|
Thanks to everyone who joined us for the End-of-Year Celebration this afternoon! We had such a great time remembering the wonderful year with you!!
Here's the video we shared during the celebration to enjoy again or in case you missed it: https://vimeo.com/423870428/a33fc7d8da We wish you an incredible Summer!!
0 Comments
Our Growing Community!
We had a lot of participation in our Zoom experiences this week! It was fantastic to see everyone and to observe the work you were doing. Some special friends also made appearances! On Tuesday, we meet Caroline David, who is already comfortable with the Zoom experience (or so it seems)! Although Alexandra is not new to our community, it was great to see her and Elena participate, all the way from Germany, both last week and this week! Who could forget Sally's per hamster, Nibbles, who is extra cute even if he fell and hurt his ear. Of course, we are all eagerly anticipating the arrival of Jessica's baby, an up coming event that was celebrated at today's Sing-along! Many thanks to all who contributed to and participated in this wonderful gathering! Silhouettes and Shadow Puppets
WeavingThursday's Zoom was all about weaving. As we got started, we noticed there were more ideas, object, and materials related to rainbows. Joslin had rainbow strips for her box weaving. This led Sam to share that we was working with a rainbow loom (a new technique for us!) and Evelyn brought out her rainbow piggy bank. When Ellie showed us her work, she told us it was a rainbow, and then added to it to make it a "real rainbow." Gigi also worked on a series of stripes that looked like it might be a rainbow. Throughout the weaving process, children demonstrated their individuality and creativity. Almost everyone had uniques strips to weave with. Leigh and Prater cut theirs from old magazine pages. Alexandra showed her paper saying "I made it from my paintings from last week." Evelyn had worked created marble paper with food coloring, dish soap, and milk. She cut the resulting papers into strips for weaving. While her friends worked, Lane added tape decorations to a troll house she was making. Just creating while being together is very satisfying, or in the words of one parent, "almost therapeutic."
We hope you all enjoy your long weekend! We also hope that everyone can join us for next Friday's Zoom Call. This call will be our end-of-year celebration, featuring a slide show of many favorite memories!
|
     | We had a wonderful and full week in KW last week connecting to one another through Zoom, Seesaw, and messages. We started off with a Zoom dedicated to making messages for new children coming to school in the Fall. Having time together to share about the existing and coming relationships was meaningful as children shared about those they know, know of, and haven't yet become familiar with. Through the Zoom conversation and continued dialogue on Seesaw through the week, we saw children and families giving of themselves for these relationships. We observed the dedication to this important value and tradition of our school community: preparing for and welcoming new families into the school. Here's some of what the children shared while working on messages and showing photos of the new children: Grace M and Louise talked about Frances and Luke coming to Brown room next year. Grace M: "I'm making a picture of Lukie...of me and him...going to Grandma's." Louise: "Me and Grace we want Frances and Luke to get married so we can be sisters." Grace nods in agreement and smiles. Louise: "So about Frances is..." Louise tells about the games Frances and the family like to play at home. She even demonstrates one game enlisting Ali in the process! Grace M: "Lukie likes phones. So Lukie might like to bring a toy phone to school, maybe." Louise: "Frances likes to play with kitchen stuff and doctor stuff." Grace D: "I'm starting one part all blue and this part all purple (because those are Lily's favorite colors.) When I show Lily pink and purple, Lily says, 'I want blue!' So I'm going to keep on going with the color blue because she really likes blue." (Talking about Dakota coming to Tucker Room next year...) Grace D: "I think I know who Dakota is already...Oliver's cousin. My mommy told me. But first I'm going to do Lily's card, then I think I might do her card." (Continuing to look at and talk about the photos of the other children coming to school next year...) Grace D: "I know Wilder! ...What's his doggy's name?" Grace shares that she has seen Wilder around the neighborhood walking his dog. Grace M folds a piece of paper in half: "I'm cutting out a heart." Grace D decides to also incorporate a heart: "I'm doing it dark red so Lily can see it, because she can't normally see yellow." |
Through the dialogue and reflection of children on their work for incoming children, we see children not only making connections to new relationships but also to one another and their community. They take into consideration what they know about individuals and incorporate these ideas in their work and in the continuation of building connections within the group.
On Seesaw we saw families sharing in the delight of this tradition, creating colorful cards and messages and including personal notes about what they like at St. John's. We observe the ways individuals consider how to ease the transition to a new school and experience. For the children moving on from St. John's, it also helps them reflect on their experience and ease toward their own transition by passing on memories and meaning to others in the community.
