It's the little things in life:

Dirt, grass, hills, twirling, and clay!

It was day two of our introduction to clay, and what a day it was.  Melanie began by inviting Audrey, Reed, Marley, and Jane into the studio to explore the red clay.  Just as we did yesterday (please see yesterday's blog for additional information about our process for introducing clay), the clay was in a large block, and the children were invited to explore it without tools.  Melanie invited them to look, smell, touch, and hear the clay.  This small group seemed a bit unsure of how the clay felt on their hands, and wanted to wash/wipe it off frequently.  

"I see there…" - Maxon

"Maxon, would you like to go into the studio to work with the clay?" - Elyse
"Yes!" - Maxon

Maxon eagerly joined the group in the studio, but having the clay at the table did not seem to hold the children's interest. 

So, we moved the cloth and clay to the floor, and everyone came to the studio to work with the clay.  We pinched, poked, squished, splatted, rolled, and stepped on the clay.  Though some of the children made cookies, there was not as much story telling/creations today.  Our time today was spent experimenting with what we can do with clay, how it moves, and how it changes.  

"Can we sing about our clay?" - Elyse
The answer was yes.  We used our clay to sing "Open, shut them", which helped us discover many things our clay "can do" (roll it, clap it, put it in your lap, creep it, etc.).  
"What can our clay do?"- Melanie
​"I am clay and I can ______. Can you do it? I can do it!" - Melanie
"Rolling, rolling, rolling…keep that clay rolling." - Elyse

Maxon, much to the delight of C.C., discovered that he could use his chin to hold and squish the clay. 

Is there anything more freeing than rolling or running down a hill?

"Let's spin!" - Audrey
"Okay! Like this." - Marley

"I help you [Sylvie]!" - Marley

"I can go up like this!" - Audrey

Large/steep hills are wonderful for rolling, running, crawling, scooting, slinking, tip-toeing, sliding, and more. They test our strength, coordination, balance, control, and creativity. These opportunities also produce a lot of joy, excitement, and collaboration. 

We would like to thank Violet, her Nana, Mom, and Dad for joining us this week!  Violet will be starting in the Brown Room next Monday, October 7th.  Please join us in welcoming Violet and her family.