paper weaving at Tuesday art

We explored Picasso's cubism technique through paper weaving.

Threading the paper strips took time but we started to feel the pattern of under and over and in and out.

This was after they figured out a great trik to help the strip stay in place throughout the weaving:
They used glue at one of the ends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Learning together and helping one another is a delight to witness.

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Our cup cake shop

The Maple Group had a cupcake shop one day in September.
 
The children wanted to have few flavors, so we decided to make two kind of cupcakes with chocolate chips and blueberries.


We had a conversation before we started to make the cupcakes.



"What should we do before cooking. what is very important to do?"
 
"Put apron on "
 
"Yes, that's good idea when you cook. It will keep your clothes clean and there is another important thing."
"I know, we need to wash our hands"
 
"Yes, that's right. Because we will make and serve cupcakes everyone, so if we are a chef, every time before we cook, we need to wash our hands very carefully. Do you know why?"

"Because we might have some germs."

"But I washed my hands already."

"Did you use soap?"

"No, I didn't use soap."

" When you wash your hands, please wash with soap otherwise your hands might still have some germs.  Please everyone go to bathroom and wash your hands with soap and come back. "

After all the children came back from bathroom, I put all ingredients on the counter and we played a  guessing game. We used our 5senses.

We started to making cupcakes. Everyone wanted to participate. We took turn.

 

We poured, mixed and added ingredients one at a time. 

A child said "making cupcakes is not easy!!  Maybe that's why mummy bought me cupcakes"

 

 

After all ingredients mixed, we put the batter into the muffin tins.  
 

" Naomi I can't!! It's very difficult"

 
So we put the batter in using spoons and one of another children said," When I made some cookie with my mummy,  I used my hands." 
And another child added, "Because muffin dough is very sticky and soft, we need to use spoons" 

During lunch time, I baked them in the oven. Sooner, some children smelled and noticed and called "Cupcakes!!" 

 

After rest time, I asked the children of Maple group for serve cupcakes to the other children. 

The children used play money to "buy" the cupcakes of their choice and all of the children practiced using caring manners in the exchange of conversation.

 

 

Bumpty Bumpty yellow bus

Every morning at 9:45 the children form two groups. One group explores song games and the other explores math ideas.

  These two groups alternate each week so that everyone gets plenty of chance to play with songs and math materials.

In the Fall, we take extra time to learn one another's names.

Each song game time we sing one of our 90 special songs!
Some of the children who have been here a while share their knowledge easily with the other children.

Recently we sang, " Bumpty Bumpty Yellow Bus"

This is a name song, and we use hand gestures to help us respectfully notice one another.


Gwendolyn and Adrianne started to sing this song early in the morning, before we gathered the children for math and music time.  This shows the potential of this song to help us bring joy.

On the way to the forest, they sang the song again and this time they invited to other new children and each child said their name with confidence.

And lunch time, they sang again, this time some children came to their table and sang the song together.

At song game time, some children are not yet confident to say their name aloud. We understand how this happens sometimes. We believe that participation also includes observation. Sometimes the other children help say their names.

Song games helps the children practice the flow of the English language. The children also learn to confidently speak to the group members and they learn to feel a sense of joy when their classmates look at them with care.

Song games are important and central part of learning to be in community.

Free play time- making birthday cupcakes

After we came back from the playground, a few children played together with play dough at a table.

This play dough is homemade.  Every Monday, we make a fresh batch.

Miguel made a cupcake for Quintus.

  

He gave it to him and singing the happy birthday song for him.

And said,

"Quintus, make a wish and blow the candle.

 

Quintus blew his candle with a big smile.

That sweet thing made everyone happy.

Luigi made a cupcake for somebody.

"I am making a cupcake"

"Who is the cupcake for?" I asked...

 

 

Luigi said," It's for you".

Everyone at the table sang a song for me,

and I brew my candle out.

 

              Miguel made another cupcakes for himself, and blew his candle out and
                                                     sang a song all by himself.

 

 

This time is Teacher Emma's turn, Miguel made another cupcake for Emma,

  

 

 

                                          At the beginning of the school year, many children are new to CM, they are learning English as an additional language.

         

                                     Through play the children  develop vocabulary and learn how to communicate in English.  

Friday's art

For the month of September, we planned about wonderful ideas for Friday's art.


Every month on Fridays, the children will focus an artist and explore one art technique.


This month, we forcus one of a great painter Pablo Picasso.

We talked about a picture titled:  "The Old Guitarist-1903-".

" What do you think this picture?"

"He is playing a guitar"

" Do you think is this happy picture?"
"No"

"Is anyone laughing?"
"No"

" When people look down, do you think there is a feeling they might be having ? "

"Maybe Angry"
"Sad"

"He is old"
"He is maybe crying"

We read a book about Pablo Picasso to the children.
After we looked at  "The old guitarist" painting, we found another painting, where a child was inspired by Picasso's Blue Period.
 The child called the painting: "When my cat died"

  
We talked about this painting.