Relationships are always at the heart of what, why, and how we approach our work but they really stood out as a theme throughout all our synchronous and asynchronous interactions this week. Children looked for one another on Zoom calls and recalled memories of time spent in-person together, they made cognitive connections as they linked concepts and built off of one another's ideas, they told about their families and other relationships which are meaningful to them, and made suggestions for ideas based on their knowledge of one another.
One of the bonuses of the online platforms we continue to see are the ways we are able to connect to one another's families and home-lives in a way that wasn't previously as accessible. For instance, this week we were able to see and interact with many siblings including all of Leigh's sisters, Sam's sister Claire read to us on Seesaw, we had a surprise peek into the metal-work Jen's sons were working on at home, and we got to meet Ellie's friend, Matthias.
One of the bonuses of the online platforms we continue to see are the ways we are able to connect to one another's families and home-lives in a way that wasn't previously as accessible. For instance, this week we were able to see and interact with many siblings including all of Leigh's sisters, Sam's sister Claire read to us on Seesaw, we had a surprise peek into the metal-work Jen's sons were working on at home, and we got to meet Ellie's friend, Matthias.
 |  |  |
Jokes continued to be shared this week, bringing a certain playfulness and joy as a bridge and connection between us. We also spent a lot of time thinking about our connection to the earth and the similarities in observations of Spring signs and the nature around us. From these reflections, and others (like "Updating the KW Photo") as we near the end of the school year, growth arose as a theme leaving us thinking about what Jossie said on Seesaw:
"Nothing is better than having to grow." -Jossie
We look forward to continuing our reflections on the growth and learning shared this year in our time together this coming week as well as the joy of shared-explorations and simply being together.
And...just a little more from our week: some images from the materials work we did together on Zoom and continue to share on Seesaw related to printing cross-sections and sculpting tinfoil. We're loving seeing all your images and "tours" of the work you continue offline!
Seems Like Old Times!
In some ways, this week resembled the KW we knew when we were back at school. Perhaps most significantly, the conversations flowed quite naturally, even though we were "together" on line. This was especially true during our Thursday Fancy Feast zoom. Just like the way we start lunch at school, we included a virtual moment of silence which was perfectly delivered by Lane and Louise.
Thursday's conversations were similar to the way we chat when we are around a lunch table together. The topics included: pets, dreams, family rituals, activities, use of materials, and jokes. The jokes were a fun way to end our time together.... and inspired Leigh to post a great joke on Seesaw today. Here's a look at our fancy group:
Thursday's conversations were similar to the way we chat when we are around a lunch table together. The topics included: pets, dreams, family rituals, activities, use of materials, and jokes. The jokes were a fun way to end our time together.... and inspired Leigh to post a great joke on Seesaw today. Here's a look at our fancy group:
  | Likewise, when we are at school, conversations naturally flow while we work with materials. This was true on Tuesday when we used photos as inspiration for mark-making. Tuesday we talked about strategies we were using, materials, our sources of inspiration, and references to our chapter book. Jen was on the Zoom call had was working on the challenge of drawing a reflection of a dinosaur. When she had drawn the reflection, she asked the children for suggestions to make it look more like a reflection. Here's their great suggestions: Lane - Get a blue pencil and draw under it. (To represent the water) Joslin - You could get the clearer marker in your house and draw over it. After completing several journal pages, Lane brought up the subject of fatigue, saying " I did one hundred arts. I feel like I'm tired of doing arts." |
Tuesday's Journal Work
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Another way of being together that was reminiscent of being in the classroom was the choices made by children. Although our Zoom calls usually have a big idea or specified materials experience, children were not limited to those experiences. During last Friday's dance party, Ellie was still focused on making messages. While classmates boogied, she kept up her work on them. During our mark-making zoom on Tuesday, Evelyn was engrossed in a detailed building.... one that she kept working on during our building zoom today. It reminded us that we would work in this fashion during our KW afternoons. some children would be working with materials, while others were building, or making messages, or exploring shadows or doing a puzzle. Sometimes just being together, having conversations, and sharing ideas is more important than doing the same experience as everyone else. We look forward to more connections and conversations in the coming weeks.
Today's Builders
 | |
Thank you so much for all the ways you reached out to us for Teacher Appreciation Week and for all you do to support our work during this unusual time. Happy weekend, Happy Mother's Day!
