Journals, Books, and StoriesThis 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.
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.
A Quick Look at Other Experiences
Let's Dance!"Hard times require furious dancing." |
 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!
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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!
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