Group Exploration Topic/Theme

What we are doing

Implementing at Home

Risk-Taking

Our projects have focused on finding gross motor climbing opportunities out in the world. We’ve used the big hill across the street from the Studio and boulders that are in the Institute space.

Create a jump zone. Depending on whether or not you have any climbing features in your backyards, you might want to create a jump zone outside. In the classroom, we create jump zones by taking the cushions off the couch and placing them on the floor in front of the couch.  

Vocal Expression

For the past couple of meetings, we were writing songs. Our meetings usually start with a music video. The children are very excited about musical instruments, especially string instruments, so our recents videos were focused on guitars. We’ve taken a telephone game style approach to lyric writing. We think of a subject and then each child adds a sentence as a lyric. Next we play instruments and sing with microphones. Usually a couple of children and Marion create a beat and then we try singing our lyrics.

We were planning to incorporate music videos of the children’s favorite artists or songs.

Here is a link to Casper Babypants playing at KEXP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUp4SlM-85o

Here are instructions for making microphones using cardboard tubes:

How to Make a Play Microphone for Kids

Collaboration

Our last meeting took place at Gorilla Park where the children drew pictures of the gorilla and then played on the playground. Before we were limited in our ability to have contact with community members our plan had been to create thank you cards for our waste management workers (known by the children as garbage truck drivers). This was inspired by the children’s interest in the garbage truck during walks and the recent trip to the transfer station.

This might actually be the perfect opportunity to connect with some of the community workers in your neighborhood, remotely of course. Create thank you cards for the mail workers or waste management workers. Hang it your window or on the mailbox.

Here are some videos that could go along with this project:

Sesame Street Recycling Aluminum Cans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKpoCzt03B8

How to mail a letter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGOE-qxRVZw

Artist Expression

Since the beginning of the year, the group has used clay during our meetings. We started with open-ended clay projects where the children became comfortable with the clay and practiced using tools. Inspired by the work of Annabeth Rosen (here is a link to a video about her work: https://vimeo.com/93557771), we most recently began to use found objects that could wrap or go through the clay like ribbon, rubberbands, and wire. Some recurring items that the children made during meetings were birthday cakes, doors and windows, balls, coils, and scraps.

Our framing question is focused on how children use language to communicate during art experiences. During meetings, we were noting how children were sharing their plans, the games they were developing, and how they were negotiating sharing materials. If you do happen to have some type of clay in your home that would be our ideal material to use. Also any type of modeling clay would work well. If you have any found objects that wrap like wire, ribbon, rubberbands, or string those could be offered.

If you don’t have anything resembling clay, we would suggest talking through any art experience as you and your child work or offering siblings a shared experience like one ball of playdough and tools or one large piece of paper so that they can negotiate and plan together.

Mathematical Thinking

Our last few meetings focused on shapes and using shapes to build rocket ships. The children were practicing with pattern blocks and learning how to use pattern blocks to fill in pattern block outlines.

Design your own rocket ship using pattern blocks. There is such a thing as paper pattern blocks but this does require adult help to cut them out.

Link to Paper Pattern Blocks: http://www.raebear.net/goodies/patternblocks/printableblocks/

Any type of block will help the children to think about, recognize, and consider shapes spatially. The groups’ favorite type of building block was Magna Tiles. Use whatever type of blocks you have in your home to design a rocket ship. Do you have enough seats for your whole family? How many pieces did you use? Can you build a rocket ship using more than 10 blocks?

What have we been doing at EDP?

In EDP, we are learning about the solar system. For the last several weeks, we have specifically focused on building rockets and visiting the different planets and moons in our solar system

Here is a link to our favorite song about the solar system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ-qLUIj_A0&list=RDBZ-qLUIj_A0&start_radio=1

What you can do at home

Imaginary Play: Build a rocket using household items such as chairs and pillows, and blast off! We have been discussing all of the planets and children like to visit each one, and of course the moon as well.

Fine Motor: Pick your favorite building material and build a rocket.