Christmas ornaments

Children from most schools come home in the weeks before Christmas with an "ornament" made at school.  In the past, our school has not done such a thing.  This year, however, one of the school parents communicated a request for one thing...an ornament.  "I don't care what it looks like," she said.  She just wanted something she could hang and call an ornament. And I was presented with a SERIOUS challenge!

The ornaments "made" by those children I referred to above, from most schools, go very much against the philosophy of our school.  Typically, a model is made, and children are given just enough supplies to make their ornament just the same way as the model.  We will not do that.  So I was left trying to figure out what on earth I could put before the children that would be self-explanitory to the children, and would inspire their creativity.

This is what we came up with...

Christmas tree

Each year, one of the greatest joys for the children at our school is decorating the Christmas tree.  My husband and I set up the tree and string the lights.  Then the children are set loose to decorate the tree themselves.  Below are a few pictures to show how it's done.  Yes, the final product ends up being a bit bottom-heavy on the decorations, but the children are proud.  They LOVE it!

 

Art we've done

Art is quite central to our school philosophy.  All art is performed solely by the children, with no models of the art for them to attempt to copy.  This leaves room for the children to develop their own creativity.  

Our adult reaction to their art is subdued.  We purposely choose not to "praise" their art, lest they walk away believing the key to a "successful" piece of art is exactly what they have just done.  Often when children are given praise, they actually can become stifled by then limiting their expectations of their own creativity (more on praise in a later post).

Our art is very product driven.  The process of the children experiencing the creativity is the focus.  Much of it is done cooperatively (as seen in several of the pictures below).  Often our art pieces are BIG.  The kids love it!  What a wonderful thing to watch them experiment with color and texture through art in various forms.

So, here is a little glimpse into some of the variety of art we've done in our school.  May these photos inspire your inner child to create!

Painting suspended paper-covered balls-below are pictures of three of the children captured while they are painting the suspended balls

Texture board step one

Texture board step two
Fence painting

Spinning body art
Spritz painting

Color swinging
Bubble painting- the process

Bubble painting- the product

Car painting

Foot sponge painting
Roll-a-ball painting

Playacting- (dramatic play)

One particular two-year old in our school frequently roams the school wearing the eye-patch of a pirate shouting to others, "Aarrr matey!"  Today, she surprised us all by mixing it up a bit.  Sporting a lion costume, she ran into the room, took one giant leap with a wide-stance landing and exclaimed, "Aarrr cock-a-doodle-moose!" 

Aaaah...the power of dramatic play!

Playacting- a piece from The Power of Play by David Elkind, Ph.D.

Children's playacting is a direct descendant of therapeutic play, in which the child sees the imaginary child and the self as entirely separate.  But in playacting, the child accepts the fact that she is playing a different role.  Play becomes another way in which children further their undertanding of rules and the concept that one thing can be two things at the same time.  While my wife and I were having lunch at an outdoor restaurant, we observed a good example of playacting.  A child at the next table got up, put a napkin on his arm, and approached his parents to take their order.  The was not practicing to be a waiter anymore than a child playing doctor is practicing to be a doctor.  The child has little or no awareness of what skills are required to be a waiter or doctor.  In playacting, the child is taking the role with all the authority and prerogatives of the adult, and this is its true meaning.  He understands that you can play at being an adult while remaining a child.  As parents we should encourage and support this kind of healthy dramatic play.  Here are some suggestions from gifted Educator Ruth Almon for facilitating children's dramatic play.

Thus the playing of parts is very important, and it is up to us to support and to facilitate this.  Let us accordingly always give something to our children or our grandchildren for their "theatre trunk" or "dressing up drawer."  A discarded lace dress, an old top hat, a piece of beautiful red material for a royal cloak (or superhero cape), a piece of gold lame, some cord and that old blue curtain, cast off costume jewelry- let us be ready at any time to cater for further props:  a knight's breastplate can be made from old cardboard boxes with a stapler; a nurse's cap may be needed when the dolls have fallen ill, or even if one is allowed to take the odd thing to Father when he is ill-for a nurse such service is her raison d'etre, whereas a little daughter can become tired of it.

Also on reading

Check out Mem Fox's book Reading Magic.  She makes so clear how we as parents can foster early literacy without "teaching" academics.  It's amazing to watch little minds grow on their own when only given the opportunity and appropriate manor of direction.