Rethinking Kindergarten

I took an AOE class this past summer to re access my approach to teaching Kindergarten.  I thought it would be chuck full of new project ideas and how to better meet the needs of my youngest students.  I was think curriculum, skills and lesson plans.  Well, I was a bit off track but not completely.  The course, Rethinking Kindergarten, introduced me to the Reggio Emilio style of teaching.  What it made me do was to take a step back and re evaluate everything I have been doing with my kinders.  I spent the rest of the summer trying to put together some materials for students to freely create with that would take them away from the ordinary crayons and paper approach I had been using.  I made a trip to the local dollar store where I picked up some pool noodles and bendable hair curlers which probably turned out to be my best investment.  Other finds came from the dollar bins at Target and cast aways from class room teachers.  I am in the process of putting together a DIY light box for next week using a plastic bin and Christmas lights.  Scored those today at the local big box store because of course they already had Christmas shelves stocked before October 1st!!!  My approach with the kids was to talk about cooperation and sharing and just being creative.  Their focus was to build sculptures.  We talked a bit about sculptures before I ever laid out the materials and then I allowed creativity to blossom.  After two different classes, I have to say, this has been terrific!!!  I love how they have really gotten into it and just enjoyed working together and letting their imaginations flow.  Some even explained the purpose of their sculptures and named them.  All the while, I have my iPad in hand and am recording for Artsonia as well as shooting pictures for this post.  Reggio is all about documentation and the kids loved that I was valuing their work by taking photos of it all.  So here are a few photos of the process.

This student told me this was his car

students loved these twisty hair rollers

A tower on it's side

A flower

Yummy ice cream

Shibumi

Google Shibumi and you will find a few different interpretations of it's meaning.   It is a Japanese word that does not have a literal translations.  Loosely it means effortless perfection or a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty.  Today I experience the art of Shibumi when I visited the Vermont Arts and Crafts Fair in Bennington and the Shibumi Silks craft tent.  I had witnessed this process last summer at a similar venue in Berkshire country and was regretful that I hadn't tried it out then.  Here is a picture diary of the process.  

First you drop the colors into the water tank

More color

A more color.  I think I added 5-6 different colors.

I swirled it into itself and other colors

You use a skewer to move the color around

More swirling and then I made sure I like what I had done.

The silk has to be held taunt as it is placed onto of the ink bath.

Here is my scarf removed from the ink bath and completely printed.  It is shades of purple and blue.  

After a multiple day process of drying, resting, irons, and washing, it will be ready to wear, hang on the wall

or use as a table runner.  This was a really fun process, very similar to shaving cream batik.  I loved it

and can't wait to wear my new scarf when I am back to school!

Creativity unbridled

Kindergarten students create a shape book each year.  They draw shapes, color shapes, stamp shapes, cut shapes, etc. throughout the year and the lessons are combined and stapled inside of a cover that goes home at the end of the year.  This year I focused only on the cutting and allowed students to glue the shapes onto the paper without any direction from me. I have to share a few of these with you.  I really love how naturally creative student can be when we allow them to be.

Abstract with balance

some type of creature

A bird looking over it's shoulder

Toothy creature

Flying bird

A face

symmetry