I didn’t really know what to expect for my first session with my child partner. I wasn’t sure what she would be interested in, or anything about her. After our first session I learned so much more about her and how this is going to work. She didn’t really want to sit and do just one thing the whole hour so it will take some collaboration between my partner and I to come up with different types of things we can do that will relate to the overall project. This process requires a good deal of thinking on your feet which I will become better at as we progress through this experience. I plan on going to the library and bringing in books that will (hopefully :) ) be of interest to her! I will also have a plan B and a plan C in case the first plan finishes up quicker than expected or if she has no interest in it.
I was very excited for my first session with the two year olds, especially because I haven't spent much time with that age group. I had two girls in my group. I didn't know what to expect or how their personality would be. Both of the girls had completely different personalities, One loves to move around and socialize with the other children and the other loves to paint and sit still. I feel that my partner and I will have to figure out how we can make the two of them work together and keep both of them interested. I have already started researching many activities we can do with both children. I now know what the children enjoy doing, and for how long their attention span is. I am excited to see how the rest of the weeks go! :)
I had mixed emotions about the first session with my child partner. I was very excited because I love being around children of all ages and I was nervous because I didn't know anything about my little boy and what he would be interested in. I was hoping that he and the other little 3 yr old girl would be interested in my art project that I had them do for the environment project. He and the other girl loved playing in the water and blowing through a straw to make their sailboats, that they made, sail through the water. The 3 year olds got along great and they both LOVE to paint. So I will have to come up with some projects that relate to our environment projects and painting! For being three I thought both of them had great attention spans and communicated very well. This coming week will be fun because I now know what they are interested in and how long they can stay focused on one activity! I'm looking forward to the upcoming weeks! I think this is a great learning experience and a lot of fun :)
I was really excited to meet my 3 year old girl Olivia. I was a little nervous at first due to the fact I did not know how well she would want to open up to me or if she was shy at all. But, when I saw her in line with her name tag on-she was the only little girl cutting everyone to be at the front due to the fact she was so excited. Olivia has so much energy and she is the cuttest thing I have ever seen. She is the perfect child to be paired with I feel like due to the fact she was willing to try anything. I was amazed that along with Olivia, our other child Griffin, there attention span could last more than 10 minutes. With some 3 year olds, this may be hard to do by staying on one task at a time. I believe with Griffin, it allowed Olivia to realize that what we were doing she could learn from and see that Griffin is doing this to so its alright for me to do it. I caught some times where Griffin would watch to see if Olivia would do something first just to make sure it was safe to do. It's almost like they leaned on one another without even knowing it. Olivia and Griffin worked great together on mine and katelyns projects. We picked insects out of dirt and fished for Octopus's in the ocean. They really understood the projects we put in front of them and actually knew a lot of the questions we had to ask. When we were finished, we went in to paint and work on some other projects. It was great to see the childrens mind work through the paintings and how they bring alive the artwork. I am hoping tomorrow we can work more on what the children like not only by focusing on one thing, but combining Olivia and Griffins likes and working as a group.
I had no idea what last Thursday was going to be like when the children arrived. A part of me was excited to finally be able to interact with the children because all of my classes thus far have been your typical lecture, reciting & studio classes. This is my first class where I get to interact with children as part of the course. The other part of me was frightened, knowing very little about the children that I was assigned to work with.
After the last children's workshop, I noticed things that I did wrong or could've done better. It was definitely a learning experience. Let me explain..
I have learned that young children put much time and effort into their artwork & it needs to be properly cared for. I'm embarrassed to admit it but one of my children finished a painting, showed it to their mother & then laid it on the ground. I thought nothing of it. It was just the first day. Another member of my group took the initiative to pick it up and hang it to dry. It caught me off guard because that's what I should've thought about doing in the first place. I know that the second time around, I will be reminded of this.
I also discovered that the children may not be how you expect them to be. There is one child who is very shy & rarely ever speaks a word. I found myself fumbling for ways to get her to open up to me. I had at one point asked her what she was painting as a way to attempt to get her to talk about her thought process and work. Another member of my group became frustrated (as I later found out) because I guess a child could read into what I had asked as I don't know what she is painting because it is unrecognizable to me & can in turn, hurt her feelings?! I was caught off guard by this. Still not sure how I exactly feel about it.
