Thursday, July 5, 2012

Cause for Celebration

"It's my baby's birthday today," she said, rolling a piece of paper into a cone, fixing it in place with colored masking tape.

She decorated the hat with some of the new gems from the Super Gem Pack (GEMPACK) and held it on her stuffy's head with her hand.


"It's going to be hard to keep it on her head," she thought aloud, anticipating the next steps.

I tried scaffolding, making a suggestion to use the elastic cord (ELASCORD). The children create from their imaginations. They are their own authority here in Expressive Arts. 

They choose the materials, their own ideas and how they will bring their inner world to life. I offer suggestions which they feel free to take or discard. 

The idea of using stretchy string appealed to the 5-year-old. "I'll make some holes," she told me, taking the hole punch from its tool box on the art cart. Her fine motor skills were well-developed. She easily threaded the elastic cord and tied knots in each hole. She then placed the hat on her baby doll's head. Smiling, she showed it to her friends. Birthday hat on head she went off to play on the rug area with friends and puppets and stuffies, creating a party inspired by the prop she'd made.

"It's an 'i' see," said another 5-year-old, tracing the verticle line and the fancy dot of fancy super gems.


I did see and was delighted. I am always amazed at the myriad of ways that children discover to use the same materials.


I love watching the joy on the children's faces when they discover new materials in the many pull out drawers of Expressive Arts.

Jewels and gems and now super gems are cause for celebration. The children exclaim wildly and then focus their attention on using the new materials. 

I have observed their concentration grow over our time together. A skill that will help these 5-year-olds in their ongoing education and new schools in September.

Having been with many of these children since they were 2-1/2 years old, saying goodbye will not be easy.