A Plan or A Picture?

Today we talked about the difference between a plan and a picture.

The importance of a plan is that the thinking is happening before the doing.

What happens when it comes time to carry out the plan?

*Trial and error

*Changes

*Additions

*Perseverance

*Following thinking/project to completion

The importance of drawing a picture is that the thinking comes after the doing.

How is a drawing a picture of something a child has created different than a plan?

*Copying

*Observation of detail

*Representation of object

*Discussion of three dimensional objects

*Trial and error

*Developing focus

*Self correction

Our Builders At Work

Whatever good things we build end up building us.

~ Jim Rohn ~

Builders come in every shape, size and wonderment!

Builders become royalty, captains, astronauts, engineers, scientists, zoo keepers, mommies and daddies, knights, pirates, super heroes, planners,

...well, everything they could ever be!

Builders can balance, calculate, think, determine, revise, experiment, collaborate, discuss, problem solve, disagree, find solutions, share, position, count, add, take away, tell stories...inspire!

Building windows to the world, or are they cubbies for animals, or are they doorways, or maybe steps or ladders or...?

2 sets of 4. 
4 on top and 4 on the bottom...8 hollow blocks in all.

Now it's time to make a wall.



"Mmmmm....this is our rocket ship."

This rocket ship began with areas. Areas for sitting.

Areas for waiting. Areas for, "Mmmm...that's just for where we can stay."

More blocks were added. More blocks filled in spaces. More blocks were set on top...and beside...and inside...and more and more and more.

Ivy took two curved blocks and balanced them together over top a tree slice.

A rocket ship that goes "up to space".

A rocket ship that gets made and unmade and remade.

And the captain is ready to fly us to the stars.

The next day...the rocket ship had many engines ready to blast off!

On some days, the big blocks stay on the shelves.

Given the chance to value only the tubes, small blocks and materials in the baskets,

a king's throne becomes more.

Many small blocks are stacked, placed and balanced.

Many small blocks fill every little space!

And then knights are added. A city becomes a kingdom.

Cylinders, quarter rounds, rockers, bridges, tunnels, cubes, rectangular prisms!

Very big 'protector guys' come to protect.

Inspiration, excitement, gentle and careful work.

Great battles are fought and won.

Days and days of epic stories.

Then tubes become tunnels and a way to deliver blocks.

Tubes carry small blocks to the ground.

But, wait a minute...cars are near...

"Hey, I got a  idea. What about you get the cars?

We could shoot the cars down!"

"Miss, we can use the big blocks and the ramps and aim our cars."

Oh my! Tubes are aimed to direction cars into other tubes and onto lanes and ramps.

Precision! Coordination! Perseverance! A new game!







Challenges are made and unmade and remade.

And then another day comes along.

Another day.

Another idea.

Builders gotta' build.

And show their thinking with their doing.

And inspire.

Becoming...

who they could ever be.

Planning and recording for others to know.

Building a great foundation in the wonderful world of kindergarten.

The Open Art Studio

As teachers, we value our open art studio as much as the children do.

The opportunity for undirected activity in the art studio gives the children the ability 
to explore vital parts of who they are.

Community          Culture

Confidence           Critical Thinking

Observation          Revision          Problem Solving

Emotion          Intuition          Creativity

Observation          Revision          Problem Solving

 

 Mia drew a picture. She coloured with crayons...then decided to do more.

 

 Quietly working away, Mia moved her drawing to the floor and began to choose pieces of clay from the open materials. She chose a light peach colour and took small bits, pushing them and smoothing them to show her skin colour. Then she began to choose colours for the clothes. Mia took time and considered her drawing, adding details with clay to the things she had drawn.

 

 Once she had finished, Mia returned to the table and began to colour blue 

all over the page. She glued on a flying creature, which she created with 

card stock, marker and clay.

 

 Mia's finishing touch was a string. She had made a kite!

She wanted it to fly. Her kite seemed quite heavy.

It was decided that Mia's picture was just perfect for a frame, 

to inspire other friends while they create.

 

Celebrating the children's choices and processes lets them know that their creativity and ideas are valued.

Encouragement (rather than praise) will give valuable meaning to the learning that is happening. 

Things you could say:

"How did you do this?"

"You seemed to be having fun."

"You were really concentrating."

"What an interesting way to use..."

Talk about the shapes, colours & marks you see.
"What I notice first about your drawing is . . ."

"Isn't it interesting how you've used lots of . . . " 

Promote self-evaluation
"Have you put in everything you want to show?"

"Do all the parts of the picture look like they belong together?"

"Which of your paintings from today do you like best, and why?"

 Encourage effort, enjoyment, & risk-taking.
"It's fun to try it different ways."

"We learn a lot from our mistakes."

"Can you think of other ways to use this tool?"

"Let's try anyway."

"It's okay to get dirty."

Experimenting With Paint

Experimenting with paint medium is always happening in the wonderful world of kindergarten. Sometimes the girls and boys come up with some very cool ideas. Other times the teachers come up with some very cool ideas!

Dropping the string into the vibrant paint colours provided an interesting start to this painting activity. The children began to experiment with the different colours and the movement of the string. 

The children continued to paint with string and experiment with shapes, 

color mixing, line and design.

This egg-citing paint activity had the children cracking eggs and mixing in food colouring. 

The paint acted differently than water colour or acrylic paint. We used a different 
type of paper.

The paint looked shiny.  The colours bled together and mixed in a different way. Some of the children enjoyed simply letting the paint drip from the brushes and watching the colours mix into the pools they were creating. 

Filling sheets of paper with colours and using textured tools to move the paint around was the first step in another painting activity. Once the paintings dried, strips and pieces were torn away and pasted on another paper to create a picture.

Experimenting with painting techniques and different mediums gives the children a chance to develop things like 'cause and effect' and 'critical thinking' skills. 

When you consider your child's painting in an honoured place on the refrigerator, there's more to what you see than meets the eye!