Connections: Gaining Momentum and Depth
 | As we've settled into a rhythm in this new season, we're seeing increased connections between concepts and areas of focus in our learning. Families have reported the range of engagement children experience with the different modalities of "online" and "offline" learning, but also that some children are starting to shift into a deeper connection with the experiences being offered. We are seeing this too and, while it still varies and that is completely understandable given the circumstances, we also are noting many connections weaving throughout the various concept threads we are following. |
Some Current Concepts and Threads of Learning:
| Art Journaling Mark-Making Pattern Texture Color (and the Rainbow) Emotions Light and Shadow Sound Connections to nature Building Paper sculpture Relationships between each other, families, and materials These also include some use of other languages such as photography, literature, and tools as we are always looking for ways to diversify our offerings and allow for new insights through multiple languages. |  Leigh responds to Mark-Making to Music  Austin's response to the Weekend Walk Scavenger Hunt |
Children demonstrate connections forming across learning concepts:
During our Zoom interactions and on Seesaw this week we observed multiple links children have and are making between concepts. These concepts interweave across the variety of experiences offered showing the cognitive connections children are making and the ways they continue to think about the concepts in various contexts.
Here are some examples from the week, categorized by our three offerings over Zoom.
(Note: Scroll through the slideshows to see and read about Color-Mixing & Rolling Beads.)
Here are some examples from the week, categorized by our three offerings over Zoom.
(Note: Scroll through the slideshows to see and read about Color-Mixing & Rolling Beads.)
Making Connections Through Color-Mixing | Connecting Concepts to Rolling Paper Beads |
Concepts Observed Through Movement
During our Dance Party, today, we listened to the tracks used for our Mark-Making to Sound activity on Seesaw. This time we made "marks" or motions using our bodies. This created a different opportunity for children to interpret the feeling of sound and music using body motions. We observed children respond by choosing between these kinds of movements:
- large and small
- fast and slow
- circular or linear (horizontal or vertical)
- distinct or subtle
How We're Working to Extend Learning
A BIG THANK YOU for your feedback during conferences and on Seesaw this week...it all has contributed greatly to our ability to see not only see what is engaging children, but gain insight into the children's learning processes and their connections. We also learned more about the different ways families are utilizing experiences and the range of needs and desires around how to deepen the connection to the work.
As we plan each week with the children, we think about activities which weave concepts together and extend into a "next step" or different perspective or language. One of the ways we do this is to deliberately offer a diversity of experiences. We consider what ideas arose during the week, what threads we have been following, and how can we plan a next experience to deepen our and the children's understanding of those ideas. We consider all of the teachers including families, teachers, children and the environment (in this case, home, our online platforms, the materials, and experiences offered.)
In doing so, this week we implemented a new series of activities that we hope brings all of this together and especially brings us back to the children's voices: Inspired Connections. You may have seen the first two activities on Seesaw inspired by Lou Lou's response to gathering and arranging rainbows with materials and Jack's response to nature which reminded us of some current threads.
In doing so, this week we implemented a new series of activities that we hope brings all of this together and especially brings us back to the children's voices: Inspired Connections. You may have seen the first two activities on Seesaw inspired by Lou Lou's response to gathering and arranging rainbows with materials and Jack's response to nature which reminded us of some current threads.
Our hope is that we can remember an important aspect of the Reggio Philosophy, in that we value an intentional revisiting of concepts and experiences as a way to deepen our understandings. We invite you to use Seesaw and the documentation shared by families and ourselves as a way to revisit, deepen, and extend the learning. We aim in this season to provide new content and new ways of approaching the learning each week, but we highly encourage you to go at the pace that is right for your child...slow it down and really immerse yourself and the children in the experiences when possible.
As much as we can, we will offer a variety of ways to connect to and extend these experiences at home both in our Zoom interactions, but especially within the Seesaw activities where we often suggest a variety of questions to consider and languages to explore the activity through. Feel free to use as much or as little or to add your own twists to these ideas. We want each of you, and the children, to feel free to access the right amount of content and depth that works for you in this time.
As much as we can, we will offer a variety of ways to connect to and extend these experiences at home both in our Zoom interactions, but especially within the Seesaw activities where we often suggest a variety of questions to consider and languages to explore the activity through. Feel free to use as much or as little or to add your own twists to these ideas. We want each of you, and the children, to feel free to access the right amount of content and depth that works for you in this time.
An InvitationDuring conferences we received a variety of feedback on how much each family and child is able to engage during this time. Many are really trying to juggle many roles and needs under one roof and we again hope to support you in the best way we can. Thank you for the feedback and always feel free to reach out with more! We received one request for more ideas to extend the learning, possibly into a long-term project to be explored at home. If you are wanting the same, we'd like to offer an *optional* invitation: to hold a team meeting with you (Jill, Jessica, and parent(s)) where we discuss ideas and plan a possible project to follow at home. Please reach out if you are interested in this! | Thanks so much for reading and reflecting with us! |
Journals, Books, and Stories
This week, KW children worked on various types of books. Our Tuesday Zoom call was dedicated to journals. We began with reflecting on art journals together:
Louise - Art journals are for all of your art.
