a trusting relationship. This is a key part of each child's learning process. Once the children feel comfortable with a teacher, only then are they able to truly express themselves through their work and also in this case, the atelier. Thank you all for allowing me to build this relationship.

Preschool 3's and 4's
In both the three- and four-year-old classrooms, easel painting has been available during morning Discovery Time. The three-year-olds have been exploring with black and white paint: one week on white paper, the next week on black paper. We are beginning with black and white so that the children can focus on the qualities of paint -- texture, movement on paper, thickness, etc. -- and on the variations in brush strokes depending on the size of the brush, the amount of paint applied to the brush, and the pressure applied to each brush stroke. So much to learn about paint! Since the four-year-olds have had a full year of experience with paint, they began mixing their own colors to create a mini-palette. They too have experienced color on white paper, then on black paper. The four-year-old children have also enjoyed face painting, a natural progression from paper, as they explore their face as another surface, quite different from paper.

Kindergarten
The kindergarten children began with learning about the atelier or revisiting their understanding. We discussed the different centers that will be offered throughout the year and took a closer look at some of the tools used for drawing. The children were also given a sketch book, which will be used throughout the year as a tool for them to express their thoughts on paper. All the children experienced drawing larger scale pictures after placing butcher paper on the floor. What do you notice about the photos? See the gallery for more pictures.

from the atelier 2/28/08

2008-02-28T17:39:27Z

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.

from the atelier 2/14/08

2008-02-14T22:12:00Z

Hi, everyone. Happy Valentine's Day! I want to remind everyone that the show is going up next week at Kahala Mall, Monday through Saturday, so take your children, family, and friends to see it.

I want to thank all the children for working so hard to get ready for the show, and hope they will take the time to enjoy their work and what they have accomplished so far this year. I also would like to say, "Good job, and thank you!" to all the parents who are volunteering their time for the art show. I want to especially thank Karen Kawamura, who has not only helped organize and be the go-to person for this show, but has also has been my room parent this year and helped with both of the ateliers.

Below are some of the things you will see at the show as well as the show's write-up:
THE CONCEPT OF SELF-PORTRAITURE:
A MULTI-MEDIA CELEBRATION
OF IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY
Mid-Pacific Institute Preschool and Elementary School

Children are continuously shaping their individuality and identity from their interactions with the world around them. The art curriculum of Mid-Pacific Institute Preschool and Elementary School encourages each child to engage in meaningful, explorative, and contemporary modes of investigating oneself within his/her environment. The children are exposed to a variety of mixed-media techniques as a means to develop a deeper understanding of concepts.

With a concept such as self-portraiture, the children identify different ways to depict personality, mood, interests, or visual likenesses of oneself. The children are encouraged to incorporate the technical elements of visual art such as line, shape, color, texture, pattern, or light/shadow. The children begin to recognize their developmental progress through creation, comparison, and written reflection on “how he/she has improved as an artist.” Documentation of the artwork is kept in an art portfolio so that the children can readily assess their progress over the years.

The self-portraits in this exhibit were created with drawing and painting, as well as with photographic, sculptural, and collage techniques. While each artwork depicts the personal characteristics that the children chose to represent, each piece evokes a sense of authenticity and honesty and becomes a re-creation or re-invention of “the self.”

from the atelier 2/02/08

2008-02-01T18:05:08Z

Hopefully, everyone got their flyer for the Kahala Mall Show. The show is a great opportunity to share your children's work with them.

I also put out a flyer about materials needed for the atelier. Thank you to all the parents who have donated. The children really appreciate it. I will put up the list again. We don't really need craft items; we need "beautiful junk" items. We also need old towels and drop cloths. Thank you.

