A purple celebration

The creation of Remy's birthday present

Yesterday's birthday committee, Hugh, Jade, and Finlay, used the materials collected outside by last week's committee to create a beautiful birthday message for Remy.  Hugh and Finlay noticed right away that the birthday message material was different than what they had painted on before (we used felt as the base for the message). It absorbed the paint more effectively and dried faster. Some of the natural materials, such as pine cones, bark, small sticks and rocks also didn't transfer as much paint as other materials they had used for printing before.

"Maybe we should leave it (the rock he used) on for a minute.
Maybe for the paint to all come off." (Hugh) 
"We need looots more paint." (Finlay)

They jumped right into problem solving and exchanging ideas with each other:
​Finlay: Ines, I have perfect idea! My idea is to dump it out.
Hugh: Pour the paint.
Finlay: Let's see.
Jade: No.
Hugh: Why?
Jade: Careful, Finlay! (To Finlay when he picked up a plate with paint to bring it over to the bigger table)
Finlay: I'm gonna dump it out and then paint with it.
Jade: And then you just spun it around.

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The first attempt to pour paint from the small plate onto the canvas was unsuccessful. But Hugh remembered the small jars in which the paint was stored before we transferred it to the plates and suspected that there as still paint left in them. He suggested to "pour it out of the little jars" (Hugh). Everyone explored the jars in different ways; Hugh poured paint in one place to create a puddle, Finlay moved his jar around while pouring to create lines and Jade stamped the jar to create circles. Once the jars were empty Hugh had another idea; to fill them up again by transferring the paint from the plates back into the jars.  "He's trying to. Into the bottle. But it spilled on to the table." (Jade). Hugh noticed that this time the paint started to slide down on the plate when he waited a little longer. He proceeded to transfer the paint straight onto the canvas. Finlay, Jade and Hugh then used that paint to continue painting and printing. 
Hugh: Oh you see it's moving. Because the paint is on it.
Jade: Because it wants to move.
Hugh: The paint moves because it's paint.

Jade and Hugh enjoyed mixing around paint that had spilled onto the table with their hands. Jade then used different sticks to carve lines  into the thin layer of paint. 

We're making stick prints on the paint. - Jade

She and Finlay also decided that Remy would like it if Ines and Sam were on her birthday message. They created their teachers by drawing them with sticks and paint in a dotting motion.

Other thoughts the group had about the birthday message:

​Hugh: A pink ocean. Look how many things there is in the ocean. 
Finlay: I want to make lots of stuff.
Hugh: I'm making a pool.
Jade: I'm making a pool, too.
Ines: What would Remy like to see on her message?
Finlay: Boats and and and I got the perfect idea. My idea is Sam and Ines. I'm making Sam.
Hugh: I'm making her pink.
Jade: Yeah, it's Sam.

It was amazing to witness their process of problem identifying and solving, adapting, questioning and reasoning. For us as teachers, it is always inspiring to see in which, sometimes unexpected, directions the children will take the provocation provided by us.

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Happy Birthday, Remy!

Today we got to celebrate Remy's 3. birthday! Everyone was excited for the special snack. Remy brought in her favorite fruits, mango and pineapple, for us. Thank you, Remy! We also had caramel rice crackers with our fruits. Since it was Remy's first birthday celebration in the Brown Room some friends explained to her the process of a celebration during snack time. Bea informed her that she gets to blow out a candle and Lily said we would be singing. 

Everyone was looking forward to sing happy birthday and our special Brown Room birthday song for Remy. We also got to see and meet Katie and Brain, her mom and dad, on the big shadow screen.  We all are always excited to meet new people over Zoom and to share our classroom and stories with them. Remy loved introducing her friends to mom and dad. After we finished our birthday ceremony Remy's friends brought over her present. She was very excited about the soft message material: "I can snuggle it!" (Remy) She then wore it as a shawl or cape around her shoulders.

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I made sunshine - Hugh

This morning we also introduced watercolors for the first time in the Brown Room. Some of us expressed that it is different than other than other paint we had used before.

Daniel: It's okay. It is spilling everywhere.
Hugh: It's moving. It is dripping off. (when he lifted up his wet paper, watercolor paint ran down and dripped onto the table) Because I did some water. (about using water to clean his paint brush before using a different color)
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We would like to share a few impressions of today's explorations with you:

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A special concert on the front lawn

​Another small highlight of our day was a visitor for Rainey Room on the front lawn. We got to listen to Cedar and Wolf Baillie's dad play the didgeridoo. We opened up the window in our studio to watch and listen to him play his special instrument. He made funny movements with his mouth and fantastic animal noises with his didgeridoo. It was so much fun! Thank you!

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​We hope that everyone had a fantastic Tuesday!