Lily Bieligk - You can make books and do something like color in them or do art in them.
Louise - On the last day of school in Rainey Room, when I came home, I showed my whole family.
Louise went on to show us a few pages from her KW journal from last year. There was a page dedicated to friends that featured their photos, a page called "Wonderland" with family drawings, and a pink page. Maren then presented her new journal, saying, "This is my notebook that I made. All of them (the pages) are blank." Clearly it was time to get started.
As we worked in the journals, Jessica showed us a "happy accident:" a place where some paint had dripped unexpectedly. Sally chimed in with a creative and compassionate response. "Maybe you could turn it into people, because it looks like people to me. My friend told me if you make an accident, it still looks pretty. It's like a masterpiece. It doesn't have to be perfect."
From there, children suggested prompts that we could add as we worked. These included a star (possibly a rainbow star), a house, and a butterfly.
Louise - Art journals are for all of your art.
Lily Bieligk - You can make books and do something like color in them or do art in them.
Louise - On the last day of school in Rainey Room, when I came home, I showed my whole family.
Louise went on to show us a few pages from her KW journal from last year. There was a page dedicated to friends that featured their photos, a page called "Wonderland" with family drawings, and a pink page. Maren then presented her new journal, saying, "This is my notebook that I made. All of them (the pages) are blank." Clearly it was time to get started.
As we worked in the journals, Jessica showed us a "happy accident:" a place where some paint had dripped unexpectedly. Sally chimed in with a creative and compassionate response. "Maybe you could turn it into people, because it looks like people to me. My friend told me if you make an accident, it still looks pretty. It's like a masterpiece. It doesn't have to be perfect."
From there, children suggested prompts that we could add as we worked. These included a star (possibly a rainbow star), a house, and a butterfly.
 | |
Thursday's Zoom encourage mark making to sound and music. Joslin responded with marks, but also with descriptive language. She said, "I heard a grumbling sound," and mentioned another noise sounded "...like a choir. Like when somebody dies." Indeed, it did sound very somber.
The children's graphic responses were unique. They used wavy lines, spirals, swirls, and shapes. They colors were also varied as they represented the sounds and music.
The children's graphic responses were unique. They used wavy lines, spirals, swirls, and shapes. They colors were also varied as they represented the sounds and music.
| | Children also began to write and illustrate stories this week. Louise continued to work on a book she began while still at school: The Little Mermaid Sees Her First Sunset. Joslin started a new book, The Everything Book. We are eager to hear how these stories develop. |
   | Perhaps our favorite stories from the week came from casual conversations among the children. One important part of KW is having lunch together. As we eat, children talk about almost anything: fun weekend experiences, favorite movies, interesting events from Rainey and Tucker Room., etc. These exchanges can also occur while working or walking. For example, as we ventured to Volta parking afternoon last fall, Austin asked Leigh to tell some stories. She happily launched into a series of rather ordinary yet amusing tales about birthday parties, family trips, and the like. It was an authentic moment of friendship. As they chatted this week, children exchanged stories about daily life. Austin mentioned that he was the first in his family to get up in the morning. Sally responded by saying that she went upstairs, got dressed, and brushed her teeth all by herself. Relationships emerged as well. Sally said that she didn't know Betina (Lane's nanny) but would love to meet her. Siblings and other relatives were also topics of conversation. These genuine interactions and connection take place everyday when we're in the classroom. While being on Zoom, is not quite the same, we were delighted to witness these conversations. We look forward to sharing more stories. These connections will be among the best memories of this historic time. We will never again take for granted the power and magic of sitting, working, and talking with children. |
A Quick Look at Other Experiences
| | RainbowsThis symbol of hope was once again one of our big ideas this week. Here's some exquisite examples that were created with a variety of materials. We will explore the science behind rainbows next week. |
Folding EnvelopesOur Friday zoom focused on folding envelopes that we can use when we send messages. Along with creativity, there was problem solving on display. Sam - I was a little frustrated. There were bumps on this, but I covered it with tape. Now I'm past the problem. | |
Let's Dance!
"Hard times require furious dancing."
Alice Walker
 Maren's digital drawing in response to the Shadow Ballet assignment. | On Thursday, we made marks to sound and music. There was also some movement! Luke McColough and Ellee Sale were dancing. Grace M. was snapping. Louise had some fancy footwork, and Lou Lou's head was bobbing. To keep this going, next Friday's Zoom will feature a dance party! |
Finally......
