Draw or write what you hear

During the third project students were asked to listen to audio recordings from their friends in China. They were instructed to draw or write anything they heard that sounded like a word that was familiar to them. They could use Swedish, Finnish, and English words for the listening exercise. As we listened students, wrote words that they heard or that came to mind and drew pictures to accompany the words. When the listening exercises was over the students used mixed methods of collage and coloring to complete their images. Using bits cut from maps they created lines connecting their images to one another.  They really enjoyed listening to what their friends had to say. Thanks so much to our friends in China! We really enjoyed collaborating with you on this project!

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

The artists from Linguajoy translate their environment and Easter!

Our third Dear You project took place during the week leading up to Easter vacation. The students were asked to create a Easter eggs and while working they discussed their activities and what their environment looked like.

Linguajoy #DearYou #Helsinki #Finland #Environment #SoundArt

DearYou #Linguajoy #Helsinki #Finland #Environment #Sound #Art

Linguajoy #DearYou #Sound #Art #Environment #Helsinki #Finland

Linguajoy #DearYou #Environment #Translating

The first group was a bit shy but we discussed what we were going to say and even rehearsed saying it a few times before we created our recordings. The second group of students were very excited to describe their environment and discuss their families Easter traditions.  

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

I See You! Swedish students stop to take a closer look.

In a small classroom in Finland students stop, take a moment, and visually explore photos of kids attending school in China.  They see, if only for a few moments the visual characteristics and features of the child in the photograph. Using tracing paper the students traced the figures out of the photographs and onto a piece of paper. They added color to the students along with their own artistic touches. Throughout the process the students were encouraged to look closely at the photographs and asked; What did they see? Who is in the picture? What can you learn about them, what is the image telling you?  Once the drawing were completed I transcribed short letters from each artist to the child in the photograph. They explained short things about themselves such as their favorite foods and hobbies.

Now they eagerly await for the exchanging of artworks.

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

Taking time to explore

To start the Dear You project the students and I sat down around a table and reviewed the photos sent to us from our new friends in China.  With each picture we took time to visually explore what was taking place. Was it a boy or girl? How old did they appear? Where was the photo taken? We explored what sort of information could we gather from elements presented to us in the photo?  

Following this activity we completed an journaling exercise where the students described things about themselves that they felt were important to share with their new friends. Then we completed the session by taking our self portraits.

Alexandra said: I like candy. I like to dance. My favorite food is pea soup.
I am Amos. I like school. I play my PS4. I have a big brother. I like pizza. I like candy.
I am Ebba. I like English club. I play football. I have a mom.
Felix said: I am 8 years old. I like candy. I play Minecraft.
Lucus said: I am short. I like my friend Benjamin. I play football. I have a little sister.
I am Maxim. I like Samuel & Benjamin. I do Ty-boxing. I have a dog.
Oskar said: I like playing my phone. I like candy. I am 7 years old. I play the guitar.
Sophia said: I also like to laugh. I like to play pretend mommy and daddy. I like my mom. My favorite food is spaghetti and I love bread. I like hotdogs and I like friends.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

Crinkles and wrinkles from Singapore

Children had fun playing with paper. Folding and unfolding the papers to observe shapes and patterns was interesting. The curious minds were able to observe designs on the papers and connect them with the surroundings. 

Our inquiry on skin and how it looks was explored further with comparison to the lines on a paper.  

The artists were asked to:
•Close your eyes and feel the paper
•Crumple the paper into a ball or fold it as you wish to.
•Close your eyes and feel the creases.
•Find a section in the paper that might mean something to you.

Below were some ideas shared by our children.

Warm Regards,
Rachel

Leeann 5

I folded a paper into a hand fan. When I opened the paper I saw lines. They looked like giant doors. Then I folded it into a paper wand. When I opened the paper, I accidently made a hole in the paper. Then I crushed the paper and opened it. I saw may lines on the paper. Then I painted the paper with red, pink, brown, yellow, blue and purple. I painted a rainbow treasure map.

Emilia 4+

I folded the paper and made an aero plane and opened it. I saw almost a lion face. Then I crushed the paper and opened it. It felt a bit bumpy . It looked like a bumpy design. After I painted it looked like a map. Later I tried to trace over the lines andit looked like a big map with no houses. Later I crushed another paper and made a treasure map with my friends.

