PAINTING, VISUAL ARTS, CO-CREATION, MUSIC, OUTDOOR LIFE
REGION: North
MUNICIPALITY: Hjørring
PROCEDURE: 2022
DAILY OFFER: Børnehuset Møllehaven
Snow story: Børnehuset Møllehaven (2022)
How have you experienced the co-creation between artist/cultural educator/cultural school teacher, educators and children and possibly researcher?
It has been an exciting process for staff, children and artists alike.
We gained insight into each other's everyday practice, including the "Music Signe" worked with as a musician. For her as an artist, she also gained an understanding of what our pedagogical everyday life was like in Møllehaven.
Music became the common third and even though music has been a big part of Møllehaven even before the LegeKunst project, the staff was also inspired and curious to expand their toolbox in relation to music.
The children have been looking forward to PlayArt and asking from the morning: "Is music Signe coming today?
A little snap story from the Bumblebees (oldest group)
A boy, who often sits passively while we have PlayArt, participated today and joined the community. We saw a boy who was already guessing during the secret activity.
He also wanted to join in the magic song.
Before Signe arrived, he was prepared by looking at pictures (of what?) - we'll try that again next week.
We want to see if it has a positive effect or if it's because he's in better health in general.
How have children's perspectives been expressed/included?
Even though a framework was set prior to the activities, the children's perspective was still included by letting the children decide which animals to sing about. The children had to explain in their own words which animal they had chosen by describing the animal in their own words. The children felt that they had a say and were involved in choosing the animals - what to play, etc.
The children also made their own props (wands) which they painted and decorated beautifully.
It gave them a say in what the wand should look like and they took ownership of it.
When we did the magic song and the washing-up brush song, it was the children who showed us adults what to drum on e.g. table, wall, floor etc.
Do the children play different games and with different people than they usually do?
LegeKunst has not formed new play relationships as such.
But the wands / and drums we found and used on the playground meant we were doing something different than we usually do, and it created a sense of community.
How do pedagogical staff act differently than they did before PlayArt?
As we wrote in the beginning, we have used music before, but in a different way than in PlayArt. We have new songs where we have involved the children in the process of making instruments themselves, and we experienced their joy in using them. We have also become better at taking instruments and songs out into the playground.
We didn't, as we originally intended (in our original snip story), use music as a transition marker when entering from the playground. For example, we reflected on whether we could play on the fence on the way in, but it didn't really make sense once we started the process.
As we write in the snip, it should ease the transition from outdoor space to indoor space, but when the program was started the first times inside, we chose to continue in the familiar setting that the children felt safe in. Therefore, it made more sense to use PlayArt as a playground activity
For the mid-term review, we asked ourselves the following questions:
What have staff learned from working with Signe?
The staff have had a lot of new input that they haven't had before, and have become aware of creating new sounds, learning new songs and movements.
We don't need fancy instruments.
We got more exciting outdoor life in the playground
What has it been like to work with action learning?
We've worked with action learning before and it made sense.
There has been a binding framework. The action learning method has given us the opportunity to be curious about the process - joint reflection after each course - the opportunity to adjust - learn more about our own practice and gain new experiences through ongoing evaluations that benefit the children.
To the artist/cultural educator/cultural school teacher, if present: What have you gained from participating in LegeKunst?
Statement from artist, Signe H:
It wasn't long before Signe H was able to withdraw as the staff were very engaged.
The learning went both ways for both the pedagogical staff and Signe H.
Signe H. also learned about the children's everyday life in our house. We focused on the individual children in the process.
We adults have been really good role models and that also made it successful.
We have mirrored each other.
What are educators still/now curious about?
We will continue to be curious about what music can do
● Use nature and take the songs "on the road".
Ex: use what's in nature e.g. stones, seashells.
How will you use art, culture and aesthetic processes in the future?
We have gained the insight that through inspiration from artists, we can give the children more sensory opportunities through the aesthetic processes we initiate. We will use the input from Signe H and further develop our practice.
For example, we can make more musical instruments in nature/playground together with the children.
Can we use music and songs, for example, in transitions or wardrobes where we have children who have a hard time getting from one transition to another.
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