November 21st, 2019

November 11th

"What is this? I can't cut it." - Cedar

A few weeks ago, while working on Lochie's birthday gift, Cedar discovered a piece of wire that had been removed from some ribbon that she was attempting to cut into smaller pieces.  This led to a brief introduction of wire, what it feels like, how it bends, and the special tool (wire cutters) that is required to cut it.  Cedar and Sylvie both found that placing the wire between the small teeth of the wire cutters required precision and concentration.

November 20th

Sylvie and Cedar's discovery led us to a more formal introduction to the language of wire. We began by introducing the wire by color and material.  We had: a copper wire; a gold, brass wire; a black, steel wire; and two different sizes of silver, aluminum wire. We intentionally chose to explore the wire without tools or other added materials so that we could investigate the properties of the wire in a pure, minimally influenced manner.   

Sylvie and the wire

"I pull it, twist it, and it goes." - Sylvie 

From the moment Sylvie approached the wire, she began to gently manipulate it with ease and confidence.  She held it gingerly in one hand as she twisted the ends with the other.  She crossed the tips, brought them together (to form a circle), twisted the wire around her finger, created a mountain, and more.  When asked, "How did you change your wire?", Sylvie responded, "I pull it, twist it, and it goes." She experimented with each of the types of wire, and created many pieces for us to save.  

November 21st

Over the course of the two days, we observed a few consistent interactions among the children as they worked, and their direct interaction with the wire.  

​Many children began to bend the wire so that the tips were touching, and they had created a circle in a way that we had not anticipated.  Additionally, they attempted to stand their creations up on the tips of the wire (e.g. Sylvie created a loop and placed the tips on the carpet and proclaimed, "It's a mountain.").   As they twisted, turned, and wrapped the wire (around their fingers, animals, etc.), we could see a relationship developing between the children and the wire.  

Working in close proximity offered a beautiful opportunity to observe and engage with the ideas and actions of the other children.  Their words, movements, reactions, and enthusiasm flowed among them.  (Contamination of knowledge)