NARRATIVE, MOVEMENT, AESTHETIC PROCESSES
REGION: North
MUNICIPALITY: Hjørring
PROCEDURE: 2022
DAILY OFFER: Børnehuset Emilie
Snow story: Børnehuset Emilie (2022)
Pre-meeting:
Follow the child's lead without thinking product.
We need to wonder with the children.
In Børnehaven Emilie, there are two groups in the program. Their recipient group and an intermediate group. When Børnehaven Emilie started their LegeKunst journey, it was with this SNIP wonder: How can we use fine motor and tactile skills to create aesthetic processes and wonder together with the children. Special focus on getting the children VOICE, arousing curiosity, motivated to immersion. Can it be done without WORDS? - How to create enchantment with the material?
On the first day, Lina had placed a bag of cotton balls in the middle of the floor in the room we were going to work in. Before the children came to the room, she had a little chat with them about what CURIOSITY and FANTASY are and that they were the ones they were going to use. Before the children were allowed to open the bag on the floor, she asked them to take a good look at the room and feel the bag. Then the Vat-roundel rolls came out of the bag and in a very short time the plastic was torn off or the rolls were used as swords and then broken. There was playing, running, throwing, stacking, blowing on the cotton pads for the rest of the time - very tired children left the room.
The next day, Lina had to be with the children in the same room again - how was she going to STEM the children so they didn't go into the same activities and pulse as they had gone out with the day before? The cotton pads had to go again, but now with the addition of TAPE. She wanted the children to be inspired to use the cotton pads in a new way. Her choice was to stage the room - by changing the SOUND, LIGHT and PULSE in the room. Put black plastic on the ceiling lights and cut small holes for the light to flow out of. Hung strips of tape from the ceiling and lamps and stuck cotton pads to them, arranged a circle on the floor with the tape rolls in the center and cotton pads in smaller piles around it. The sound in the room was staged by playing quiet ambient music. Before going into the room, Lina had a talk with the children about using their eyes and ears and feeling with their bodies. Then she invited them to the room - they went quietly and stood in the doorway where they first took in the room, then went inside and sat in a circle around cotton pads and tape.
First we looked at what was hanging from the ceiling, then at what was on the floor and listened to the musician, then they each took a roll of tape and started unrolling it and dressing up wherever they wanted. It was clear that the staging of the space had influenced them and that it gave them a starting point to occupy the space in a different way. Both in their physical presence and in their use of the materials
Evaluation - playfulness 28.4.22, 12-1pm
- Children's groups
- Materials
- Meeting structure
- Documentation
- Parents and caregivers
We made the 75% ourselves. It takes 4 mornings even before the summer vacation to reach the 100%.
We have trained children in aesthetic learning processes - children teach children.
Try with other children and/or larger (living room) group. Children help children.
Create calm around play art. Use a planning napkin.
Has the goal of the project been achieved (How do we arouse children's curiosity? What happens when we challenge children's tactile senses?)
Yes, we do in every team. The adults were challenged in their thinking about product and planning. The children wanted something different, the adults changed direction and followed the children's initiative.
Do children play different games than usual?
Nothing special.
New relationships have been created in the ant room by two girls who found each other at PlayArt.
Not so much with the elders.
Adults in new living rooms bring new relationships.
How do educators act differently than they did before?
Goes in without product orientation in aesthetic processes.
What has it been like to work with action learning?
It has been exciting. We have been good at reflecting together, learning to reflect in 7 min. - Throw new ideas and grab them. Talk about materials.
A new understanding of children is emerging - when is the child sensing, when does it become overstimulation. When is the child sensing and when does the body take over.
What are educators curious about now?
Children's tactile sense. Seeing children in new contexts. Eyes open to other children.
What points of attention do we need to take forward?
It requires prep time and post-processing time. It's 3 different rooms at a time. It requires a framework. You are amazingly skilled and self-reflective - Lina. Remember to step back and let the children come forward.
It's a choice whether we want to take all children or few.
What concrete changes has the overall project created for the children, staff and the daycare center?
- opened their eyes to the idea of creating a space.
- Different process when product is secondary
- Retiring as an adult
- Try it yourself with the involvement of colleagues.
How will you continue to work with creative processes?
- create tracks with clay
- Paint outside.
DATE: 20.4. - Medium group
Questions of wonder: How do we arouse children's curiosity? What happens when we challenge children's tactile senses?