Congratulations if you have read this far! We would like to remind you that you can go back to the Seesaw assignments at any time. Your responses really help us plan and prepare for the coming weeks. In addition, children's work can change over time. You may see growth and development in a number of ways. Here's the list of things you may want to revisit:
Messages,
Paper Sculpture,
Shadows and the Shadow Ballet,
Hand-Binding Books,
Paper Crowns,
Outdoor Structures,
Mark Making,
A Rainbow of Feelings,
Spirals in Nature,
Updates and Celebrations,
Writing and Illustrating Stories,
Rainbow Photo Hunt,
Cooking,
Mark Making and/or Moving to Sound and Music
Messages,
Paper Sculpture,
Shadows and the Shadow Ballet,
Hand-Binding Books,
Paper Crowns,
Outdoor Structures,
Mark Making,
A Rainbow of Feelings,
Spirals in Nature,
Updates and Celebrations,
Writing and Illustrating Stories,
Rainbow Photo Hunt,
Cooking,
Mark Making and/or Moving to Sound and Music
Have a great weekend. We'll see you next week on Zoom and Seesaw!
Easing into Art Journaling with Mark-Making Emotions
We began our week building on mark-making and book-binding from last week by exploring mark-making as it is associated with emotions. We explored these in our handbound journals as we plan to ease our way into the idea of art journaling. Art journaling is something Jessica does as a practice outside of teaching and it's something we explored together last year in KW. When we introduced books and book-binding this year we wondered if we would come back to this medium as a way to explore different concepts and "workshops" in another way or language.
The books first led us to writing and illustrating stories, which we hope to continue (more on that coming soon!) Now, being in this new stay-at-home season, it made sense to us to bring art journaling to the children as a way to express emotions and explore mediums easily accessible at home. We saw the concepts of feelings coming up as we all aimed to connect across the distance and reflect on the meaning of our relationships, such as when Sam shared a memory on Seesaw of the way his family brought him comfort when he was sick on Halloween. So we prompted the children with making marks to express an emotion.
What do emotions feel and look like when translated through mark-making tools on paper? During our Zoom and in their posts on Seesaw, the children used a variety of tools to make their marks. Some of which included:
The books first led us to writing and illustrating stories, which we hope to continue (more on that coming soon!) Now, being in this new stay-at-home season, it made sense to us to bring art journaling to the children as a way to express emotions and explore mediums easily accessible at home. We saw the concepts of feelings coming up as we all aimed to connect across the distance and reflect on the meaning of our relationships, such as when Sam shared a memory on Seesaw of the way his family brought him comfort when he was sick on Halloween. So we prompted the children with making marks to express an emotion.
What do emotions feel and look like when translated through mark-making tools on paper? During our Zoom and in their posts on Seesaw, the children used a variety of tools to make their marks. Some of which included:
- paint brushes
- toothbrushes
- forks
- rollers
- sponges of various textures
- toothpicks
- stamps
The languages of MARKS, COLOR, and TEXTURE.
From observing, and listening to children's reflections of, the choices made in their work, we gain insight into the ways children interpret and symbolize emotions. Children describe the way marks and texture can show a feeling and through much of our conversations, the concept of color as an expression of emotion was present. We also learn what children know and are learning about materials.
In addition to the observations and quotes from children in the above Seesaw posts, here is some of what the children shared about their process during our Zoom:
Jossie talks about Lochie's painting. She explains that she thinks he, or the painting, feels sad because of the grey color.
Grace M: "I'm making a rainbow because I feel happy."
Leigh: "It's a 'T' and then I colored it."
Q: "Is it for an emotion? What kind of feeling do you think it is?"
Leigh: "This feeling is sad...actually, no, mad." She adds wings to her mad painting. Later she paints a unicorn that is flying.
Leigh: "This paper is not good. It's wimpy for watercolor. Because it bends so much and it makes holes so much. Because I'm using plain paper; I'm not using watercolor paper."
Ellie shows how she painted over stamps: "Stamps...I painted them but you can still see them." Ellie shows us other glimpses into her work but expresses that she isn't finished and not ready to show us yet. She said she is scraping with toothpicks, and later that she is painting a sad painting. She shows the colors being used. The final work is shared to Seesaw later.
It is interesting to us how color is arising as a concept to explore and we are reminded that it was one of the workshop ideas children suggested. We plan to continue exploring this concept! In the coming week, we also plan to more directly introduce and reflect with the children on the concept of art journaling.
(Click through the slideshow to see images from our time together.)