“Beautiful junk”:
-cigar boxes
-broken things, watches, necklaces, jewelry, wires etc.
-colored cellophane
-cut pictures or old photographs
-things your children find beautiful
-stickers
-beads
-keys
-chains
-small pieces of fabric

Four-year-old-class

This week I wanted to talk more about the children's assemblage boxes and encourage everyone to go into the gallery and look at all of the children's work. As many of you know, our assemblage boxes came about after looking for something other than paper on which to collage. The children love, and I mean love!!!, to cut paper, and we had so much of it that we suggested to the children that they use it as a material for collage. We had been collaging since last year and had never really collaged on anything besides paper. So, as a provocation, we suggested to the children that they might want to try something new to collage on, like a box. A parent at the beginning of the year had donated a lot of cigar boxes, and here was the perfect opportunity to use this new material. What would happen? Would the children be inspired by a three-dimensional surface? As this project has unfolded and as I have written earlier, we began to watch in amazement as our children took the initiative to work week after week on their boxes. The boxes became in a way a treasure box, holding each child's perspective, sense of wonder, beliefs, imagination, self-reliance, and much more. They are a visual glimpse into the treasure in each of our children. With each visit to their box, the box would change with the addition of paint, photographs, or small treasures. Each time, the child made an artistic decision, some thought-out and others part of their expressive artistic selves. The children still continue to work with these boxes, and we will continue to provide materials and support. We will also begin to reflect on this work with the children.

We also introduced the children to an assemblage artist named Joseph Cornell, who was one of the founding members of that movement. Recently there was a retrospective of his work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and I encourage everyone to look at his work on-line.

Three-year-old Class

This week, working with the threes took me back to my days at the San Francisco Art Institute, where I went to college. Watching the children was like watching master sculptors working in their studios creating huge clay sculptures. The things that struck us most these past couple of weeks working with clay were the children's enthusiasm, resiliency, determination, curiosity, expression, collaboration, problem-solving, ability to challenge themselves, and theory-making.

The children this past week had the chance to take all 100 pounds of the clay that had been soaking over the break and begin to wedge (knead, pound, and pull the water out of the clay) and use the clay again. This new beginning for our clay gave so much life and happiness to our room, it was as if we were watching the children see an old friend again. The children worked hard to pull the clay out of the water bin and pound it on the table. They began to use new vocabulary to describe the clay - gushy and smushy - and new vocabulary for how they interact with it - pat, pound, pinch, roll, smooth, and dig. We also had a very successful reflection meeting with the children on how it was working with the clay and how the clay had changed. Today, as the clay sat in the water table drying out, the children once again went to visit, getting large handfuls of mushy clay and bringing it to the table inside, where the children pushed the big pieces together to create even larger pieces. Unlike the master sculptors who had a goal for their artistic pieces at the beginning, our children had the freedom to create and recreate what the sculpture was and what it could do. It went from a snowman to a beehive to a birthday cake to just the children's pure delight in watching and feeling their hands glide through the clay.

We as teachers remain in awe of our children's interaction and relationship with this medium and their ability to continuously define and redefine their relationship with clay. It is a delight to capture their conversations and interactions!

Kindergarten

This past week, the children in each group decided on how they wanted to make self-portraits for the Kahala show. We discussed many different ways to make self-portraits, but all four groups decided on making clay figurine self-portraits. This shows us again just how powerful and exciting clay is to our children! So this week we started to make the figurines. The children had to use their imaginations and previously learned skills in order to think about how they wanted to represent themselves. Many children made extra props to get their ideas across. One student's strong sense of family came out when he wanted to make his dad, his brother, and himself all in the same sculpture. Another child, whose favorite sport is soccer, made herself kicking a soccer ball. Each individual student's work was interesting and complex.

from the atelier 1/17/08

2008-01-18T17:52:45Z

It is always amazing to watch how children grow! Not only in personality, vocabulary, and height. but artistically, too. One way of capturing growth is by continually offering the same experience, in this case drawing. Self-portraiture is always a powerful option to offer our children because of it being about what they know and understand the most, themselves. It is also a way that we can relate to each other and friends -- we all have eyes, ears, noses, etc. We use self-portraits as a way to help children express ideas about themselves but also to capture their ongoing growth. This year, as a way to celebrate self-portraiture, MPI Preschool & Elementary School is having a show at Kahala Mall to display self-portraits from preschoolers through fifth graders. At left, you can see one of our three-year-olds drawing from her photograph. However, we use many different techniques and ideas to make our self-portraits. Our four-year-old class is making their self-portraits out of clay, as shown below, and our kindergartners are actually designing their own projects to represent themselves. This show will highlight all of the diversity,creativity, and imagination that our students possess as individuals and as a learning community.