I found it rather uncomfortable to walk around with the child while trying to find something she was interested in. We circled the tables a couple times. I'm thinking it was because she was uncomfortable as well with it being her first time there and being shy still. I am going to come up with a couple ideas for activities that we can do together so that we have something to start with this time around. Halloween is coming up, so I was thinking about something fun with Halloween in mind!
Kathy, if you have any suggestions on how to help out after reading this, please email me! :)
The first workshop was interesting. It was a learning moment for my partners and I, speaking in the perspective of classmates and our child partners. I really didn't know what to expect, however I was quite thrilled for the learning opportunity. I am working with two year old, so the learning process still continues. I think last week was the opening of the process. Where the children were learning if it was okay to talk with us. I understand that we are complete strangers, and at this age it can be very difficult to feel open to express themselves and comfortable. SO, I learned that it takes time for the children to feel comfortable, even when the most enticing activity is at hand, painting!! They loved the paint, however they really didn't want anything to do with individuals offering the paint. So, this week I think we have to be even more flexible with the materials and the expectancy of getting much information. I concluded last week with the thought that if they are going to talk to us, it will definitely be at their own time and risk. However, I am still excited to adventure with the learning process of two year olds.
I have to be thankful to Beth for restraining me like she did, because the natural tendency for me to try and take control over the art experience kept surfacing. Also, due to the fact that only one of our three children showed up, I found it difficult not to want to guide the art experience in the direction I had already premeditated. I had picked my supplies with a very specific purpose in mind of how to use those supplies, and rather than letting the child guide the experience through his own natural curiosity and creativity, I felt the need to interject with my own agenda. Again, I have to thank Beth for reminding me to "take a backseat" and let him explore on his own. So that, I think I could say, was a lesson that I learned the hard way last week. For next time, I will definately be more attentive to our child's (and hopefully the other children's, if they show up) interests and be able to find and utilize that "teachable moment" more effectively. In short, I, as usual, found myself to be perhaps too overbearing, as seen from the Reggio Emilia perspective. Also, because it happened to be our first meet, our child was very shy at first, and it took a little bit before he seemed comfortable enough to start talking to us and telling us what he's interested in. Since next time I expect our other kids to show up (hopefully) for the first time, I'll take this into consideration; that they might be shy meeting us for the first time and may need some time to be aquainted with us before jumping headfirst into what kind of art experience we can foster. That first ice-breaking meeting seems like an important time to get to know the child and make them feel comfortable enough around us that their natural creativity and inspirations and come out and be seized upon by us, the educators. So in summary, I will try to take more of a passive role in terms of leading the art experience and let the child(ren) be the guide of what direction it will go. In the spirit of Reggio Emilia, I will try to be more antangonistic rather than dictatorial in facilitating the art experience. Even though it's only been 1 week so far, after reflecting on the last workshop, I feel I still have a lot of practical learning to do; perhaps, bad habits to break.
It was great to meet my child partner last week. I learned a few things about each child like where they go to school and some random facts about their parents and a few other things. I also learned that the two children that made it to the first day of our workshop both were interested in soccer and things to do with water like the sandy beaches, the lake water itself and activities that take place in the water such as jet skiing and swimming. The first week was clearly not the most efficient use of time due to the fact that we were all meeting for the first time and everyone was a little nervous about meeting. This week all three of our child partners are supposed to be at the workshop so since we know some interests of the two kids from last week we will see what our third child’s interests are and spend this session exploring and trying to figure out what type of project the children would like to do.
Upon having no real experience with children, I have learned a lot from this course that I took directly into my first art experience. The ideas of Reggio simply make sense as to how I would entertain a child, so that's what I did. I let Lauren guide me to what she wanted to do. She was very shy, so thanks to some suggesting from my partner Emily, we settled on clay. I was surprised at how long Lauren could hold her attention to one thing – we worked with the clay for around a half hour. After that, we traveled to the hallway to explore the environments set up out there. I learned a lot from the firt experience, so for the next time, I will be more suggesting toward activities we could do. The most frustrating part for me was watching Lauren struggle with motor skills. Not remembering the struggle of developing them, it was very stressful for me to watch. I learned that I should be more helpful in these sorts of situations.