Jossie talks about Lochie's painting. She explains that she thinks he, or the painting, feels sad because of the grey color.
Grace M: "I'm making a rainbow because I feel happy."
Leigh: "It's a 'T' and then I colored it."
Q: "Is it for an emotion? What kind of feeling do you think it is?"
Leigh: "This feeling is sad...actually, no, mad." She adds wings to her mad painting. Later she paints a unicorn that is flying.
Leigh: "This paper is not good. It's wimpy for watercolor. Because it bends so much and it makes holes so much. Because I'm using plain paper; I'm not using watercolor paper."
Ellie shows how she painted over stamps: "Stamps...I painted them but you can still see them." Ellie shows us other glimpses into her work but expresses that she isn't finished and not ready to show us yet. She said she is scraping with toothpicks, and later that she is painting a sad painting. She shows the colors being used. The final work is shared to Seesaw later.
It is interesting to us how color is arising as a concept to explore and we are reminded that it was one of the workshop ideas children suggested. We plan to continue exploring this concept! In the coming week, we also plan to more directly introduce and reflect with the children on the concept of art journaling.
(Click through the slideshow to see images from our time together.)
Our Process and Partnership
The above example of Ellie is just one of several over the last few weeks we have observed of children who aren't always ready to talk about or show their work while still in process. When we were in person at school it was easier to gain visual glimpses into their process, but the barrier of distance reminds us so clearly of the importance of time and process in the work. So while we always want children to feel included and invited to share we become aware of our role, reflect on when and how much to interject ourselves, and how we can support the space required for the work.
We also find ourselves so grateful for the role families are playing as documenters at home and for the time you spend sharing this with us later on Seesaw or in an email...every contribution is treasured as insight into the children's thinking and learning.
We want you to know we use every Zoom experience with the children and each post on Seesaw as the documentation of children's processes right now. What the children say, do, and show through their work are integral to our understanding of where they are with concepts, relationships, and their own ideas or wonderings. It helps us know what children are engaging with, what meaning they find in those experiences, and to think about what we can offer to build on that learning.
We know so much more is being asked of families during this time as you support the work in documenting and helping children show up to live meetings, etc., all in addition to your own work. Please know we are so grateful and your efforts are not lost on us! You provide great value to the work! Thank you!!
We also find ourselves so grateful for the role families are playing as documenters at home and for the time you spend sharing this with us later on Seesaw or in an email...every contribution is treasured as insight into the children's thinking and learning.
We want you to know we use every Zoom experience with the children and each post on Seesaw as the documentation of children's processes right now. What the children say, do, and show through their work are integral to our understanding of where they are with concepts, relationships, and their own ideas or wonderings. It helps us know what children are engaging with, what meaning they find in those experiences, and to think about what we can offer to build on that learning.
We know so much more is being asked of families during this time as you support the work in documenting and helping children show up to live meetings, etc., all in addition to your own work. Please know we are so grateful and your efforts are not lost on us! You provide great value to the work! Thank you!!
Connections
Throughout all of our experiences and interactions over the week, whether live together on Zoom or responding to activities and one another's posts on Seesaw, we observed connections being made between children and to concepts. Here are a few examples and highlights...
RelationshipsWe observed the children making connections to their shared relationships and one another across the miles that separate us: When Joslin got on a Zoom one day she told us she had just been on a Zoom with just Lisa. She then asked Lou Lou if she came right from her Zoom with Lisa because she knew Lou Lou was next to meet with Lisa. Lou Lou confirmed this and the two connected over their separate but shared experiences and relationships. Lane asked Evelyn on a Zoom: "Are you in Montana?" On Zoom and Seesaw, children shared messages they had made and were actively making for peers, family members, and theirselves. Children asked one another questions and commented on one another's work. | ConceptsWe observed connections being made by children across concepts, mediums, and experiences offered: Children used what they had discovered in the mark-making experience to later express emotions. They took an exploratory concept about mediums and materials and translated that into a meaningful expression of another concept; emotion. Jossie made connections from books read at home and through read-alouds with concepts being explored in KW experiences, such as finding a spiral or "curly-Q" in a book read at home to reinforce the concept of a spiral found 'in nature.' Lou Lou and her sister Ellee used mark-making on their messages and Maren and Evelyn added to messages they had received from Jill...adding color to negative space. |
Here are a a few more images from this week:
Participation!
We've reached the end of our second week of on-line connection and experiences. While it is a far cry from being able to see each other at school, we are continuing to find new ways to be together.
