Reiko Usui
This Monday, June 17, 2019, we presented our project, Amazing Art to the children.
This project was aimed to enhance children’s healthy development through outdoor play. We set up tent looking canvas that were paint drop cloths, and paper covered boxes and offered children to create whatever they could imagine. We gave them natural materials such as leaves and sticks , as well as loose parts. Some children decides to use their hands and get messy.We decided to post this such a great experience in order to make learning visible!! We can see so much learning that is happening and children’s development through documentation. Let us share stories of their amazing experience!!
We were the witness of...
- Vocabulary
One boy was playing inside a canvas tent. He was hiding inside of the tent saying, this is my room!! I responded, Wow this is a really nice room and comfortable to stay!! But there is no bed, no desk and chair… why don’t we draw them? what do you want in your room?. He wants a TV in his room so we had further discussion about what size, colour, and where he wants to put a TV in his room. Unfortunately, we did not have time to draw, however, we exchange many ideas about drawing a TV and how we can make his room better!! Through the conversation with him, I saw him enhancing his vocabulary by trying to describe his ideal room. (Excerpts from ELECT, P.42)
- Recognizing and Expressing Emotion
There was a little girl who came over with the paint in her hand and was very unsure what to do with it. I told her to throw it right at the sheet. She looked at me afraid to do so. She tried to do it a few times but she could not get out of her comfort zone to be able to throw paint. I asked if she needed my help, she said yes, I helped her throw the paint. She then smeared it all over and started painting with her hand. The joy on her face was worth the whole experience. This girl now felt accomplished and competent to do something she had not done before. She was able to express this with me and allowed me to help her through this. She showed joy from doing this. She was able to recognize she hadn’t done this before and needed help. These were a direct example of Emotion Development focusing on Self Concept identity formation and self-esteem from the ELECT document. (Experts from Elect 2016 p.46)
- Fine Motor Skills
It was this little boy who got really engaged into painting one of the boxes with a piece of the robe which ends were split up, this made some sort of brush bristles. He was holding it just like a regular paintbrush creating a beautifully detailed artwork that many adults couldn’t believe was painted by a child and even harder to believe with the tool he had used! The fine motor skills developed using the robe to paint reached way more milestones than if he had just painted with a regular paint brush. (Excerpts from ELECT, 5.3 Fine Motor Skills. Tool Use. P. 54). Just to mention some domains that are involved in this process: creativity and problem solving finding a paint tool and figuring out how to work with it (Excerpts from ELECT, P.46), exploration to find out how the material works with the paint and on the surface (Excerpts from ELECT, 5.3 Senses. P.36). Self-esteem, he was so proud of himself when he realizes his achievement. (Excerpts from ELECT, P.40)
References
Excerpts from “ELECT”. (2014). ON. Ontario Ministry of Education.
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