The fact that we are sitting so still on the carpet means that the children are very excited and curious, waiting to be picked up.
We need to use soap foam again.
There was one girl who didn't like it the others tried and felt the material and tried to use it in different ways. they immersed themselves and felt used the foam in many different ways and were inspired by each other
Describe the situation briefly: Number of children, who did what by adults etc. We had 8 children from the smallest to the middle group. Brigitte took pictures and observed the children. Jette started PlayArt, we used colored soap foam and glitter.
We used soap foam because we saw that most people could immerse themselves and wanted to get their hands on the material. Since we also had foam last time, we chose to use glitter at the end, which got the children's imagination going. Paint plus glitter and then clapping your hands makes it sprinkle down, say hello to each other - you get other paint and glitter on your hands.
How did you experience today's LegeKunst?
It was just a good morning. There was contemplation, children used their imagination, Jette just got the children involved and they were very creative. The children sat on the carpet for a long time and waited, but they were ready and not worried, they waited to be picked up and were looking forward to it.
What happened to the children?
The kids didn't have to make a product, they just had to be in it. They experimented, could immerse themselves, use their imagination and there were no adults telling them what to do. No one zapped and had to move on to the next thing they were in it. There was one who wanted to wipe his finger but it wasn't because he didn't want to anymore but because he thought he had too much paint on his hand.
What was the most fun, most intense, most difficult?
The most fun was probably seeing the kids trying it all out and the joy and excitement before we left. But also to see children in a different context, children who you thought were zapping and just wild play. LegeKunst opened my eyes that a boy could not only immerse himself in LegeKunst, but also in play and construction play. I had only seen him building weapons and shooting games on the playground, but he built all morning and played all afternoon on the playground, so he is a boy who immerses himself. I'm glad to see that. You get a different perspective on the children. The kids were very engaged and didn't get distracted. The hardest part was the first two times - we didn't know how much to interfere, for example.
DATE: 20.4. - Ants (youngest)
Questions of wonder: How do we arouse children's curiosity? What happens when we challenge children's tactile senses?
Describe the situation briefly: Number of children, who did what by adults etc.
Today we were 9 children. We sat in the workshop. All children got a piece of A3 paper. On the table there was soap shavings mixed with warm water mass. In different colors. Plus there was glitter. Before we came to the workshop, we talked about being curious. Use our hands. And sprinkle with something.
Lina and Jette prepared for us. So Merethe and I Karen could walk in quietly with all nine children.
How did you experience today's LegeKunst?
Felt a little unprepared. Hadn't tried playing with soap shavings before. Before Easter, we had briefly agreed on what materials but not how. So in hindsight, perhaps mica should have been placed into the game a little later. The children were a little slowed down in their process. When we said they needed more glue before the glitter could stick. The children were very absorbed. They each did it in their own way. Some dared to touch more than others. Some became more "brave" after time.
What happened to the children?
One girl was very interested in the soap shavings. They were happily chatting and trying things out. One child was a little reluctant. Seemed a little unsure. Two other children didn't dare to put their hands in the paint at first. After a while they became braver. Got their hands in the mass. Another one was mostly aware of the glitter. She didn't want to have any pulp in her hands when Lina handed out the pulp. Her paper was mostly filled with glitter. One child was the only one who mentioned that he wanted his hands washed.
What was the most fun, most intense, most difficult?
The most fun was investigating the soap shavings with the children.
How does it feel?
Hear the children's little comment - see a snail. Hearing it say slap. My hands are clasped together. It's soft. Seeing the children's joy/ wonder in their eyes as they sense.
Most difficult: preparation before we had to start.
What have we done today that we did not do before?
We added glitter and the kids got their own paper.
What are the connections between what we experience and our point of wonder?
We have children who have a hard time touching new things. They're still trying. Through play and their curiosity, they become braver tactile. Sensory play can calm restless children.
When we had to manage LegeKunst ourselves:
Since we were going to do the last two PlayArt sessions ourselves, we chose to bring the same children, as well as some peers who hadn't participated.
The idea was that those who had tried before could lead the way for the others.
We chose a material that was now familiar to us and the kids (potato flour, water, fruit coloring)
The "known kids" got started right away and showed the other kids the way.
Team two got very busy mixing their potato flour mixes and seeing what happened in terms of color.....
"Big helps small"