Xi Wen 5

We folded the paper. Then we opened the paper. Then we folded the paper again. Then we opened the paper. I could see triangles. They looked like mountains. Then I painted it. I painted with many colours. I used the brush to paint a triangle. I like my painting. I enjoy painting.

Oliver 4

I rolled a paper into a magic wand and opened it. The paper looked flat except for the edge that was a little curved. The I folded it like a sandwich and I opened it and it looked like windows. Then I painted the paper in the middle, yellow, brown and red. Then I painted below, dark blue and light brown. I also painted the top dark green and light blue and red. It looked like rainbow blinds.

Avinaash 4+

I folded the paper and opened it. It looked like a machine. It looked like a machine that could squeeze the rubbish. I could stretch the paper and flatten it. Then I painted it and it looked very nice. It also looked like a staircase.

Advaith 5

At the beginning the paper felt smooth. I made it into a fan. Then I unfolded it and made it into a big plane. Whenunfolded it, I saw small holes . Then I crumpled it and made it into a mountain.  Then when I flattened it, there was another hole on the sides. I felt that the lines made a connecting bridge from one city to another. Then I decided to paint an orange bridge.. Then I followed the lines of the paper and painted one whole line green. I painted the other side of the bridge blue. Then I painted a slant line black andalso painted a horizonalline black. The other horizontal line was red and golden. I figuredout that it was beginning to look like an Australian flag.

Tan Jing Ru

A Shell

Caitlin 5

I crumpled up a paper and then I opened and saw the shapes. I saw lots of roofs. Then I folded it and opened it up again. I did this a few times. Then I flattened it. My paper looked like lion’s face because it had one diamond and four triangles. Then I used orange to paint and then I used purple and then I used light pink. Then I used orange but it was like orange because it was brown. Then I used dark pink and a little bit more dark pink. My picture looks like a rainbow sun.

Jordan 5

At first I folded the paper into an aero plane. When I unfolded it, it looked like a flower as it had triangles anda circle in the middle

I crumpled a paper very hard and it became like grandpa and grandma’s skin. Then I tried to connect the lines to form a lion’s face. But as I was painting I realized that it was beginning to look more like a Bison . The lines looked as though the bison was bending down eating grass. It also looked like a bumpy wall.

Jia Wen 5

I folded a paper into a plane. ThenI unfolded it and made a boat. Then I crushed it and folded it again into a rectangle. Then I opened it. When I unfolded it, I saw six rectangles. Then I painted it.  I painted with purple, orange, green and yellow and dark pink and dark purple and light pink and dark green. I added more lines onto it. I painted a bit of red on one of the sides. It looked like colourful doors. Then I crumpled another paper with my friends. ThenI made a treasure map with my friends.

The 3-4 year old artists from EtonHouse Bilingual Pre-school in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 3-4 year old artists from Oakdale Montessori Preschool in Cape Town, South Africa.

Shadowing our shadows in Singapore!

Moving from shadows of constructions to shadows of people was interesting. Shadows that move and shadows from still objects differ. Sometimes objects do not move but their shadows do.

When Arlene shared a sample of a picture of shadows, I pondered how children might think and draw about their shadows . Initally children drew the shadows of their friends at the carpark.. Then they drew shadow images of their friends on the paper. It was tough for friends to keep still. But what was even more challenging was drawing their own shadows. They shared that it was nearly impossible after trying.  Watching a shadow drama on youtube helped children realise that they could actually form different shapes with their body. 

Sometimes the shadows do not look anything like how we expect them to be. E.g. Caitlin formed the shape of a table but the shadow formed under her was different from the shadow that appeared on the side wall. The shadow did not appear like a table on the floor. Sometimes they look abstract and formless but at times they look like something else, decieving our eyes.

This was what children shared:

Jordan: Can you see an elephant spraying water? Can you see a lion eating a Zebra? Can you see a giraffe trying to fight a tiger? Oops! I forgot to draw the tiger!

Xi Wen: Can you see a giraffe? Can you see a dinosaur? Can you see a sea-lion? Can you see a chair and a castle?

