Projects start in many different ways, sometimes they last for a day, or longer, and sometimes they are a theme that is revisited over and over.
At one morning meeting, M. shared that she had seen giant puppets in Geneva, other children excitedly shared that they had seen them too. We decided to spend our morning in the studio exploring and making different kinds of puppets.
We then had fun doing puppet shows. The puppets insisted on going home, but maybe they will return? Or maybe we will visit pre school and make puppets and do puppet shows with them?
Another morning, in the piazza, we listened to music as a video of artists played. That day, the children were so inspired and absorbed in their creations, that we didn’t get to the morning meeting or the studio but stayed in the piazza building and painting to music.
The theme of dens, enclosures, treasure and maps is one that has run throughout this year and is continually revisited in the interior and exterior environments.
Here I propose to the children to draw the inside of their houses.
Listening to the wind in the trees and finding a sheltered spot.
Sometimes a change in the environment can inspire. We have moved the big blocks to ‘The Bubble’, and created a separate light studio.
L. is playing in the castle and A. in the Bubble. She presents him with a map showing the two areas.
And so our day may start in a variety of ways, and these are some examples of a few of them. It may be an experience a child brings from home or something the group are excited about that leads us. It may be that the educators have set something up, for example the video and music. We may all be influenced by the weather or a celebration, or something we see through the window. Educators may propose an activity or atelier in response to an ongoing theme such as ‘Inside my house.’ Or we may be observing how the children respond to changes made in the space, such as L. making a map to give to a friend, and us making connections to ongoing themes.
Responses