Month: December 2019

Paint and Painting

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Making Decisions and Managing Tasks

How do we create? How do we express our creativity?

We decided to spend some time exploring with paint in the atelier. Using this medium to create and develop ideas was exciting.

The children began by choosing the materials they need from the shelf. They had to make decisions about what they were planning to do and how they would go about completing the task.

@N had to choose the colour tablets she planned to use. She gathered the materials she needed onto a tray and sat down to paint. She painted “Mummy sleeping.”

@C and @M decided to paint on one paper. Sharing the space and a task involves negotiation, communication and teamwork. They chose the colour tablets they planned to use together, two paint brushes and one large paper.

As they worked, they had to decide who was painting first, which parts of the paper each of them would use and what they were going to paint together.

@S was exploring colour as she created new colours using the existing shades.

@S “It is like a rainbow. Because it’s too many colours mixed. LOOK!, Yellow and blue mixed together make green!”

@S “Me and Serena are inside sleeping. And daddy, mummy and aunty sleeping. And grandpa and grandma are sleeping.”

@J “Baby is swim. Baby, baby together play. Sister. Cookies.”

@B washed his brush and changed the colours he was using. He focused on his task and continued to add on stroke after stroke.

@Y was careful about the colours he wanted to use. He wanted to make sure he did not mix the colours. 

He washed his brush carefully each time he changed the colour. When his friends asked him what he was painting, he said it was “A snake.”

@S was exploring with the colour black. He added a touch of brown to see if his initial colour would change. He was curious about the different marks and strokes he can make with the brush. He observed what his friends were doing as he worked with purpose.

When he was done, he proudly informed the others that he had made a painting of “A snake!” He completed his project by signing his name.

@L was using the brush to experiment with paints. He held the paintbrush gently as he worked. At the end, he signed his name on the paper.

Next, @L cleaned up the space he worked at. He washed brushes, paint pots and cleaned the table.  

When the children finished painting, they all cleared out the spaces they worked at. They washed the tools they used and put them back in the spaces where they belong. They wiped the tables and cleaned the paint splatter off the sinks, floor and other surfaces. Taking care of the materials in a respectful way is important. Managing these tasks independently helps the children develop a strong sense of learning and purpose.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • express oneself using words and sentences.
  • participate in conversations.
  • use mark-marking to convey meaning.
  • be respectful to others.
  • be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.
  • choose and complete tasks independently.
  • share responsibility for decision-making.
  • demonstrate persistence in tasks.
  • use strategies to problem-solve.
  • engage with, and enjoy a variety of visual arts experiences.
  • select tools, materials and processes for specific purposes.
  • use their imagination and experiences to inform their art making.

The Benches

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We have two step ladders. We had to decide which one we would keep to use in the classroom and which one we would give away to someone who needs it. The children called them ‘benches’.

  • Charlotte “PreK-K1 made this one. Because my think so (coloured bench).”
  • Felix “And grade 4 made this (the green bench).”

  • Felix suggested that Ms. Karen could have the second bench. “But we could make more for every class. But maybe we can make more!”

We were not sure if we could make more benches at this point, but we know that we do not need two in one space.

We suggested that we give one away.

  • Charlotte “Ms. Hannah.”
  • Nina “Ms. Krystal.”

We made a list of the people who might want a bench.

Ms. Karen

Ms. Tasha

Mr. Cal

Mr. P

Mr. Dodge

 

Felix “But then we have to make so many!”

 

Ms. Ai

Ms. Pat.

Ms. Jo

Ms. Mad

Ms. Anna Mila

 

  • Charlotte “Maybe it’s too many!”
  • Felix “Maybe we should count them cause we know how many we have to make.”

We counted to see how many people we had on the list. There were 12 people on the list! BUT we did not have 12 benches.

Next, we had to decide which bench we wanted to keep in our campfire. The children voted for the bench they wanted to keep by standing behind their chosen bench.

The children counted to see the results of their vote.

We had 4 children choose the green bench and 8 children vote for the coloured bench.

It was decided that we will keep the coloured bench.

Next, we had to vote on who would receive the second bench.

One by one the children called out the name of the teacher.

  • Felix “But there are two 4’s!”

Ms. Anna Mila and Ms. Pat had received the same number of votes. We now had to decide what to do about our results.

  • Nina “We can make another one!”
  • Felix “We only want 1 more.”

Making one more bench was one option.

  • Sarah “Share!”
  • Charlotte “I think sharing with people teachers.”
  • Michelle “Sharing is caring.”

Some of the children agreed that we can ask them to share the benches. But Felix insisted that making one more bench was a better idea when he said, “Because I like to build.”

We wonder how we might solve this problem…

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s) 

  • Organize information.
  • Draw conclusions and generalizations.
  • Seek information.
  • Gather information from a variety of sources (people)
  • Record observations—drawing, charting, tallying
  • Sort and categorize information and materials; arrange into forms or order, for example, with graphs, marks or symbols using emergent writing skills.
  • Analyse and interpret information.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Understand that mark-making carries meaning.
  • Share responsibility for decision-making.
  • Use strategies to problem-solve.

