Brown Room Ideas >> Rainey Room Designs

Brown Room

Brown Room Visual Projections

Rainey Room Visual Projections

Towards the end of our Brown Room year, as we began planning (with the children) for how we might start Rainey Room, we began talking about our good friend, Jen. She was away, on sabbatical, at the Minnesota Northern Clay Institute, and we knew that she would be with us for Rainey Room. We shared with the children that she was away at "clay school" and that she is a clay expert. They had so many questions about this (e.g. "Can you put sparkles in clay?"), and so we took the time to Zoom with her. Jen answered all of their questions and asked them to draw ideas for what they would want to make out of clay when we started in Rainey Room. 

"Remember that I wanted to make a clay butterfly?" - Will, 3.11 yearsn (RR)

These drawings below are from the last day of Brown Room when the children were asked to imagine anything what they might want to make out of clay. Adaline, Will, and Gracie all drew butterflies. Lillian also joined this group and was enthusiastic to think about a clay butterfly. 

Will, 3.8 years (BR)

Adaline, 3.7 years (BR)

Lillian, 3.1 years (BR)
A clay flower: "Rain drop, rainbow, and flower growing."

Gracie, 3.7 years (BR)

Researching butterflies

Yesterday, the group of children who expressed interest in butterflies (or similar) were invited into the atelier to do further research about butterflies. We thought about the shapes, body parts, movement, patterns, lines, and colors of butterflies. We had books, transparent sheets of butterflies, plastic butterflies with moveable wings, and images of cardboard butterflies Gracie created in Brown Room. We also watched a short clip from ArtechouseDC's recent digital exhibit about butterflies - these inspired ideas about moving colors and the different ways the wings might move.

Gracie's BR Cardboard Butterflies

There were some things we already knew about butterflies, and other things we had to learn through exploration and research. 

​"It's got wings." - Will, 3.11 years
"Butterflies have eyes." - Adaline, 3.11 years
"They all have them (antennae). Every single one, and there's something holding them up [head]." - Will, 3.11 years

Searching Google for images to print for our clay work on Wednesday.

Watching ArtecHouse's Exhibit: Timeless Butterflies

Researching the butterflies movement
"That's how they move!" - Adaline, 3.11 years

We learned that the butterflies' wings can move in a variety of different ways. 

Designing their own butterflies 

"I want to design a pretty pink one. I found a dark pink! Mine will be closed. It will be asleep." - Gracie, 3.11 years
**We learned that butterflies at rest have their wings closed together. The children decided that this meant that they were sleeping and when their wings are open, they are awake.**
"I want to design one like this (blue). Mine is going to have lines." - Will, 3.11 years 
"I'm doing a rainbow one. Patterns are dots, right? - Adaline, - 3.11 years 
How do you think you will make dots in the clay? - Elyse 
"Remember the holes in my [clay] banana?" - Adaline, 3.11 years
"I'm thinking about purple. It's dark purple." - Lillian, 3.5 years

"It's a sleeping butterfly with dots." - Adaline, 3.11 years

"So many butterflies." - Lillian, 3.5 years

"That's the sky with it." - Gracie, 3.11 years

"Look at the best thing I've ever drawn." - Will, 3.11 years

In each of their drawings, you can see symmetry of lines, color, and shapes. They incorporated our new information about eyes and antennae, and each followed through with their stated design choices. 

"Clay with Jen." - Eliza (when reading the visual projections)

Today, the children began their work by sharing their designs with Jen. 

She had also brought in a real butterfly for them to explore with their hands and to examine it under the digital microscope. They were so excited and paid close attention to the eyes, lines, and polka dots. 

Next, we began to get our hands busy with the clay. The children all took slightly different approaches to their work, but in the end, they each had a butterfly or two.  Jen also introduced us to a new type of wire today which can be fired in the kiln (most wire cannot be fired). This offered a different approach to creating antennae and legs for the butterflies. 

The children are going to continue working tomorrow, and even invite others to join them in this work.  In the coming weeks, we will also invite the other children who drew designs in Brown Room to make their own clay ideas. 

Below are their current butterflies. 
Top (L to R): Adaline's flying butterfly (holes in the wings); Will's butterfly with lines (as seen in his drawing); Lillian's 3D butterfly with wire legs
Bottom (L to R): Gracie's sleeping butterfly; Gracie's awake butterfly; Adaline's 1st butterfly; Will's 2nd butterfly