Children will be working on these over the next few weeks. Check the galleries frequently for updates of your child's work.

In the meantime, the threes are still working with clay and paint in the classroom, while the fours are still working on their boxes (photos in the gallery) and their city project.

I hope that everyone got my memo about gathering materials. We would love to build up more materials so the children can have more opportunities for assemblage projects.

In preschool on Fridays this semester, we will have open atelier (open studio). The threes and fours gather together to talk story and learn about different types of artists and different types of techniques. After our talk story, children have a chance to try out different techniques or make new ones in the studio. Because we continue to use paint as a way to express ourselves, I decided today to talk about Monet. DJ's grandmother was nice enough to bring in books on Monet for us to use. I encourage parents to bring in inspiring artist books, paintings, etc. or to share a talent for a future Friday; please email me if you'd like to come in.
Kindergarten

Kindergarten will be finishing their 100 years in Manoa photo/drawing/painting projects over the next few weeks and beginning to design their self-portrait projects for the Kahala Mall exhibit. Next week we will be reflecting on the children's paintings and talking more in depth about artistic choices that the children made. I am uploading the paintings to the galleries as the children finish.

from the atelier 1/11/08

2008-01-11T17:42:57Z

Welcome back! I hope that everyone enjoyed their break and has a healthy and wonderful new year. I also want to thank the whole MPI 'Ohana for all your love, gifts, and support this past year!

Please mark your calendars for our elementary school self-portrait show at Kahala Mall, Feburary 17-24. If you would like to help set it up or take it down, please email me at jguillory@midpac.edu.

The children have had a wonderful first week back at school!

Our four-year-old class has a few different projects going on right now. One of these projects stemmed from an interest in cutting paper. A group of children would come in every day last semester and cut lots and lots of it. As time went on, the paper piled up, and we asked the group what should be done with all of it. Should we use it for collage? The group thought this was a good idea. As an added provocation, we told the group about a bunch of boxes that had been donated to the atelier that might be good to collage on. So began our Box Art Project. This project has continued for a month and a half. About half of our children joined in then, and now many more have shown an interest. We have noticed our children growing in artistic confidence and intentionality, carefully selecting materials and carefully placing them on and in their boxes. This intentionality is really powerful to watch. We see the children distinguish between things that they like and dislike, decide where to place objects, and determine what different materials mean to them as artists.

We will be putting out a list of materials that we'd like parents to bring in to replenish our supplies and to include the children in a materials-selection process. Some wonderful things to bring in as materials ("beautiful junk") are computer parts, keys, broken jewelry, etc. We will be sending out a list soon.

Our three-year-old class is also working on several projects, such as painting, self-portraits, and observational drawings. This week we took a walk to collect natural treasures to draw from. We also began working with clay again, which I will talk more about next time.

Kindergarten

In Kindergarten we continue to work on our photography/drawing/painting project to celebrate our school's 100th birthday. This week we reviewed different techniques of painting. One technique, which the children have coined "dab painting," is derived from abstract expressionism and can be seen in the two pictures above, on the grass and on Crystal's fur. Another thing that we discussed this week was painting colors that the children see in their photographs or using one's imagination for the colors that go onto their palettes. Above, you can see that this student used colors from her imagination to paint in a rainbowed-colored Crystal. Many of you know that Crystal passed away last semester, but many students chose to paint her for this project before she did. This student's choice of colors preserved Crystal in her memory as being as joyful and as sweet-looking as a rainbow in the sky!

Good work, Kinders, you all have been working so hard!

from the atelier 12/18/07

2007-12-17T17:16:09Z

Hi, everyone! I hope this finds you all well and not too stressed out over this holiday season! I also hope all of you have a wonderful holiday and plenty of time to relax and spend with your families!!

The past few weeks...

