Second session of Christmas painting on the light table

this session was with the 3-5 year olds - so I was wondering how this would differ from yesterday's more sensory experience. The first snowman made its appearance....

And once the print was made there was plenty of time to experience the paint. This first child really enjoyed the experience and fully explored its properties...

checking how the paint felt on her hands...

squishing it to make noises...

checking how it looked on her hands...

putting hands together slowly and pulling them apart to see how the paint stretched...

almost as much time was spent exploring the paint in her hands...

of course the funny "fart" like noise was very satisfactory and made all the onlookers share in the joy too

and the experience would not have been complete without including more of the body in the experience. This was one of those experiences where my own emotional reaction as I watched was very strong - to see the pure joy, the satisfaction this child experienced while interacting with the paint and the other children - and me was beautiful.  In this blog I will not show the faces of the children I work with - if I did I would be able to share her joy with the world.

"I am going to draw a Christmas tree (julgran) - oh I have drawn just a tree - but if I put decorations in it - it can be a  Christmas tree (julträd) - cat, dog, snowflakes... This child also allowed me to understand one of yesterday's comments - several of the children yesterday had commented that it smelled like chocolate, which I thought was a little strange as its just ordinary paint. Today this child asked me if I was spreading chocolate on the light table - which made me realise that the slight brown look it gets on the light table does make it look like chocolate. I guess that the children yesterday assumed it must smell like chocolate if it looks like chocolate...

This child was so incredibly proud of her print - everyone who came into the atelier afterwards  was directed by her to look at her print "do you see it? Its soo cool. It was magic you know. It was on the light table and now its on the paper. Look at it, look, its so  amazing..." She drew lots of people, a sun and a cat - in Swedish the people are called "huvudfotingar" head-footers - as they do not have bodies - even the cat is one - with three legs!

I painted a thin black frame around the edge of their prints - so the table was filled with lots of black lines. I started to clean and asked one of the children if they would like to help as she looked with inquisitive eyes. She nodded - and 3 seconds later there were 5 girls busy scrubbing the table with very bubbly sponges

it did not take long for them to work out that they could make pictures in this too - but this time fingers were black, not white.

and of course exploring the bubbles was fun too. I love when cleaning up becomes an artistic project that is worthy of its own session!

Christmas painting on the light-table

white paint on the light table. I had a big sheet of perspex over the light-table to make clean up easier. This first attempt there was too much paint - but in the end I think it was the right experience for this child with special needs (autism) - where the extra gooey feeling of a thick layer of paint added to the experience

the child experimented with how the paint made a bridge between thumb and finger by slowly puling his finger and thumb apart many times...

since it was an idea I had in my head, I did not have instructions, so I made two prints from the first child's painting - but after that I managed to get the paint quantity right. The idea was that the children draw a snowman or a Christmas tree with their fingers in the paint. This child certainly had a go. All the children in this group are aged between 2 and 3 years old.

when she had completed her snowman form I placed the paper on top to create a print - EVERY printing process raised cheers and excitement as the magic of the paint being transferred to the paper revealed itself to the children. After the print she had time to play in the paint.

Most children were not interested in creating a snowman shape - so it was soon a "ice-skating with fingers" artwork

A few of the children used both hands

It was interesting to watch one child create her image and after the print unable to just experience the  paint and the light shining through. It took a lot of encouragement to help her understand that she did not need to produce a product, that it was OK just to play with the paint - as her product was already saved.

another two hand experience of the paint

interesting to see how hands look covered in paint...

...And how it feels

some children worked from the short side of the light table while others worked from the long side

two of the children needed help to get started - this was one of those - I held his  hand as we made a first circle together - and then I let go to see what would happen - and this is what happened with a big smile on his face. I asked him if he was happy that he had dared to try - and he nodded without looking up or stopping making tracks in the paint.

it was magic every time we lifted the paper up

it will be interesting to see when I put the paintings on the wall if the children will be able to match their print to their photograph of their image in the light table?