Our hats our off to our families. We are a school that values partnership between parents, children, and teachers. Our web site reads:
" Parents are considered part of the educational process and the connection between home and school is a strong element influencing the development of experiences in the classroom. Families are encouraged to participate in nearly all aspects of classroom life."
No kidding! As we come to terms with this new way of doing school, we rely on families to:
- Connect to classmates and teachers on Zoom,
- Log into Seesaw for provocations and stories,
- Provide materials for the children to use,
- Support children in using the materials
- Document the experience with photos, videos, or other methods,
- Share the work of children on Seesaw and Instagram.....
The list could go on!
We can't thank you enough for taking all this on. As we work together, from a distance, we are noticing the ways in which these experiences resemble the work we do when we are together at St. John's. Here's just a few examples:
Our hats our off to our families. We are a school that values partnership between parents, children, and teachers. Our web site reads:
" Parents are considered part of the educational process and the connection between home and school is a strong element influencing the development of experiences in the classroom. Families are encouraged to participate in nearly all aspects of classroom life."
No kidding! As we come to terms with this new way of doing school, we rely on families to:
- Connect to classmates and teachers on Zoom,
- Log into Seesaw for provocations and stories,
- Provide materials for the children to use,
- Support children in using the materials
- Document the experience with photos, videos, or other methods,
- Share the work of children on Seesaw and Instagram.....
The list could go on!
We can't thank you enough for taking all this on. As we work together, from a distance, we are noticing the ways in which these experiences resemble the work we do when we are together at St. John's. Here's just a few examples:
MaterialsWe hoped that families would have access to paper and natural materials. We didn't expect to see the wide range of materials that we saw this week. Children worked with puff paint, glitter, gems, popsicle sticks, google eyes, wash tape, and flowers. Children used a variety of adhesives. An impressive array of tools came into play: hole punches, staplers, needles, thumb tacks, and glue guns.  |   |
 | CompetenceChildren worked independently and demonstrated competence every time we used materials and tools. Joslin and Leigh wielded glue guns as they made headbands for their eggs. Today, Lou Lou led a class demonstration on the ways she folds and fastens paper to create books. |
Problem SolvingChildren encountered problems and challenges as they decorated headbands and bound books. We repeatedly saw them try new strategies to overcome their obstacles. One common problem difficulty this week was using the appropriate adhesive. After all, it's not easy to make delicate flowers stay on an egg. Children patiently made different choices and met with success in the process. |  |
 | RelationshipsSiblings often joined in the fun. As we explored materials and processes together, we learned of connections. Will Clarkson has a loose tooth and Sam's sister Claire recently lost a tooth. We heard stories of things children had built with their family members and games they had played together. Although we are not physically together, children were still asking questions of each other and incorporating the ideas of others in their work. Parents were important partners as well. While making her crown, Ellie commented, "Me and mama are making holes." |
| In these ways, our work continues together, even when distance separates us. Thank you for making this week a success. We're already looking forward to coming back together next week! In preparation for the coming weeks, Tucker Room and KW made journals over a Zoom call. As the call ended, Gigi said, "I love my journal book." |  |
Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you next week!
The 100 Languages
in a New Season of Learning
And we're back...well, "back together"...and at a distance. What a week we had as we resumed school while continuing to be in our own homes! This time certainly comes with its challenges as we learn new ways of doing and being. However, we are also discovering surprising joys, delights, and perspectives in this new way of being together.
When approaching our work with children through the lens of the Reggio philosophy we often think about the 100 languages of children. As Malaguzzi said, "The child has a hundred languages..." and so it only makes sense that as we begin to use new tools, new resources, and new ways of communicating with one another that we will discover more about the children's languages: how they learn and communicate what they know. This has been true this week!
On Tuesday we began our time together in Zoom. Children had different approaches and responses to the platform: some excitement, shyness, awe and delight, as well as others who opted out of what could feel like an overwhelming experience. Some of these reactions to the experience were similar to what we see of children during our in-person meetings and some were different. For instance, Evelyn, who shares in our in-person meetings was even more confident sharing her story over Zoom. She delighted in seeing her face "on the big screen" and took time to greet herself as well as share with all of us!
On Tuesday we began our time together in Zoom. Children had different approaches and responses to the platform: some excitement, shyness, awe and delight, as well as others who opted out of what could feel like an overwhelming experience. Some of these reactions to the experience were similar to what we see of children during our in-person meetings and some were different. For instance, Evelyn, who shares in our in-person meetings was even more confident sharing her story over Zoom. She delighted in seeing her face "on the big screen" and took time to greet herself as well as share with all of us!