I learned a lot about my child partner from our first art experience together. I learned that my partner is very shy, and is very timid when trying something on her own without my help. But I also learned things she's interested in, and was able to see her interact with her parents and her sisters, so I was able to see what she's like when she's completely comfortable with someone. The first experience together will better prepare me for the next one, because I now know more about my child's personality and likes and dislikes. I will be better prepared to suggest certain activities that she make like.
From my first experience with Ben, I learned that it’s not really as hard as it seems. He is experienced at the Children’s workshop, and he was actually showing me around and what we could do! I feel like I have more options available this next class because I know what materials are available. I know not to be nervous, as well as having my partner here this week and being able to take pictures will be a great asset. I haven’t had that many experiences with younger children, being as my only nephew is 1. This is a great learning experience and I feel that I got really lucky with my child selection.
Since I was out of town for the creativity conference in Columbus, I was not able to interact with my child partner last class. I do however, have experience working with children in elementary school on a daily basis. In the mornings specifically I am able to sit down one on one with children. I try to let them lead in an activity of their choosing. Letting go of the reigns, so to speak, can be tough for educators but I feel it is a necessity for their creative development. I look forward to what the children bring to class. I know from my child's profile, that she has been coming to the workshops for a few years now. This will enable us to dive right in and find something fun to explore.
the first thing that i learned at the first childrens workshop is that i need a new camera. big bummer for me. i have two little girls in my group. i am usually surrounded by boys and there is a definite difference. little girls are so chatty. they had both been in the workshops before and were very familiar with the location of materials. they seem to like to do similar projects picking the same materials in the beggining. lots of glitter. my group partner had a good idea of putting things back as we brought out new things. by the end of the workshop we had a little bit of everything out on the table. i am excited to see what they decide to do this week.
I was very excited about meeting with Katherine for the first time and working in our little group. The two girls, both veterans of the workshop, were very outgoing and did not hesitate to make their wishes known. Each girl had her own idea about what she wanted to create and the medium she wanted to use. One thing that surprised me about them was how quickly they completed one project and moved on to the next one.
It seems that, at least with these two children, students prefer to figure out for themselves much of what they want to do instead of the traditional method of being assigned a project where every member of the class creates the same identical object.
Working with these two children, I found that the role of facilitator was easier than I expected. Once the girls surveyed the available materials and played around with some of the natural objects and textures, they were full of creative ideas. The evening was very successful.
The first work shop did not go as I had envisioned. First only one of the three students and Kasey and I are working with showed up. So it was difficult working with just one student. I took pictures for him and we each did make time to engage in art activities with him. He mainly used Kasey’s environment most of the time, which was wonderful for Kasey as I took many pictures. I am hoping that at least two children show up this time. At this point I cannot say that I would do anything differently as I do not feel that I have had the true experience as of yet. I look forward to working with the students however and with my partner as well.
Well at first our group started off with only one child, which was Kendall. With it being four of us and only one child it seemed as if we were all crowding her and fighting for her attention. Then Delaney showed up late and we had two children, which made it a little more easier because we then took turns two on one which each child. I had a great time getting to know the children and playing with them. While working with them I noticed that I wasn’t totally open to letting them explore their world and materials around them because of what I was previously taught of wrong and right so this week I have to be more open and not so objective. Hopefully we have another child this week so that everyone gets fair quality time with the children.
my student, robert, showed an interest in doing things other than making art with the material. we worked with clay, upon his request. then a game ensued of making charicters ouot of the clay tools. primarily the pizza rollers. they engaged in dialogue between he and i and everntually they raced one another on a clay track composed ot of the board and clay stop siogns. This helped me to get a couple of ideas for next class. i am going to suggest that we practice making parts of cars like wheels and steering wheels. if he shows an interest, next time,i will bring in some car pictures. He is also interested in texture. he made a game of squashing the clay under his foot and examining the prin t left by the sole of his shoe. That could help us when making the traction on our wheels if
I didn’t really know what to expect for my first session with my child partner. I wasn’t sure what she would be interested in, or anything about her. After our first session I learned so much more about her and how this is going to work. She didn’t really want to sit and do just one thing the whole hour so it will take some collaboration between my partner and I to come up with different types of things we can do that will relate to the overall project. This process requires a good deal of thinking on your feet which I will become better at as we progress through this experience. I plan on going to the library and bringing in books that will (hopefully :) ) be of interest to her! I will also have a plan B and a plan C in case the first plan finishes up quicker than expected or if she has no interest in it.