Lin Jia Wen: Can you see an elephant eating a carrot? Can you see a Prince and a Princess?

Oliver: Can you see a lion growling?

Leeann: Can you see a panda at the Zoo? Can you see the Prince and Princess too?

Emilia: Can you see a giraffe eating leaves? Can you see a human shadow?

Caitlin: Can you see lines inside each of the shadows? But how can a shadow dance by itself?

Advaith: Can you see armours here? Can you see a dinosaur roaring?

Aahan: Can you see a shadow of a lepoard? Can you see the shadows on my name?

Avinaash: Can you see the shadow of a tiger? Can you see the shadow of a tall building and a house?

Warm Regards,

Rachel

The 3-4 year old artists from EtonHouse Bilingual Pre-school in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 3-4 year old artists from Oakdale Montessori Preschool in Cape Town, South Africa.

Welcome home! Stories from Singapore

When we realised that the topic on 'Building a Home' has come up again after Lay of the Land, there was a room for doubt about how differently children might react to the same theme with little twist in the provocations. 

Our children gave physical descriptions of their homes by talking about the shapes and surfaces and made comparisons with their peers'. 

During our whole group meeting, children shared about how they could connect all their pop-up homes and make a City not realising that it was the intention of the Author too. 

Interviewing each child based on the suggested questions gave us an insight about individuality in their thinking. Creating a pop-up home encouraged children to think about dimensions in their homes. They loved it.

Your home says so much about you. What is your home like?  Is it in an apartment complex or is it a single building with a garden?  What do the surfaces of your home feel like? Think about others who live in this home. What if you could fold up your home and take it everywhere with you? What parts of your home would you want to carry with you on your travels?

Avinaash: My house has a rectangle roof. There is an automatic door too. There is another door which you need to use the key to open. It is a single building with a garden. The floor usually feels cold. My daddy, Mummy, me and my brother and my Grandmother stay with me. I would love to take my plane room along with me wherever I go. There are many toys in that room.

Jing Ru: My house has a rectangle roof. There is a gate at the garden. There is a staircase near the garden. The staircase will take us to the shoe-rack where we put our shoes. It is a single building with a medium sized garden. My Mummy, Daddy, me and my two aunties stay there. I have a very big dog too. I would like to carry my playroom along with me where ever I go. It makes me feel happy.

Emilia: My home has a dining area and there is where you walk then you see the study room and then you can see my room and then my Mummy’s and Daddy’s room. I have a balcony. I have a tricycle out at the balcony and a small scooter and one balance bike. I live in a condominium where many people stay in one building. There are three swimming pools at my place. My sofa feels soft. My floor feels hard. I would love to bring my room wherever I go because it makes me happy.

Caitlin: My house has lots of pointy things outside. The driveway of the hall is cracking. It is very old. There are rectangular windows on the first floor which are very big. They don’t have grills. You can just unlock it by pulling something up that makes a click sound and slide the window. I feel that my home is bigger than the school but I don’t think so because it only has two levels. I would love to bring my toy room along with me wherever I go because it has many toys. I have got a lot of games to play with you.

Jiang Xi Wen: There are many trees near my house. When I take the lift, I see some lights in the lift. Once the door opens you need to walk to the house with the white door. When you open the door you will see my brother making a tree. He is making a decoration. My mummy, Daddy, brother and sister stay with me. I like to bring my kitchen wherever I go because there is so much fun in there. I can make bubbles in the kitchen by filling a cup with water and adding soap.

Aahan: My home is white and green. I live in a tall building together with other people. It also has other condos. My sofa is soft and the wall is hard. My floor has some kind of rock designs on it. My Mummy, Daddy, brother and aunty stay with me. My friend Etsa visits me sometimes. I like my bedroom the most and would like to take it along wherever I go. I have a bed which opens up. You can find some pillows, blankets and bed-sheets in there.

Oliver: There is one bed for my Papa and Mama and one bed for my sister and a bed for me. I have one big pool and two small swimming pools. My sister likes to play in the toy room. The toys are supposed to be in the living room but they are on my bed. There is a garden next to my home. My floor is smooth and white. I would love to take my toy room wherever I go. I can play the toys. But when it is time for us to go out, we cannot play.