On Wednesday, Jack helped Jill and I test out an idea for small groups inspired by his house design made prior to break. His desire for a smaller group interaction helped us discover new ways and languages to broaden our reach with the children and to continue to follow their threads of learning. Now we are learning more ways to use live-streaming small groups as well as video to support various approaches to learning!
| Another discovery happened over Seesaw this week. Joslin shared a story of something she discovered over Spring Break:  | Ellie responded with a personal audio comment back to Joslin. This new tool of recording one's voice in the privacy of home, perhaps, amplifies some children's voices! Ellie clearly articulated her thoughts and feelings, making and showing connection between her experience and that of Jossie.  |
We have been excited to discover these new ways of being together and the ways new languages are stretching our own learning, viewpoints, and understanding about children's experiences. It is exciting to see the ways it can enhance our relationships even when we may feel so far away from one another.
We encourage you to continue to explore these new tools and languages with us...and share your stories and observations about what you are learning too. We embrace the adventure with you!
We encourage you to continue to explore these new tools and languages with us...and share your stories and observations about what you are learning too. We embrace the adventure with you!
Giving Feedback Part 2
After such a successful time yesterday of sharing headband work in progress and hearing feedback from the group, we offered the opportunity to Sally and Maren who weren't here yesterday.
 | Maren began by showing her unicorn horn to the group. Grace M: "I like the colors on your unicorn horn." Ellie: "I like the tape that you used." Maren: "It's not tape. The rest is stripes and glue." Jessica: "What are the stripes made out of?" Maren: "Ribbon" and "paint." Grace D: "Some of it ripped." Maren: "It isn't ripped, it's just that way. That's not broken, that's how the ribbon got behind it." Grace D: "The pink part (ribbon) is sticking up." Leigh: "You could snip it with scissors." Maren: "I want to keep it like that." |
| Sally: (Holds up her sculpted wire) "Butterfly...and it's gonna have these shiny things (beads) and this thing (striped piece of jewelry) that looks like a unicorn's hair, like unicorn's hair that is blowing. I'm gonna put a thinner one. This is my starting." Grace M: "I like the things what you put on." Austin: "I like that golden shiny thing." Sally: "Thanks. It's supposed to make the finishing touch. I'm gonna put this right here." Grace D: "Yours and Grace M's will be the same." Sally: "Not really because I looked in the book and there was a big picture of a butterfly..." (Sally explains how she and Grace M developed different shapes for their butterflies,) Grace M: "I did not look in a book. I followed my drawing." Jessica: "How many butterflies will there be?" Sally: "Four. Actually, five." |  |
Headbands, Sewing, and Building with Georgetown Houses
The following slideshow gives an overview (and some captions for closer insight) of the rest of our day. Children worked diligently on continuing their hand bands and finishing previous wood and clay sewing pieces. Children also built with a projected image of Georgetown houses which Grace David picked out for us! We hoped this construction challenge will help us stay connected to the idea we're considering for a village of children's structures.
Ideas to Consider Over Spring Break
As we shared in our email, we've brainstormed some possibilities for you and the children to try out over the break. (Remember: there's no "homework" and this is all optional!) We hope these will help the children stay connected to some of the current work and ideas happening in KW. We also hope you can use them to take pause in this strange time away from our usual routines to wonder and be with one another in joy.
We can't wait to hear about what you try or come up with!
- Experiment with simple but creative sewing: use card-stock and a hole-punch to create a design you can then sew with yarn or string. You can also sew into interesting items found in your recycling bin like curated cardboard.
- Sew a book/journal together with a simple hand-bound stitch. (Note: in this video the steps are taken very precisely which you DO NOT need to do. Simple papers, folded in half, and eye-balling three holes to poke through the fold is all you need. You can also skip the final step of adding a fastener by simply tying off the string.)
- Fill the hand-bound book. Some ideas:
- write and illustrate a story
- capture memories from break
- draw ideas for our built village or things seen out in nature
- collage with found papers and materials like recycled packaging
- add photos of findings from nature
- explore with various art materials you have on hand: what new and interesting combinations of materials can you try?
- Get out in nature. One of the children's workshop ideas was "nature." Do you observe anything interesting or something you wonder about? Document these or ideas from nature you want to include in our building or book-making workshops.
- Build or construct with loose parts found at home.
- Build a cardboard house or structure we can add to our village.
- Continue conversations through this and other experiences over break that include some of the recent concepts children have been discussing about what is possible, overcoming obstacles, "Keep trying. Never give up," and the positive side to mistakes.
We can't wait to hear about what you try or come up with!
Have a happy and healthy Spring Break!!
About
Welcome to the Kids’ Workshop blog homepage!
Archives
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
RSS Feed