Puppets and Animation

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A group of children have been creating their own puppets. They have also been using props to retell or create their own stories.

We watched these stories to learn more about the process of creating stories.

Then, we also watched a puppet show called the very Hungry Caterpillar’.

We had a new app on the iPad that can help us create our own stories. We watched a few examples to learn more about it.

Felix decided to create his own animation by using the iPad app ‘I Can Animate’. During the process, Felix chose 4 settings for the different characters, he thought about the sequence of the story beforehand, he explored how to use the tool and figured out how to slow down the animation.

When he finished, he reflected on what he did and made a poster. This could be helpful when he teaches his friends how to make their own animation.

Over the last few weeks, the children have been gathering around the writing table, creating puppets as they talk about their stories and characters.

They were planning their ‘shows’ and wondered who to partner up with to share their stories. They drew their characters, cut them out and pasted them on to popsicle sticks independently.

Through these activities the children develop their self-management skills as they persevere through this process.

Working together in this way helps the children get to know each other. This results in increased social awareness and an ability to work within a community.

When they were done, a few children partnered up and recorded their puppet shows.

‘Rainbow Puppets and Sunflower Show’ By @N and @F

‘Rainbow Puppets and Sunflower Show’ by Charlotte and Michelle

These puppet shows were presented in English and Mandarin. Through these projects, the children have explored different ways to create, communicate and express their ideas and stories.

Through these experiences, the children had opportunities to:

  • engage with, and enjoy a variety of visual arts experiences
  • select tools, materials and processes for specific purposes
  • use their imagination and experiences to inform their art making

Community Storytelling with Props

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A group of children were gathering the cushions, moving them around the space and propping them up together to create a story.

They all had different ideas on how the cushions should be used, how they need to be organised and who would be in charge of that job.

As they played and told their stories, they had to find ways to work together, share ideas and solve problems.

They laughed, read stories and enjoyed collaborating.

These cushions have been the source of play throughout the week.

Each group took turns to prop them up at different angles, arrange them in cozy corners, as they worked together to create and organize their stories.

Yet another group have been using blocks and small world toys (animals) to tell their stories.

These structures represent different habitats for animals. Each block is placed strategically, each stone serves a purpose and animals are sorted into different spaces, based on the ideas of the group.

Through their play, the children are using their creativity to design and express their ideas and stories through the ARTS.

Children learn how to: 

  • Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Negotiate ideas with peers.
  • Take on pretend roles and situations.
  • Be respectful to others.
  • Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns, helping.
  • Be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.
  • Follow the directions of others.
  • Share responsibility for decision-making.
  • Demonstrate persistence in tasks.
  • Use strategies to problem-solve.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

The Plant

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The children have been talking about plants. They wanted to create props for a ‘show’. Felix and Tyson decided to use clay to create the insect eating plant.

Tyson “And this one is die. This flower eat him and he die.”

Felix “The plants eat insects to live. Or they will die. They eat it with their mouth. The white ones are the teeth. Look, he opened his mouth! He is ready to eat an insect because he opened his mouth. I am just putting it in and the squishing it because then it standards upwards (describing the process he is using the create the stem for each plant).

Tyson “He is ready to open his mouth. His flower eats butterflies. This flower eats, like to eat bees.”

Felix “Because butterflies are just caterpillars. They are the ones that eat insects not people.”

We are learning how to:

  • engage with, and enjoy a variety of visual arts experiences
  • select tools, materials and processes for specific purposes
  • use their imagination and experiences to inform their art making
  • create artwork in response to a range of stimuli

Zoonana

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We looked at a picture on the screen. Michelle quickly stated that she recognised the picture. She has been there before. There were many animals there.

Felix recognised the writing on the sign and said “ZOO!”

Yes, the word Zoo was at the beginning of the word. The place we were planning to visit is called ‘ZOONANA’.

We had a few pictures of Zoonana. We first looked at the pictures to see what animas we might see on our visit. The children called out the names in English and Mandarin.

They shared their thinking and ideas:

  • Jiwon “We like fish.” (in Korean)
  • Yoochan “Only looking at the crocodile.”
  • Leming “We can’t put our hands into the mouth of the crocodile because he might bite.” (in Mandarin)
  • Bruce “If you see the skunk, then you have to hold your nose so they are not smelly.” (in Mandarin)
  • Sarah “People cannot touch crocodiles because crocodile can eat people’s fingers and people’s fingers are cut.

  • Nina “We can’t put our hands in wolf. Because if we put our hand in wolf he will bite us.”
  • Michelle “I have a good question. Can we go to the Zoonana, can we pick up (take) we clothes and do drawing there? And we can feed the bird?”

  • Teacher “Why do you want to draw when you are there?
  • Michelle “Because I want to draw the bird.”

Everyone thought it was a good choice.

  • Felix “We have to stay where the other kids are, you don’t go loose (get lost).

Everyone agreed that the children should stay together.

