This is an offering to the children and families of the infant classroom from the infant teachers. The ideas and questions contained within are applicable for many age groups. Who better to offer some inspiration for working with materials than the children!? Children are creating schemas about the world around them & their impact on this world. When given a multitude of materials and the time to experiment, children will build upon existing schemas and construct new ones: learning! The following are examples of things the children explore and what we have observed the children doing when absorbed in explorations around paper. The observations listed are both from the video as well as myriad other explorations. Next, we propose ways you could offer paper to provoke continued construction of their developing schemas. What we observe: Crinkling, crunching, moving, watching, ripping, lifting up and over, eyes/facial expression changes when touching paper/noticing impact they have on paper.
How you could offer material:
This is an offering to the children and families of the infant classroom from the infant teachers. The ideas and questions contained within are applicable for many age groups. Who better to offer some inspiration for working with materials than the children!? Children are creating schemas about the world around them & their impact on this world. When given a multitude of materials and the time to experiment, children will build upon existing schemas and construct new ones: learning! The following are examples of things the children explore and what we have observed the children doing when absorbed in explorations around light. The observations listed are both from the video as well as myriad other explorations. Next, we propose ways you could offer light to provoke continued construction of their developing schemas. What we observe: Looking for light source, tracking light, moving light/watching light move, hiding light (e.g. putting a light source in and out of a certain area), finding light on wall and on floor, grabbing at light (both natural and artificial material), putting materials in the sun rays that come through the window.
How you could offer material:
This is an offering to the children and families of the infant classroom from the infant teachers. The ideas and questions contained within are applicable for many age groups. Who better to offer some inspiration for working with materials than the children!? Children are creating schemas about the world around them & their impact on this world. When given a multitude of materials and the time to experiment, children will build upon existing schemas and construct new ones: learning! The following are examples of things the children explore and what we have observed the children doing when absorbed in explorations around fabric. The observations listed are both from the video as well as myriad other explorations. Next, we propose ways you could offer fabric to provoke continued construction of their developing schemas. What we observe: Pulling apart, putting together, piling on top, hiding behind/under, pulling up and over, lifting across, wrapping up, looking through, moving fabric fast, crawling over, trying to crawl through, looking up at fabric, putting into containers, feeling the textures (sensory experience) of different kinds of fabrics.
How you could offer material:
This is an offering to the children and families of the infant classroom from the infant teachers. The ideas and questions contained within are applicable for many age groups. Who better to offer some inspiration for working with materials than the children!? Children are creating schemas about the world around them & their impact on this world. When given a multitude of materials and the time to experiment, children will build upon existing schemas and construct new ones: learning! The following are examples of things the children explore and what we have observed the children doing when absorbed in explorations around music. The observations listed are both from the video as well as myriad other explorations. Next, we propose ways you could offer music and sound to provoke continued construction of their developing schemas. What we observe: Finding the beat, children noticing when the style of the music changes: eye tracking changes, facial expressions changes, being motivated to create sound when listening to music.
How you could offer material:
Greg picked one of his favorite stories to share with you all. This book is called "Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color" written and illustrated by Julia Denos. Here's a quick message for adults before the follow up video: This video walks children through an imaginative experience as color tamers, just like Swatch from the book we read. Feel free to re watch that video from Monday and don't be shy to offer it as a choice. If the children are engaged in the work offered in this video, encourage them to take their time and pause the video so they don't feel rushed. Gather some materials, including paper and writing tools in the video, (Greg used crayons as his writing tools but whatever you have handy should work.) Have fun and take your time. This experience is designed to engage at a leisurely pace or to be be revisited. If the children want to move on, keep this possibility in your back pocket as an option down the road. If you take any pictures you want to share of the children watching the video or working on the color taming project feel free to share them with Greg! Mentor Teacher Charlotte Hunt is finding materials around her home that you probably have as well.
Follow her on instagram and share your materials as well. |
AuthorBoulder Journey School is a private school that welcomes over 200 children and their families. Students range in age from 8 weeks to 6 years. Archives
March 2021
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