Winter light box and glitter

salt mixed with some blue glitter - Christmas shapes have been added as well as "jewels" and sparkly pom poms

patterns swirling swirling

pretend snowballs too 

much time was spent creating small piles of salt and then letting it pour through the fingers  as if snowing onto the light box

after a while I changed the pom poms etc for animals, stones and pine cones as the children showed more interest in animal role-play 

 There was a great interest in making tracks - and how the animals made different tracks when they ski-ed across the light box from when the hopped around the light box

the rocks allowed the "mountain" to grow higher - and soon more rocks were collected from the construction room to help increase the height of the mountain.

a polar bear became king of the mountain. The children discussed which animals should play in the "snow" deciding that lions and leopards would not like the coldness...

we have a maximum of three children at the lightbox - others may watch - so that there is space enough to play (we have tried four - but every time it has lead to arguments about how much space, and "that's my patch of salt" etc and I would much rather the children can be in a situation they can manage than one that requires adult intervention everytime). The great thing is that its never the same combination of three - and it is always just one child that leaves to be replaced by another so ideas are shared in a very organic and inspiring way...

In the afternoon we started decorating Christmas trees - the older children could cut out their own trees, the 2 and 3 year olds received trees to decorate themselves. As I was cleaning the table afterwards I used my hands to sweep glitter off the table into a bowl - and my hands sparkled of course - so several of the children then became very sparkly as they rubbed their hands all over the table... It was lovely to see how CAREFUL one of the children put on her clothes to go home so that the glitter magic stayed on her hands!

Christmas is coming

decorating pepparkakor

 This weekend our family has got into the Christmas spirit. We have decorated pepparkakor (Swedish spiced biscuits/cookies with cinnamon/ginger and other spices) - this year you can see that my children have liked making flags (maybe a bit of the Olympics influence there) as well as trees and people - we even had a go at turning a pepparkaka man upside down and decorating it as a reindeer!!

experimenting with long exposure and movement

 Our garden looks lovely in the snow with the Christmas tree lights on - I started off taking proper shots of the tree and then did about 20 where I whizzed the camera around on a long exposure. Now I want to utilise the long dark nights with the preschool children - imagine giving them a torch and getting them to make patterns in the air as you take a long exposure photograph - will HAVE to try this tomorrow!!

making Lucia buns

 Once the saffron flavoured sweet bread has risen it is time to make the Lucia buns - the most traditional shape being that shown in the photograph below - however tradition only makes up a part of the experience - once a few traditional buns are made the fantasy flows and there are reindeer heads, plaited garlands, pizzas and hot-dogs to name a few...

Lussebullar

 The Christmas tree has gone up this year again. I have to admit that we have an artificial one - it was bought when the twins were crawling most of the time and I just did not want to be pulling pine needles out of 2 rascals - so the tree we have had for 11 years now - and I guess by us re-using it every year it is a part of a planet friendly approach to Christmas.

the Christmas tree is up

Anyway I am eager to start Christmas activities at preschool and this coming week there will be a series of shorter posts about what we are up to!

outdoor environments - International

my children call this the Rabbit Park as it has rabbit/hare sculptures, it also uses brick throughout the park, which definitely challenges you as a parent and preschool teacher to view this as a great risk taking park - so many corners and hard edges - and yet I have never dealt with an accident here ... yet.

This time I will let the links talk for themselves more or less, just the odd comment here and there. Its is very apparent that a natural playing environment is favoured by most pedagogues as the optimal learning experience

http://creativestarlearning.blogspot.se/2010/05/outdoor-play-at-cowgate-under-5s-centre.html - this preschool in Edinburgh has a wonderful outdoor and indoor environment - I love how they compliment each other. I also felt that this blog is better than the actual homepage for the preschool, as I would have linked up the actual preschool homepage but there were less pictures and they have designed it is such a way that the text becomes hard to read as it does not all fit on the screen at once!

http://www.naturalplaygrounds.com/gallery/index.html - a company that designs natural playgrounds - this is the link to their photo gallery. I like the idea that they do not have a set catalogue as each preschool is unique and requires its own solutions...

http://www.creativekidslearningcenter.com/preschool-program/preschool-playgrounds/ - Las Vegas - devoid of nature - hopefully we are moving away from these colourful but yet impersonal playgrounds.