ReplyDeleteI was very excited for my first session with the two year olds, especially because I haven't spent much time with that age group. I had two girls in my group. I didn't know what to expect or how their personality would be. Both of the girls had completely different personalities, One loves to move around and socialize with the other children and the other loves to paint and sit still. I feel that my partner and I will have to figure out how we can make the two of them work together and keep both of them interested. I have already started researching many activities we can do with both children. I now know what the children enjoy doing, and for how long their attention span is. I am excited to see how the rest of the weeks go! :)
ReplyDeleteI had mixed emotions about the first session with my child partner. I was very excited because I love being around children of all ages and I was nervous because I didn't know anything about my little boy and what he would be interested in. I was hoping that he and the other little 3 yr old girl would be interested in my art project that I had them do for the environment project. He and the other girl loved playing in the water and blowing through a straw to make their sailboats, that they made, sail through the water. The 3 year olds got along great and they both LOVE to paint. So I will have to come up with some projects that relate to our environment projects and painting! For being three I thought both of them had great attention spans and communicated very well. This coming week will be fun because I now know what they are interested in and how long they can stay focused on one activity! I'm looking forward to the upcoming weeks! I think this is a great learning experience and a lot of fun :)
ReplyDeleteI was really excited to meet my 3 year old girl Olivia. I was a little nervous at first due to the fact I did not know how well she would want to open up to me or if she was shy at all. But, when I saw her in line with her name tag on-she was the only little girl cutting everyone to be at the front due to the fact she was so excited. Olivia has so much energy and she is the cuttest thing I have ever seen. She is the perfect child to be paired with I feel like due to the fact she was willing to try anything. I was amazed that along with Olivia, our other child Griffin, there attention span could last more than 10 minutes. With some 3 year olds, this may be hard to do by staying on one task at a time. I believe with Griffin, it allowed Olivia to realize that what we were doing she could learn from and see that Griffin is doing this to so its alright for me to do it. I caught some times where Griffin would watch to see if Olivia would do something first just to make sure it was safe to do. It's almost like they leaned on one another without even knowing it. Olivia and Griffin worked great together on mine and katelyns projects. We picked insects out of dirt and fished for Octopus's in the ocean. They really understood the projects we put in front of them and actually knew a lot of the questions we had to ask. When we were finished, we went in to paint and work on some other projects. It was great to see the childrens mind work through the paintings and how they bring alive the artwork. I am hoping tomorrow we can work more on what the children like not only by focusing on one thing, but combining Olivia and Griffins likes and working as a group.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what last Thursday was going to be like when the children arrived. A part of me was excited to finally be able to interact with the children because all of my classes thus far have been your typical lecture, reciting & studio classes. This is my first class where I get to interact with children as part of the course. The other part of me was frightened, knowing very little about the children that I was assigned to work with.
ReplyDeleteAfter the last children's workshop, I noticed things that I did wrong or could've done better. It was definitely a learning experience. Let me explain..
I have learned that young children put much time and effort into their artwork & it needs to be properly cared for. I'm embarrassed to admit it but one of my children finished a painting, showed it to their mother & then laid it on the ground. I thought nothing of it. It was just the first day. Another member of my group took the initiative to pick it up and hang it to dry. It caught me off guard because that's what I should've thought about doing in the first place. I know that the second time around, I will be reminded of this.
I also discovered that the children may not be how you expect them to be. There is one child who is very shy & rarely ever speaks a word. I found myself fumbling for ways to get her to open up to me. I had at one point asked her what she was painting as a way to attempt to get her to talk about her thought process and work. Another member of my group became frustrated (as I later found out) because I guess a child could read into what I had asked as I don't know what she is painting because it is unrecognizable to me & can in turn, hurt her feelings?! I was caught off guard by this. Still not sure how I exactly feel about it.