  • Sebastian said he likes the “Fish and birds and they say peek, peek, peek.
  • Yoochan helped Jiwon share her ideas. Jiwon said she liked to see the rabbits. Sebastian agreed.
  • Nina “I like the rabbits.”
  • Yoochan wondered if there were owls.
  • Teacher “I wonder how we can get to Zoonana?”
  • Michelle “With the school bus.”

We recalled signing up to go on the bus. A group of children from PreK-K1B came by a while ago to collect the data, to see how many busses we needed to order. They have booked the bus for us.

We talked about the things we will need to take on the bus. Our lunch and a water bottle. We knew some parents will join us on the trip to help us stay safe and have fun as we learn about animals; how they grow and change and what they need to survive.

  • Felix “Do we going to take our own bag?”

We agreed that the children will take their own bags. We talked about the journey, how we travel on the bus, that we need to wear our seatbelts and not run away from the adults.

  • Teacher “What else can we do to stay safe?”
  • Michelle “We can hold hands. We hold hands with our teachers and friends.
  • Sarah “All mummies and daddies are going too?”

We reminded the children that only some of the parents will join us on the trip. But we knew that this was ok.

We are excited about our trip…we wonder what we might learn on our visit. 

How do we capture a moment?

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Felix was excited as he came into school. He said that he found ‘ice’ on the grass. He said he had it in his hand and was sad that he could not bring it to class. He was invited to see if there was any more ice on the grass in the EY playground. His eyes lit up. He quickly put on her coat and ran outdoors. He came back with a piece of grass in his hand.

He looked sad.

He stated that there was ice on it ‘just now’. When asked what he thought might have happened, he explained that it has melted because the “inside is too hot”.

What if we did not have to bring it inside?

We thought about this for a moment.

What if we found a way to capture a moment? A picture?

Felix quickly chose an iPad and went back outside to document his observations. He came back with a beautiful picture of frost on the grass. He was simply beaming with pleasure that he was able to share what he experienced in the morning.

Felix “I got it! Ice.”

Carnivorous Plants

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Ms. Tina had read a book titled ‘Who Eats Whom‘. Michelle wanted to make her own book about ‘food chains’. She drew a picture of a plant that eats people, while working on her latest book. Her plant had teeth!

We then visited Ms. Hannah’s class. She has a strange plant in her class. Ms. Hannah talked to the children about the plant.

This plant eats insects!! We had some tiny earthworms and the children wanted to feed the plant. They were excited to see how the plant eats the worms.

Why do the plants eat these insects?

We wonder…

Research Skills

Formulating and planning

• Ask or express through play questions that can be researched.

Data gathering and documenting (audio recording, drawing, photographing)

• Gather information from a variety of sources (people, places, materials, literature).

• Use all senses to observe and notice details.

 – Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Is it getting bigger? (updated)

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21 November, 2019

How do we know our plants are growing?

  • Felix “Because we know it’s big. Because it’s green. Before it was black. Seeds were in the earth. Bigger.”
  • Michelle “Big and big and big. We water and sun” Michelle stretches has arms out and shows us how the plants have got taller.

But how do we know how big it has become? What can we use to measure this?

Felix “We need a measure band.”

What is that?

One child reaches for a number line to show us what a number line might look like.

That is very big!

  • Nina “We can use the paper and cut.”
  • Michelle “We can make it too long and put it. We do ‘0’ and ‘10’ here.”

Felix takes a marker and begins to write numbers on the whiteboard along the stem of the plant to show us how we might write the numbers down to measure the plants.

Michelle writes all the numbers zero to 10 on the board to show us how the tape can be used.

The students were invited to make their own number strips to measure the growth of their plants.

We gathered to talk about how we might create the number strips. The children made suggestions about the steps we should take.

We wrote and drew the steps we need to follow.

Then, we followed the instructions to create the ‘measure bands’.

Concepts: growth, change, measurement, number, impact, connection 

The ‘Measure Bands’ we created were made out of card. We were worried about the bands being exposed to water and getting wet in the rain. The children suggested wrapping them in a plastic sleeve. They worked together to solve that problem.

 

2 December,  2019

It was time to measure how tall or long our plants were. The children have been creating their own tool to check these measurements. They have named them ‘The Measure Bands’. While documenting their observations, the children used many literacy and numeracy concepts. They are learning that numbers can be used in many ways for different purposes in the real world, that numerals represent a specific quantity and that objects have attributes that can be measured using standard and non-standard units.

The children are exploring mark-making and know that it carries meaning, while using symbols and drawings to record their observations.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

 

  • Observe carefully.
  • Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.
  • Seek information.
  • Record observations—drawing
  • Analyse and interpret information.
  • Present information in a variety of modalities.
  • Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
  • Ask for clarifications.
  • Interpret visual, audio and oral communication: recognizing and creating signs, interpreting and using symbols and sounds.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Participate in conversations.
  • Understand symbols.
  • Understand that mark-making carries meaning.
  • Use mark-marking to convey meaning.
  • Document information and observations in a variety of ways.
  • Choose and complete tasks independently.
  • Follow the directions of others.
  • Share responsibility for decision-making.
  • Demonstrate persistence in tasks.
  • Use strategies to problem-solve.