Spin Art - magic happens

We were so excited to have Jaia's Mum and Dad, Janine and Ringa, visit today to share their time and expertise to create dynamic pieces of art with the children through Spin Art. 

Such an epic day!  

We must applaud their patience, aroha and dedication to ensure all the children had a turn...many, many times over!  

Children just loved it and this turned it into an all day experience for Janine and Ringa. Ka pai to mahi!  Above and beyond the call of duty that's for sure!

Some children were intensely interested in the art process, while others were intrigued by the motor that turned the spinning wheel! 

 Charlie passes over his precious art work for Ringa to hang up to dry.

Ringa was kept very busy all day. 

What I loved to see and hear was the absolute respect for the children's creations from both Janine and Ringa throughout the day.  

Children were unhurried in the process to complete their work with Janine's gentle inquiry "How does that feel to you, do you feel it's ready?"  I thought this was such a beautiful way to get children thinking about their work.  Then Ringa showing absolute respect and care with the children's completed art pieces with the gentle handling of their work...their toanga, when hanging them up to dry...always commenting on how special their work was.

Such a lovely, lovely experience and children came away feeling pretty awesome about their talents and creativity!

This is just a snippet of the art pieces created today and I'm sure the tamariki will be very keen to show you their creations at kindergarten tomorrow!

The biggest and warmest heartfelt thank you to Janine and Ringa for sharing the day with us, it was so much fun and we appreciate you both immensely!

Arohanui,

Tania

It All Started With An Experiment....

This week at Bream Bay Kindergarten, one child`s inquiry led to several children exploring and investigating alongside each other in their own individual ways...

The Provocation: After observing Vitali peel strips of bark from the eucalyptus tree, I asked him what he had discovered about bark? "Dry bark comes off easier than wet bark" he said. 

Vitali wanted to utilise the bark in an experiment, to find out if it was possible to "put colour on the bark". We selected a variety of water and dye colours and added some droppers to aid the experiment. 

Seeing Vitali working on his experiment sparked the curiosity of other children and they soon joined him, eager to know what he was doing and to become a part of it.

Through the active exploration of putting colour on bark, other ideas about how to use the resources and what children were wanting to learn began to surface.

For some children it was a colour mixing experiment. 

Alex said "I made black... I used all the colours"

"Hey, that made orange... Now I've made brown... Oh, I made brown again", said Stella.

 It was an art experience for other children.

Some children were learning to use the droppers...

...while others were finding innovative things to do with the droppers.

Alex was excited to discover that he could make bubbles

Learning occurs through the active exploration of the natural, social, physical, and material aspects of the environment. Through active exploration, children are learning useful and appropriate ways to find out what they want to know, they are beginning to understand their own individual ways of learning and being creative, and they are purposefully using resources. Sense of self-worth, identity, confidence, and enjoyment of children are enhanced through exploration. (Te Whariki, 1996)

And just in case you were wondering, you can "put colour on bark".



"We’ve taught you that the earth is round,
That red and white makes pink,
And something else that matters more –
We’ve taught you how to think!"

Dr. Seuss

Puppetry Play - Two little birds, a pig and the big bad wolf

Through the eyes of an artist

Alanna's beautiful flower on PhotoPeach