http://www.first5la.org/articles/not-enough-play-on-preschool-playgrounds  - fear of playing outside in case of injuries, thankfully this is not something that we experience in Sweden - we are outdoors alot - in the yard and on excursions - I LOVE the fact that time is not spent writing risk assessments to go on trips outside the preschool premises - this means we can really follow the children's lead - if we talk about a certain park or forest or museum, we can go there the same day or the day after if we wish...

http://www.turtlerockpreschool.com/?p=1031  - the conversion to a natural playground a year ago - great to see how a preschool transformed their playground into a natural play space - I love the "rooms" in the play space.

http://www.preschooldraper.com/files/Importance_of_Play.pdf - about the importance of outdoor play

http://landscapeonline.com/research/article/7131  - reggio inspired playground with photos and explanations of their thinking.

http://architypesource.com/projects/964-cow-hollow-school-playground  another interesting playground   -" in providing children with dynamic outdoor spaces that encourage self-instruction and participation, the landscape design of the playground emphasizes the natural landscape adjacent to the site and becomes an extension of the classroom itself". This also has Reggio Emilia as a source of inspiration

http://www.castleviewchildcarecentre.com/p/our-play-yard.html - playground for a preschool in Australia

http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/White_YoungChildren.pdf  - article about the benefits of young children playing with nature

http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.se/2011/05/play-heats-up-in-outdoor-kitchen.html - blog about mud kitchens and the use of materials - not just sand and mud but sawdust too. This blog is certainly worth exploring

http://www.flor.com/blog/natural-outdoor-playspaces/ - I really like how the ground can become inspiring by changing the surface - look at the last photo of the wood - there is texture. I think we should consider the shape and patterns of the surface more as a contributing factor to learning and imagination - and also their effect on how children interact with the environment - for example it is easy to ride a trike fast on asphalt and other smooth surfaces but harder on gravel and sand - science comes into riding a bike - but also the idea of using different surface materials to slow down cyclists in an area where the youngest children like to play...

http://info.evergreen.ca/en/blog/entry/natural-playscapes-healthy-diverse-and-inclusive - the awareness that cities need to put nature back into play areas as the city claims nature

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.319310421460852.73108.245263905532171&type=3  - outdoor environment of the Blue House Nursery School in Singapore - a very inspiring outdoor environment. I really wish the outdoor sand in Sweden was as fine as this and other preschools I see online - or have visited in the UK.

http://playgrounddesigns.blogspot.se/2008/03/natural-design-elements-for-playgrounds.html - fantastic resource for outdoor play inspiration - another blog worth browsing

http://www.naturalplaygrounds.com/documents/NaturalPlaygroundsDotCom_KidsDon't_NeedEquipment.pdf  - interesting read

http://rethinkingchildhood.com/2012/03/07/playground-safety/ - the idea that children need to be risk takers and not be wrapped in cotton wool. Sometimes children need to hurt themselves to understand and to learn... it is part of the process.

http://www.beltzig-playdesign.de/indexd.html - German playground designer with grand designs

http://www.londonplay.org.uk/file/584.pdf - with photos and links to more resources and inspiration this is worth looking at

http://loveoutdoorplay.net/2011/01/06/kierna-corr-we-love-outdoor-play-because/ - playing outdoors with young children is fun and inspiring - lots to look at here too.


It has been hard to STOP surfing the net looking for inspiring outdoor play areas for preschoolers - maybe if you know a great playground you could link it up in the comments section here. Many thanks if you do take the time.

Outdoor play 2 - a Swedish look

sand and waterplay - image found online

So I have taken a look at some of what has been written about outdoor play and preschool playgrounds here in Sweden. The links are of course in Swedish - some have photographs - and if your interest is in the outdoor playing environment then maybe it is worth translating them.