Three-year-old-class and four-year-old-class

We have continued to provide the children with opportunities to do observational paintings. We noticed that the children were still very much enthused about and interested in the way the colors mix together on the page, so we decided to introduce them to palette-mixing. This experience allows children to mix as many colors and as much color as they like and not have to worry about painting something specific.  Together the children and I discuss what colors they have made and how.  The wonderful thing about this activity is that the children have been teaching each other how to mix certain colors. This peer-to-peer teaching builds confidence and community. This work is also very independent and allows the children to explore color in their own way and not in a teacher-directed way. This in turn helps the children become master color mixers. It will also develop their ability to detect nuances of colors, shades, and hues. As the year proceeds, we will provide palette-mixing in the classroom as a choice. When we come back from break, the threes will also continue with clay, paint, shadow play, and self-portraits, while the fours will continue on with the city group work, clay, paint, and collage.

The Kindergarten

The Kindergarten has been very busy on their photo-drawing-painting project.  We have been concentrating on learning how to draw from photos. I teach them a technique in which they trace the line with their pencil right onto the photo. Then, on the painted backrounds, they draw the same line but bigger because their paper is bigger. This helps build muscle-memory and in turn helps the children really understand the way that certain lines feel rather then guessing how they might feel. The children are really drawing what they see at their favorite places around school. They are beginning to understand how a painting is made in layers. They have had to make artistic visual choices about color and background. This past week, they have learned some painting techniques, such as how to fill in lines and which brushes to use. The children were also introduced to a painting technique used in abstract expressionism, making multiple dabs with the paint. This can be seen in the picture above. The children are really doing an amazing job and are able to retain so much! I would also love it if you, parents, could take your children to one museum over the break to look at paintings. I think it would be very beneficial! Hope everyone has a wonderful break!!!

from the atelier 11/29/07

2007-11-29T18:20:21Z

Hi, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!!

Just a reminder to parents who want to schedule conferences with me: please email me at jguillory@midpac.edu. I'll be looking foward to hearing from you and meeting with you.

During the past few weeks, the preschool has been busy working with clay, watercolors, observational painting, and mixing paint.

Three-year-old class

At right above, a student works on an observational painitng of a poinsettia. How can the three-year-old class really do observational work? Are they really able to pay attention to color and detail? Can they really make it look like the actual flower? These things might be running through your head, but exposing our children to these ideas at an early age opens the door to many developmental thoughts, dispositions, and creativity. The point is that wherever that child is developmentally, they will take what they want from their observation. One child might just layer color, while another defines shapes and lines. Each unique perspective lends itself to building on that child's relationship with the medium and his or her own disposition.

The threes have been adding water to the clay at the suggestion of one of the students, again transforming this material. The children have begun to extend their knowledge and relationship with the clay.

As the children add water, they notice the ways that clay changes; e.g., the color, the feel, the way they can smooth it, and the way it can be attached and manipulated. The water has added a whole new set of ideas and understandings about this material. A favorite activity has been to step and and stomp on the wet clay, creating squishing sounds for everyone to giggle at. The children have now discovered that clay has sound!

Four-year-old-class

The children have also been busy, working with paint, both watercolor and tempera. The children have been exploring the way the watercolor mixes and changes color. The children were fascinated with gold and silver colors and continue to mix these on top of the rest. Along with this, children have continued to work on observational paintings. We have now begun to focus on the reflection process, which as teachers we know is when children deepen their learning and understanding of what they are doing. The children reflect on the paintings, what they liked or what they might change when they make the next one. Today we saw some wonderful examples of observation when the children went back to their first flower paintings -- many of them noticed new details about the flower that they hadn't noticed the day before, such as the presence of black splotches, its shape, or even its color. Today they added these discoveries on a new painting.

Kindergarten

The kinders have continued with their sketching unit and are now working on a photograghy/drawing/painting project to commemorate MPI's 100th birthday. Below is one of the student's photos.

from the atelier 11/5/07

2007-11-05T22:21:55Z

The last few weeks have been very busy.

Our three-year-old children have been dividing their time among clay, observational work, and watercolor paint.

Watercolor exploration

One of our students suggested that we paint a flower that she had found at Foster Garden.

Our clay work continues. We
have increased the sizes of the
groups that have been working in
the atelier. The children have asked to use

water on the hardened clay, and we have

begun to investigate how this changes the

material and what the children are learning about.

