Symbols at St. John’s It is tradition at St. John’s that each child chooses a symbol to represent themselves during their time with us. Choosing a symbol that represents them is a step in each child developing a personal identity amongst their classmates. It also helps them develop ownership of the spaces that we call the “Brown Room” and “school.” Once children choose their symbols, their symbols become part of the school environment; used to label our mailboxes at the Post Office, our cubbies, our portfolio drawers for our work and our cubby bags. Our symbols will also be part of our “Message Center” so that children can use them when making messages for friends and family. First Exploration of SymbolsFor our first exploration, children had an opportunity to explore a variety of symbols in small groups in the studio. Here's a brief look into our first exploration.
Choosing SymbolsAt our second Morning Meeting about symbols, Elena and Karen shared their symbols and why they chose them. Elena shared that she chose a seahorse because she liked the turquoise blue color of the picture. Karen chose the sea turtle as her symbol because it is her favorite animal. Second Exploration of SymbolsFor our second exploration of symbols, each child tried out symbols from a carefully curated selection. Karen and Elena examined their first attempts to determine which symbols each child showed a preference for in their work. Each child had a personalized box of their preferred symbols with which to work. Ford Chooses Inspired and encouraged by his older sisters, Ford was eager to choose his symbol. Ford picked up each symbol and said: “Is this my symbol? Yeah!” He eventually picked the scallop shell after trying each stamp individually. As Ford deliberated, Ramsey and Cal looked on curiously. Once one child made a decision on their symbol it seemed to catch on with the rest of our class. More Symbol ChoicesThe Brown Room's Symbol Box (Tuesday)Since Ford was the first to choose his symbol, he was able to place his symbol in the Symbol Box which will become part of the Message Center. At our meeting after snack, Ford ceremoniously placed his symbol in the Symbol Box. By the end of the day on Tuesday, more children had made choices about their symbols. More Symbols! (Thursday)Today more children joined Karen in the studio to choose their symbols. Seon and Isabelle joined first. As Seon tried out her personalized box of symbols, she exclaimed, "Fly! Balloon!" She then used a pencil to circle the butterfly as her choice of a symbol. Pointing the the light bulb, Isabelle declared, "This one. This one!" Charlton and Ellie entered the studio next. Charlton had a tough time, debating between the crayon and the whale, but ultimately chose the whale. Ellie was interested in a few symbols, but is still thinking her decision over. To make their choices official each child stamped their symbol on their drawer in the symbol box and then placed their symbol inside. Symbols, Symbols, Everywhere!Our symbols are starting to appear all over our classroom and our school!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
|