The focus on having natural elements and variation is found in all of the links - the need for the children to feel safe in order to be able to explore fully is also expressed. In "Outdoor Pedagogy and the Role of Teachers in Children's Play" (2009) it is discussed how children have more freedom outside than inside - as there is the need to tidy up after themselves indoors, which is not necessary in nature, noise pollution is not the same outdoors and there is more freedom for gross motor skills outside. In this link the focus of outdoor play is in the forest/nature rather that the preschool yard - as I find that the same tidy up constraints are still in place in preschool yards as there is indoors - in fact I would say that in cities where the preschool shares its yard with the people who live in the apartment complex have to tidy up outside almost more than inside as otherwise toys can be stolen, destroyed or neighbours complain that it is messy. Indoors projects can be saved - a block construction can be continued the next day (simply write a sign for the cleaner not to bother with the room - or have very low tables, raised surfaces so that cleaning can be done around constructions) - a similar construction left outdoors in a shared facility would not be guaranteed to be there the next day - to the great disappointment of the children.

The following photographs all come from one park in Stockholm - Rålambhovspark - and shows how one park can have many rooms...

experimenting with spinning - I have seen children spin Autumn leaves etc in small groups

experimenting with weight and gravity - for two

role play with bikes and trikes - from a single child to a group of children

water play

motor skills being put to the test. This climbing frame can be used as a boat theme role-play or as part of an obstacle course...

more spinning experimentation for one or more (helpers)

more motor skills - a different sort of climbing frame with more challenges

the slide is definitely different and challenges children to think how to use it...

mud kitchen
There is also a big wide slide, swings, a big basket like swing, a climbing wall, marble run, an area for the 0-2 year olds, a spooky forest in a bush area as well as a zip line. This park certainly has lots of rooms.

Of course motor skills is an area that is raised in all the university paper links - in "It's in to be outside" improved health is discussed as in the last post about outdoor environments. It also discusses the fact that the outdoor environment should have "rooms" where children can play and fulfill their need to crawl and hide and explore small areas as well as their need to run around.

In Bredäng preschool yards were inspected with the following criteria

• at least 6,000 sq metres so that children can run freely and pick up speed
• bushes instead of fences should be used to divide areas off
• 50% of the yard should be in the shade, preferably trees/natural shade, and that climbing equipment etc should be placed so that it is located in the shade between 11am and 3pm
• favourite play areas should be integrated with nature - eg rope swings in trees.
• utilise passages (between buildings and the fence/boundary) as an interesting play area rather than fencing them off
• the yard should be safe from traffic and criminality.

You can look at the link and see the photographs of the preschools they checked the viewed them as follows

Utmärkta gårdar/Excellent yards

• Förskola F 

I huvudsak bra gårdar, som kan förbättras med vissa åtgärder/On the whole good yards, that can be improved with certain measures

• Förskola A, C 

Gårdar som behöver förbättring/Yards that need improvment

• Förskola B, H 

Gårdar som behöver större förbättringar/yards that need much imporvement

• Förskola D, G, K, I 

Dåliga gårdar, som inte lämpar sig för verksamheten/bad yards that are not suitable

• Förskola E

a designed preschool - but where is the vegetation/shade? Image found online

The link to the paper about designing yards with a Reggio feel also takes up the concept of "rooms" in the yard and goes on to describe how the outdoors should be a compliment to the indoor environment. It also points out that many preschools are not found in natural environments and that this means we as teachers need to plan and design how to bring natural elements in to the outdoor yard.

In my next look at playing outdoors I will go international again...

http://dspace.mah.se:8080/bitstream/handle/2043/8065/Examensarbete.pdf?sequence=1
Utomhuspedagogikens och pedagogernas roll i barnens lek

Outdoor Pedagogy and the Role of Teachers in Children’s Play

Lärarexamen 210hp Barndoms– och ungdomsvetenskap 2009-03-13

Stina Arnberg Maria Berggren

http://anglamarksforskola.blogspot.se/2012/08/lek-utomhus-efter-regnet.html - some photographs of playing in the rain

http://www.jamstalldskola.se/larande-ex-forskola/lek.utomhus.shtml  - outdoor play in an equality sense

det är inne att vara ute - it's in to be outside

preschool yards in Bredäng - here you can see how Bredäng is considering how to develop the preschool yards - trying to utilise the "dead" areas of the yards and think how they can be used in a more imaginative way

preschool yards with a Reggio Emilia feel - some photographs too.

to think about when building a preschool yard. Malmö - lots of photographs once you scroll down long enough. Malmö has produced this document as advice in the design and construction of preschool yards to improve the play value of yards.