Friday, November 19, 2021

11/19/2021

"We're both using glue." Giacomo
"Just different kinds of glue." Janie

This week a big focus of the Tucker KW days was mosaics and collages. As Giacomo accurately observed, both process use glue. After Thanksgiving, KW will be working on a gift for the school, mosaics that will surround the paper towel dispensers in the bathroom. This week, we worked on smaller, individual mosaics to get a solid understanding of the process. You'll remember that we made many small clay tiles that would be a part of the mosaics. This week, we also spent time cutting up donated jewelry for the project.

Although the children were working on individual pieces, the proximity of their friends fostered conversation. As the talked, children shared knowledge and techniques, as well as showing appreciation for each other's work.
Nora: I made mosaics in Tucker B but we call it the Atelier and we made it out of glass.
Giacomo: I remember making mosaics.
Nora: (examining the clay tiles) They look so beautiful
Nora dips her brush in glue and lets is drip over her base
Janie: Woah. How do you do that Nora?
Janie tries to copy Nora’s technique
Jordan: Today we are going to attach our pieces to the base and next time we will add the grout.
Elle: What’s that?
 Giacomo: Do you know what grout is?
Elle: No
Nora: Grout is like cement but it’s white. It’s sticky and it takes 3 days (to harder). Like one and after another.
Examining each others work:
Janie: Wow Sylvie, that’s beautiful
Giacomo: Yup, she’s done. She did a good job.
Elle: I can’t use these (large pink shells), they are super huge.
Giacomo: What about these? (Giacomo points to smaller shells in the container).
Elle: Maybe I can find a smaller one that fits.
Giacomo: It’s like a puzzle.
Elle: Do you like these (beads with an intricate design)? I like them. They look like china and I have a china dress.

As children worked on their mosaics today, they thought about the materials themselves.
Maxon - These materials are beautiful. You know you are done when you see no more brown (of the wood base). I'm getting some cool materials.
   Reed - I'm thinking about buried treasure. We have a lot of shells here.
   Maxon - Do you like mine?
   Reed - I like yours and mine.
   Maxon - Do you like the pink or red?
   Reed - I like the pink?
   Maxon - Okay, I'll get more pink.

Collage

Although we used glue for collage as well, the process is different. For example, in collage, materials can be layered when creating a design. Children thought about size of materials as they started with a large leaf on a base. They also explored the relationship among materials as they worked to place smaller materials on the collage.

While most children placed their materials on the leaf as well as on the background, C.C. and Lochie carefully placed the materials around their leaves.

Lochie - I thought it would be beautiful to go around the leaf.

Jack selected materials based on his preference for shiny things.
Jack - At home, I try to get all the shiny stuff. Like gold coins.
C.C. - I really like the glittery stuff.

The interest in shiny continued today.....
Nora - This would be perfect. It's sparkly.
Jack - I like shiny things and the branches.
Elle - I like shiny things, like Jack.

Tools for Drawing

Throughout the week, children have been using stencils, protractors, rulers, and other drawing tools. Drawing freehand can be challenging, but working with these tools produces predictable results. Over time, these separate elements can be incorporated into other drawings and designs.