9 am Wonder Arts: Class 3

So...What are they really learning?

Not always what you intend...

Throughout the post, I will interject my reflections with "possibilities for learning".

During this week's class, we immersed the children in paint. Painting at the wall, painting on tables, painting on the floor, and painting with toys that roll or walk. This experience gives children the freedom to do what toddlers do best, wander and explore! I want to create a class where parents and children don't have to worry about children "behaving". I hope that when "behaving correctly" leaves the thoughts and minds of the parents and children, that instead, thoughts of investigation, experimentation, curiosity, and inquiry instead emerge. However, that doesn't mean conflict, awkwardness, and tears don't happen. But...I do believe that if we respect children and truly listen to them, they will give us opportunities to model conflict resolution, manners, respect, and responsibility. I admit, I welcome conflict into the classroom because it is only through dialogue and discourse that self-reflection can take place. This may sound like quite a paradox of thoughts but I hope to further clarify.

Not all children enjoy the process of painting on themselves. Having the animals and trucks available gives them the chance to explore the idea of printmaking without feeling uncomfortable.

Not only that, animals naturally lend themselves to storytelling and acting out daily life. Critical to a child making sense of the world around them. When a child is able to pretend, they are practicing aspects of understanding, empathy, language development, and of course imagination!

This was our first experience in class with actual paint brushes. S. showed a strong curiosity for this new implement and really wished to explore it's properties fully. I loved taking the camera on his journey! You can see in his face a real look of intensity as well as... my favorite...wonder and awe!

After dipping the brush into the paint, he squishes it in between his fingers. Is he relishing the feel of the bristles or perhaps watching the paint squeeze out between his fingers in the brush?

Here he is also exploring the wooden handle. No part of the brush is uninteresting. It is all important!

S. is curious about the other experiences set up in the room, but is not ready to relinquish his paintbrush. It comes along on his journey.

He tests his brush on a different surface.

Can you imagine the difference in learning if S. had been told not to "get messy" or that he could only use the paint brush at the "easel". Of course, I do advocate teaching children to respect and take care of their materials and as you can see he did!

Mom holds great respect for his endeavors as she dresses in clothes that can get messy and encourages him to hug her and interact with her while he is "messy".

Painting:
* Whole arm, large muscle movements strengthen the shoulders/arms of young children. Having lots of opportunity to coordinate and exercise these muscles then makes it possible to have stronger small muscle coordination when they go to write or draw.
* Cause and Effect
* Eye-Hand coordination
* Visual and Spatial awareness are strengthened as children cover part or all of their painting surfaces
* Decision making
* Cooperation and/or problems solving as they share materials
* A sense of identity emerges as children freely create and express themselves

11 am Wonder Arts Class #3

So...What are they really learning?


Not always what you intend...

Throughout the post, I will interject my reflections with "possibilities for learning".
During this week's class, we immersed the children in paint. Painting at the wall, painting on tables, painting on the floor, and painting with toys that roll or walk. This experience gives children the freedom to do what toddlers do best, wander and explore! I want to create a class where parents and children don't have to worry about children "behaving". I hope that when "behaving correctly" leaves the thoughts and minds of the parents and children, that instead, thoughts of investigation, experimentation, curiosity, and inquiry instead emerge. However, that doesn't mean conflict, awkwardness, and tears don't happen. But...I do believe that if we respect children and truly listen to them, they will give us opportunities to model conflict resolution, manners, respect, and responsibility. I admit, I welcome conflict into the classroom because it is only through dialogue and discourse that self-reflection can take place. This may sound like quite a paradox of thoughts but I hope to further clarify.

Painting:

• Whole arm, large muscle movements strengthen the shoulders/arms of young children. Having lots of opportunity to coordinate and exercise these muscles then makes it possible to have stronger small muscle coordination when they go to write or draw.
  
• Cause and Effect
  
• Eye-Hand coordination
  
• Visual and Spatial awareness are strengthened as children cover part or all of their painting surfaces
  
• Decision making
  
• Cooperation and/or problems solving as they share materials
  
• A sense of identity emerges as children freely create and express themselves
  

Toddlers are very curious about other toddlers. Most of their play is called "parallel play" where they play alongside of one another, make observations of other children, and sometimes these observations lead to their own play being influenced.

Conflict Resolution is something we will be working on during every class. Actually, it's something we will be working on everyday, as parents of a toddlers :) Toddlers are just beginning to use words to communicate their wants and needs. Often conflict occurs because they don't know the words to use with one another. For example, the little guy here was really enjoying himself and his exploration of water. The little girl noticed this and wanted to join him. At first, he seemed to feel threatened, perhaps thinking she wanted him to leave the sink. It was suggested she ask him if she could join him, he complied and moved over and made a space for her.

Social interaction is what we're going here for, right? Here J. shares his discovery that after the paint dried on his feet, it feels like crumbs. What a way to explore change in physical properties!! And then to share it with someone else only furthers the learning!

As he holds the tray with paint, he exclaims, "Like a real artist". Clever Mom points out, "You are a real artist!"

So they're just playing, right? Well here begins the story of G. He was very interested in the sink and the water basin. As he got some paint on his fingers, he went to wash it off. But it wasn't simply the act of getting his hands clean, he was making quite the scientific discoveries.

He notices the paint comes off of his finger but it stays somewhat together in the water basin. He touches it repeatedly to see how the paint will change.

Each time he gets paint on himself, he explores how it interacts with water. At some point during the class he inquires if he can use one of the paint cans in the sink. I could have said, "No, the paint cans are for paint, they must stay on the table." But how does that respect his process of learning? Perhaps, we was going to dump it on another child or himself, or something else that would have been disrespectful to either the materials or another student. But, if I don't give him the opportunity to explore his line of thought, we would never know. So...I of course was all for his digression. We were all interested in what his plan was...

He carefully filled the paint can up with water from the sink and walked over to the table and dumped the water into one of the finger paint bowls. What balance, coordination, and perseverance he practiced as he did this task over and over again. He was a man on a mission. And people say Toddlers have short attention spans!

It was lovely to see the other children very interested in G.'s process and wanted to participate on the jorney with him. He stayed on his course but definitely noticed others contributing!

Exploring the properties of water allows the children to investigate: cohesion (water molecules stick together), surface tension, adhesion (water sticks to other materials), density, volume, sinking, floating, suspension, etc...endless possibilities...

Not to mention, learning about patience, collaboration, trust, and respect.

Stirring the "soup" while waiting for G. to return with a fresh batch of water.

If we trust in them, children can show us what they need to learn. He shows such confidence in himself with each trip back and forth from the sink.

She understands this is his baby and she graciously moves over to allow him to do his part in this investigation. I can't wait to further explore this experiment and am thinking of ways to extend it for next week. No, it's not what I had planned but I am learning to listen to the children and trust that they can lead me in the right direction!