I found it rather uncomfortable to walk around with the child while trying to find something she was interested in. We circled the tables a couple times. I'm thinking it was because she was uncomfortable as well with it being her first time there and being shy still. I am going to come up with a couple ideas for activities that we can do together so that we have something to start with this time around. Halloween is coming up, so I was thinking about something fun with Halloween in mind!
Kathy, if you have any suggestions on how to help out after reading this, please email me! :)
The first workshop was interesting. It was a learning moment for my partners and I, speaking in the perspective of classmates and our child partners. I really didn't know what to expect, however I was quite thrilled for the learning opportunity. I am working with two year old, so the learning process still continues. I think last week was the opening of the process. Where the children were learning if it was okay to talk with us. I understand that we are complete strangers, and at this age it can be very difficult to feel open to express themselves and comfortable. SO, I learned that it takes time for the children to feel comfortable, even when the most enticing activity is at hand, painting!! They loved the paint, however they really didn't want anything to do with individuals offering the paint. So, this week I think we have to be even more flexible with the materials and the expectancy of getting much information. I concluded last week with the thought that if they are going to talk to us, it will definitely be at their own time and risk. However, I am still excited to adventure with the learning process of two year olds.
ReplyDeleteI have to be thankful to Beth for restraining me like she did, because the natural tendency for me to try and take control over the art experience kept surfacing. Also, due to the fact that only one of our three children showed up, I found it difficult not to want to guide the art experience in the direction I had already premeditated. I had picked my supplies with a very specific purpose in mind of how to use those supplies, and rather than letting the child guide the experience through his own natural curiosity and creativity, I felt the need to interject with my own agenda. Again, I have to thank Beth for reminding me to "take a backseat" and let him explore on his own. So that, I think I could say, was a lesson that I learned the hard way last week. For next time, I will definately be more attentive to our child's (and hopefully the other children's, if they show up) interests and be able to find and utilize that "teachable moment" more effectively. In short, I, as usual, found myself to be perhaps too overbearing, as seen from the Reggio Emilia perspective.
ReplyDeleteAlso, because it happened to be our first meet, our child was very shy at first, and it took a little bit before he seemed comfortable enough to start talking to us and telling us what he's interested in. Since next time I expect our other kids to show up (hopefully) for the first time, I'll take this into consideration; that they might be shy meeting us for the first time and may need some time to be aquainted with us before jumping headfirst into what kind of art experience we can foster. That first ice-breaking meeting seems like an important time to get to know the child and make them feel comfortable enough around us that their natural creativity and inspirations and come out and be seized upon by us, the educators.
So in summary, I will try to take more of a passive role in terms of leading the art experience and let the child(ren) be the guide of what direction it will go. In the spirit of Reggio Emilia, I will try to be more antangonistic rather than dictatorial in facilitating the art experience.
Even though it's only been 1 week so far, after reflecting on the last workshop, I feel I still have a lot of practical learning to do; perhaps, bad habits to break.
It was great to meet my child partner last week. I learned a few things about each child like where they go to school and some random facts about their parents and a few other things. I also learned that the two children that made it to the first day of our workshop both were interested in soccer and things to do with water like the sandy beaches, the lake water itself and activities that take place in the water such as jet skiing and swimming. The first week was clearly not the most efficient use of time due to the fact that we were all meeting for the first time and everyone was a little nervous about meeting. This week all three of our child partners are supposed to be at the workshop so since we know some interests of the two kids from last week we will see what our third child’s interests are and spend this session exploring and trying to figure out what type of project the children would like to do.
ReplyDeleteUpon having no real experience with children, I have learned a lot from this course that I took directly into my first art experience. The ideas of Reggio simply make sense as to how I would entertain a child, so that's what I did. I let Lauren guide me to what she wanted to do. She was very shy, so thanks to some suggesting from my partner Emily, we settled on clay. I was surprised at how long Lauren could hold her attention to one thing – we worked with the clay for around a half hour. After that, we traveled to the hallway to explore the environments set up out there. I learned a lot from the firt experience, so for the next time, I will be more suggesting toward activities we could do. The most frustrating part for me was watching Lauren struggle with motor skills. Not remembering the struggle of developing them, it was very stressful for me to watch. I learned that I should be more helpful in these sorts of situations.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot about my child partner from our first art experience together. I learned that my partner is very shy, and is very timid when trying something on her own without my help. But I also learned things she's interested in, and was able to see her interact with her parents and her sisters, so I was able to see what she's like when she's completely comfortable with someone. The first experience together will better prepare me for the next one, because I now know more about my child's personality and likes and dislikes. I will be better prepared to suggest certain activities that she make like.