" Cat is swimming. Because there are two fins on his back"
" It is heaven, she is flying."
" Cat is sleeping and flying ."

We setted up two activities to explore the Blue Period.

I set up a station to explore Self portraits. 

Drawing a self portraits is a wonderful activity to do and watch.
It helped the children build their vocabulary about part of the body and they thought more about themselves.

The teachers demonstrated drawing her own face.

"How many eyes does Naomi have?"
"Two"

"Do I have a nose?"
" Yes. "

"Where ? "
" Here" - some children pointed to their own nose with their fingers.


"What do you think does Naomi have a big nose or a tiny nose?"
" a tiny nose"

The children drew their own faces using crayons.

When they finished they began to paint using watercolours, the children only use Blue and Green just like in Picasso's Blue Period.

Learning about famous artists can be lots of fun and a great opportunity for the children to explore different techniques and they can feel expression and feeling of artists.

A gift for someone who is special

In the unit of Generosity, The Maple group on Tuesday, we made a gift for someone who is special.

When we started to talk about generosity,  we read a few books to help us understand of practice of  generosity. It was a difficult word and concept to discuss at first but we talked about various points of view and soon the idea about family and friends brought us some sweet ideas.

How about making a gift for someone you really like ?
Who would like to give a present to?

- my mommy, 
- my brother.
- my grandpa and mum.   
- my sister, I have two sisters.

So next week of these conversations, I brought many squares of fabrics.
We talked about pattern and touched them how do they feel.
And we compared these ideas with our clothes, too.

And then they made a paper quilt. ( they glued chosen fabrics on paper plate.)

They showed to choose favorite fabrics for thinking about someone who like very much.


Next time we talked about being generous at school.

How about this school ?
We all know someone who we like
We decided to make a quilt.

And there are many questions and ideas from the children.

-How can we make quilt? 
-I have never make quilt before.
-My gramma made quilt.
-My mum has a sewing machine.


I showed the children two kind of sewing needles; metal and plastic.
And then I showed them how to sew.

And I showed them some quilt samples on internet. There are some options, bed cover and blanket,
One of the children found a blanket for baby.

-I know it's baby blanket!
-I have a baby blanket my grandma made it for me.
-I have a baby bear.
-Can we make a baby blanket?
-I don't know how to make it.

Yes, we can make it.
-How about Brianna's baby?
-Yes! I want to make it for her.

The children know Brianna has a baby in her uterus.
She lets children touch and hug her tummy, if they ask.
So we have some ideas from story of "quilt". We decided to make a baby blanket for her baby.

We thought about Brianna and her baby in her tummy.

* what kind of colour might her baby like.

-Brianna likes purple, at music time she choose purple.
-I think baby likes rainbow colour. Because I like rainbow colour.
-She said baby is girl. I think she likes pink.
-She likes blue, too.

* how big about the size?
-Small.
-I have a blanket I was baby, same size.

* what kind of shape?
-Square!
-Ractangle

*Which kind of fabric we will use for baby? ( They touched some fabric from last week,)
- soft one. because it's comfy.
- it will be warm.
- This one ( flannel ) because it's cute.

*What kind of pattern of fabric she and her baby likes it?
- Rabbit.
- dinosaur
-Tigar.
-rainbow.

For their request and research, I bought purple flannel fabric for the back and got some flannel for the front.

And following next week, they drew a picture for her baby on square cotton fabric.

And then they choose a fabric that I will sewed on their pictures.

I had been away for 3weeks in Japan.
I couldn't join the party at the end of the inquiry.

After I had finished to sewing it and beginning of April, I mentioned the children about what I made it.And we took some group photos with it.

When Brianna visited CM with her baby in April they gave to Brianna the blanket. I wasn't there,

But Dawn took some pictures.

Dawn said Brianna loved our blanket so much, later I got some pictures that her daughter on our blanket.

 I believe Brianna will tell her about our story of this blanket and our children's generosity for her. 

Friday's art- Self Portrait

25th of May, The children drew self Portrait by water colour.


First of all, the children drew their own face by pencil.

At general play, some children enjoy to some drawing by marker.
This time I would like to see how much they can draw selfportrait.

Drawing selfportrait has two perspective. One is the children can see their face by using mirror.
another one is using their imagination. This time I asked them to using their imagination.

Some children drew a face which is filled in the paper, a child drew small himself, because

he wanted to draw his whole body.

We could tell how the children growth in fine motor control,

the ability to make specific shapes - such as an oval face and size of eyes or mouth,

how many more details the child observes, hair, teeth, eyelashes, eyebrows.

And also that telling the children these personal ideas all differents like everybody has different face and skin colour and different shapes and size of part of body. And all fine and beautiful.