11 am Wonder Arts Class 2

Heading into the 2nd Class, I was very interested in seeing how the social dynamic of the classroom was developing. I know this is not a very "art" related topic of study but I see it as a critical element to the class experience! After all, a class experience consists of a class, not just a student.

Toddlers are known for being very egocentric and "caveman" like. My question is this: Can toddlers move past this stage into a more collaborative style with repeated exposure to group experiences? Well... this week I did not present any experiences as a whole group. Everything was presented on an individual basis. I wondered if the children would feel more comfortable with this arrangement, or would some "test" this arrangement and investigate turning the experiences into a partnership?? Also, on a side note...would the caregivers feel more at ease with this more individualized arrangement? Hmmm....

Now, of course, we have some wonderings about the "art" development as well...Here are the questions I posed to our group regarding the oil pastels.

How do the children begin with this new presentation of materials? (Oil pastels with Small Black and White Paper)

Do the smaller sheets of paper influence his/her markings? In what ways?

I also put out the black and white pastels so the children could investigate black on black and white on white and vice versa.

Mom notes: When he tried the white pastel on the white paper, he says "It doesn't work".

Many children seemed to prefer the black paper. Could this be a novelty effect? Here again, another mom stated that her son continually tested his theory of black pastel on black paper. He repeatedly remarked that he couldn't see the black pastel as well on the black paper. She also stated that his markings were very different than last week's large lines. This week he made smaller circles.



However, this guy seemed to prefer the white paper. Mom speculated that it probably felt more familiar to him.

More investigation of the properties of oil pastels. Are they like paint or a crayon?

Mom saw a noticable higher interest in the black paper rather than the white.

Another one who preferred the black paper. Mom said she repeated her investigation of the black oil pastel on the black paper over and over again.

As a teacher, this causes me to wonder many things...What are the children trying to understand about the black on black? Are they experimenting with the idea of camoflauge? Does it go against their theory that it shouldn't be able to be seen? I can see that further investigation of this paradox will need to be explored but with a different medium, perhaps?

It might be difficult to tell, but he is looking at the child next to him, while she is at work with the oil pastels. This is just what I had hoped to see. What would he notice about the other child? Would it influence his behavior in any way?

Mom stated that he too was more attracted to the black paper than the white.

Here is the neighbor he was so intently observing. She was very focused on her picture. She described part of her work as "ghosts" and "fish". Mom noticed she worked mostly on the white paper and preferred the color blue. Her approach to the pastels was different from last week in that she made shapes rather than lines.

Last week, the clay was offered as a whole group experience. This week, I wanted to observe two things: how the children would use simple tools in their exploration of the clay and how would their interest level in the clay change by offering it individually?

This guy built a "boogle house" with his clay. Mom stated that he was connecting his experience with the clay to a story they read at home.

Mom stated that he was more comfortable this week working with the clay than last week. She noticed him using the bottle caps the same way he uses his sand molds at home to create shapes in the sandbox.

Mom observed that his interaction with the clay was different than last week. He was intrigued by it's moldibility and loved using all the tools.

Notes from Mom: Not intimidated at all. Used one stick to "make cupcakes" and patted the clay continuously.

She was very interested in using all the bottle caps on the slab, then flipping it over and starting all over again. She was more interested in the clay this time.

Here again, I noticed a marked interest in one another at this table. The boys watched one another and seemed to influence each other's experience.

Many of the children connected the clay to a "foodlike" substance. This guy was making me lunch :) Others made cakes and cupcakes. I wonder about this connection and where it comes from? Was the action of the sticks cutting into the clay a reminder of knives cutting food or stirring food? Was it the texture of the clay itself that seemed "foodlike"? How could this action and pretending with the clay lead to using the clay for sculpture?

Finger painting is not always the pleasurable experience children expect, although for some it certainly is just that. I found it interesting that the group was ready and willing to dive right in but also quickly ready to wash hands.

Would have loved to have had some beginning and ending pictures of the children. This guy seems hesitant at first but mom stated that after the initial sensory explorations he wanted to paint himself, the chair, etc...

Mom said that he was "in shock" and was too surprised by the feel of the paint. He wanted to wash his hands soon after first touching the paint.