PLAY, EDUCATION, CO-CREATION, COLLABORATION, COMMUNITY, MUSIC, DRAWING

REGION: Faroe Islands
MUNICIPALITY: Thorshavn
PROCEDURE: 2022
DAILY OFFER: Daycare Øksnagerið

Snudefortælling: Daginstutition Øksnagerið (2022)

- How have you experienced the co-creation between artist/cultural educator/cultural school teacher, educators and children and possibly researcher?

Exciting and rewarding to enter into an unknown collaboration and co-creation with artist, staff and children. It has been good and opened up new perspectives.

- How have children's perspectives been expressed/included?

It was especially while the artist had 75% responsibility that the children's initiatives were allowed to come into play. The staff said that it was good that the artist had responsibility, as they could see all the practical consequences of the activities. It was good for the staff that the artist tried out activities with instruments and paint, where the children were allowed to have new experiences of themselves.

Since the staff had 75% responsibility for the activities, it was very similar to the usual activities they have in the kindergarten. All activities started with the staff gathering the children, they sang together and an adult told a story.

It was hard to make time to prepare. It was as if - "it should just be done". It was hard to get the action learning spiral going.

- Do children play different games and with different people than usual?

However, to summarize the reflection, the kindergarten staff could tell that for their last activity, they could see that the children were more interested in seeing each other in the activity and helping each other to complete the activity. Before, they would have seen more competition between the children about who came first.

They see children who previously didn't have the courage to participate are now more active and taking part in the activities.

- How do pedagogical staff act differently than they did before PlayArt?

They want to get a better start with the action learning model, as they have noticed the difference in the activity when they have a common point of work and take time for organization and reflection.

During this period, staff have gained a better insight into the children's groups and have gotten to know the children better. They have seen that children who they thought would not be able to concentrate have been interested, engaged and have managed to stay focused.

Staff see more "star moments" when working with the action learning model

- What has it been like to work with action learning?

It has created something good, both for the staff and the children, that the artist has come to the institution.

The children have even commented that one of the staff drinks Jasmine tea.

It's been great that the focus is on the "point of wonder" and not the product.

LegeKunst is perhaps similar to the "Imagination Fantasist" in that it is conscious of presenting children with material without telling them what they are going to use it for.

- To the artist/cultural mediator/cultural school teacher, if present: What have you gained from participating in PlayArt?

I thrive on sharing my ideas with others to create art. It has therefore been a great challenge to be allowed to try and learn to stand on my own two feet and organize these courses.

It's been exciting to work creatively in this way.

- What are the pedagogical staff still/now curious about?

To continue working with the action learning model.

To have a greater focus on reflecting together in the staff group.

- What points for attention should we take forward?

Focus more on whether children are learning new experiences about themselves and each other.

The nursery wants to try to get better at working in smaller groups.