The four-year-olds have been working on the city group (I'll write more about this later), observational work, and self-portraits. This time around with the self-portraits, the children

decided on a facial expression that they wanted to represent. Above, one student is showing his angry face.

In Kindergarten, we are continuing to work on our drawing unit. We spent time outside this week learning about sketching the things in our outside environment from different perspectives. Below, some students are sketching the art house.

from the atelier 10/18/07

2007-10-18T22:39:18Z

Thank you so much, preschool parents, for attending our first atelier parent night, Experiencing Clay! It was so wonderful for me to see all of you working with clay in just the same way I get to see your children working with it.

Please see Ms. Leslie's blog to find out more about what we presented and discussed. Ms. Iris has posted to her gallery photos of all of you working with the clay. Within the next few weeks, we will be firing in the kiln the pieces that you made.

preschool 3's:

This week and last week, we have continued working with clay. The children also spotted some beautiful sunflowers in the atelier that they wanted to paint. They spent time mixing the colors that they observed, and they had a chance to work in small groups to paint them. The children modeled and shared ideas with each other about what they had observed about the flowers.
preschool 4's:

The 4's joined the 3's to paint sunflowers. Working in multiaged groups was exciting and new for the children.

The four-year-old class was posed a provocation last week and this week about their clay houses. To encourage the children to think even deeper about what they had made, we asked, "Where are your houses?" The children then began to formulate their ideas about where their houses might be located. Some children talked about the city, while others talked about the country. Some children named actual places, like Waikiki or Mililani. As the children began to talk, the teachers began to ask more in-depth questions: What is a city? What is the country? The children had lots of ideas and theories about what makes up a city. To further this discussion, we have been taking small groups into the atelier to talk about what is in a city. To add another layer to this discussion as well as offer another way for children to visualize their ideas, we asked them to draw some of their ideas in their sketchbooks.
Kindergarten

Last week the children finished their clay unit by painting and glazing their slab clay pieces. I also downloaded to the gallery some of the children's work, so please check it out! As we finish up with our clay unit, we will have a drawing unit and then a painting unit. Learning more about drawing and painting provides the children with a better understanding of how they can successfully represent their ideas. This week the children will begin the drawing unit by learning how to draw the wooden model. They will also will have a chance to model while their classmates draw them!

from the atelier 10/10/07

2007-10-10T18:28:42Z

Lots of wonderful work has been happening the last two weeks!

Preschool
I encourage you to come to "Experiencing Clay" on Parent Night, October 15, at 5:30 p.m.
We will not only be offering a hands-on experience but will also be presenting a Powerpoint of what the children are learning about in the studio and in the classroom.

three-year-old class

If you have walked past the atelier recently, you have noticed how all the shelves and surfaces are covered while the floor has a big white open space for the children. We have continued working with clay on the floor. Many wonderful moments and learning experiences have taken place with this new medium. On Monday night, we will discuss these in depth.

Please check the gallery for the children's first self-portraits.

Four-year-old class

The children have continued reflecting on their clay pieces, and we will share some of their reflections on Monday night. The most fascinating thing that has arisen while we reflected on these pieces is the continual interest in home and community that the children share. Our next step as teachers will be to go back and revisit this issue with the whole group.

This week the children also worked on self-portraits. They can be seen in the on-line gallery.

Kindergarten

Above are a clay elephant and bowl made by LB This week Kindergarten is finishing up their clay unit. I have begun photographing their sculptural work and will upload it to our on-line gallery by next week. The children have been working hard and are really enjoy working with clay. Towards the end of the month, we will be displaying the Kindergarten work in Wilcox. I'll let you know when the display is ready.

from the atelier - 9/25/07

2007-09-25T18:22:45Z

Preschool

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.

test.mov

from the atelier 9/14/07

2007-09-14T18:26:53Z

Building with clay, continued

Please view Ms. Leslie's blog next week for a joint conversation about this project and for video feed.

This week in the three-year-old class the children finished up their self-portraits and continued finger-painting outside with Ms. Laura.

In Kindergarten this week we continued our clay unit and the idea of using clay to sculpt and build with. The children were shown how to make four legs and then asked to build something that would stand on four legs. The children were also introduced to some tools that they could use to enhance their sculptures.