ReplyDeleteFrom my first experience with Ben, I learned that it’s not really as hard as it seems. He is experienced at the Children’s workshop, and he was actually showing me around and what we could do! I feel like I have more options available this next class because I know what materials are available. I know not to be nervous, as well as having my partner here this week and being able to take pictures will be a great asset. I haven’t had that many experiences with younger children, being as my only nephew is 1. This is a great learning experience and I feel that I got really lucky with my child selection.
ReplyDeleteSince I was out of town for the creativity conference in Columbus, I was not able to interact with my child partner last class. I do however, have experience working with children in elementary school on a daily basis. In the mornings specifically I am able to sit down one on one with children. I try to let them lead in an activity of their choosing. Letting go of the reigns, so to speak, can be tough for educators but I feel it is a necessity for their creative development. I look forward to what the children bring to class. I know from my child's profile, that she has been coming to the workshops for a few years now. This will enable us to dive right in and find something fun to explore.
ReplyDeletethe first thing that i learned at the first childrens workshop is that i need a new camera. big bummer for me. i have two little girls in my group. i am usually surrounded by boys and there is a definite difference. little girls are so chatty. they had both been in the workshops before and were very familiar with the location of materials. they seem to like to do similar projects picking the same materials in the beggining. lots of glitter. my group partner had a good idea of putting things back as we brought out new things. by the end of the workshop we had a little bit of everything out on the table. i am excited to see what they decide to do this week.
ReplyDeleteI was very excited about meeting with Katherine for the first time and working in our little group. The two girls, both veterans of the workshop, were very outgoing and did not hesitate to make their wishes known. Each girl had her own idea about what she wanted to create and the medium she wanted to use. One thing that surprised me about them was how quickly they completed one project and moved on to the next one.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that, at least with these two children, students prefer to figure out for themselves much of what they want to do instead of the traditional method of being assigned a project where every member of the class creates the same identical object.
Working with these two children, I found that the role of facilitator was easier than I expected. Once the girls surveyed the available materials and played around with some of the natural objects and textures, they were full of creative ideas. The evening was very successful.
The first work shop did not go as I had envisioned. First only one of the three students and Kasey and I are working with showed up. So it was difficult working with just one student. I took pictures for him and we each did make time to engage in art activities with him. He mainly used Kasey’s environment most of the time, which was wonderful for Kasey as I took many pictures. I am hoping that at least two children show up this time. At this point I cannot say that I would do anything differently as I do not feel that I have had the true experience as of yet. I look forward to working with the students however and with my partner as well.
ReplyDeleteWell at first our group started off with only one child, which was Kendall. With it being four of us and only one child it seemed as if we were all crowding her and fighting for her attention. Then Delaney showed up late and we had two children, which made it a little more easier because we then took turns two on one which each child. I had a great time getting to know the children and playing with them. While working with them I noticed that I wasn’t totally open to letting them explore their world and materials around them because of what I was previously taught of wrong and right so this week I have to be more open and not so objective. Hopefully we have another child this week so that everyone gets fair quality time with the children.
ReplyDeletemy student, robert, showed an interest in doing things other than making art with the material. we worked with clay, upon his request. then a game ensued of making charicters ouot of the clay tools. primarily the pizza rollers. they engaged in dialogue between he and i and everntually they raced one another on a clay track composed ot of the board and clay stop siogns.
ReplyDeleteThis helped me to get a couple of ideas for next class. i am going to suggest that we practice making parts of cars like wheels and steering wheels. if he shows an interest, next time,i will bring in some car pictures. He is also interested in texture. he made a game of squashing the clay under his foot and examining the prin t left by the sole of his shoe. That could help us when making the traction on our wheels if