Lin Jia Wen: I live with my Mom, Dad, brother and my aunty. My sofa feels rough. My floor is white. But the floor in my Mummy’s room is brown. My brother’s room and my room are also brown. My house is in a tall building. Other people also stay in the building. There is a car park outside my house. My Mummy parks her car there. I like my room the most. I would like to bring my room wherever I go because my Mummy allows me to draw on my own room wall.

Jordan: My house is like a nature park because there are many flowers and plants growing in my garden. My Mom and uncle grow them. My Daddy, Mummy, sister and aunty stay in my house. I have two pet dogs and one cat. My cat is a good climber. You will see my door and staircase when you enter my house. I have a baby doll in my room. I would like to bring my bike wherever I go.

Advaith: In my living room, the floor has got some square patterns. In my room, the flooring is similar to those in my classroom, wood floor, goldenish brown. The walls are bumpy as though they have mini mountains on the walls. My parents share the home with me. My house is on level three but there are people living above my level. I would love to bring my own bedroom wherever I go because it is so full of toys (although it is not possible).

Julian: My bedroom has powder, body-cream and toys. I also have train tracks and trains. My floor has square patterns and marks on it. My wall is smooth and white. My sofa’s armrest is hard. The back part is also hard. The bottom is cushion and is so soft. My Mummy, Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, Tita, Oli and Kristin share the home with me. I have a muslin blanket on my bed to smell and fall asleep.

Zhu Yu Hang: My house has a lift. I live on the third floor. I have to take the lift everyday to go back home. My house is grey. There is swimming pool down stairs. There is a toy in my house. It is my favourite. It is a rocket. I take it wherever I go.

Warm Regards,
Rachel & Nan Nan

The 3-4 year old artists from EtonHouse Bilingual Pre-school in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 3-4 year old artists from Oakdale Montessori Preschool in Cape Town, South Africa.

The thinking child- Building understanding of the world

Children were conversing about hearing the Rooster crow in the mornings. But did they really hear the rooster crow or was it something they have read from books? (In Singapore, we do not have farms. We could probably find chickens at the Singapore Bird Park). They shared that sometimes they hear things but don’t get to see the things. E.g. noisy garbage truck,  birds chirping, dogs barking. The children were given an opportunity to think about their individual environment  and the noises heard. Even the noises heard at school differ from that at home and sometimes similar. Children expressed themselves through drawing (paper, markers and pencils) and spoke about them.

Warm Regards,
Rachel

The 3-4 year old artists from EtonHouse Bilingual Pre-school in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 3-4 year old artists from Oakdale Montessori Preschool in Cape Town, South Africa.

Extending our inquiry into the world of 'Changes'

Mail Art 3 was another interesting project. It was amazing. We also extended our inquiry to 'Changes' in general where children talked about what 'Change' meant to each one.

What is change? What does it mean to children? Children usually use this word in context with clothes. However the meaning varies. Why are we talking about change here?

Children wanted to know if the changes in our environment are similar with those in other countries. Celin said that she saw snow in Korea. Emilia shared that it only rains in Singapore. Advaith shared that in some parts of India it snows. 

I started off by reading the 'Day and Night Monkey'. This gave the children the opportunity to converse about how night is different from the day time. A few children shared that they could only watch television for a while at night. Julian shared that there was once where the sky grew dark and he thought that it was night but it was not. It was going to rain. Ethan agreed with him and shared that the sky tricked him. He thought that it was going to rain but it was night time. 

I had an amazing time conversing with the children about 'Day' and 'Night'

Jordan drew about Night and Day Safari. He shared about how his mum enjoyed the fire show at the Night Safari and about how bright the fire was. He shared that the Night Safari was dark and there were no lights around except for the lights in the shelter. Emilia asked about why there were no lights. I shared with the children that sometimes when people go on a Night Safari, they do not carry torch lights as they might invite animals to them. Then Emila asked about what else they could do. I continued saying, " Maybe A fire torch where fire is used. Fire is hot and dangerous but there is a special way of using it so that you do not catch fire." Emila continued to ask, "But why fire?" Then I asked, " What happens to darkness when a candle is lit up?" Jordan replied, " It becomes bright." Emilia smiled and went, ' Oh yes!' Then children took off from there about how animals might shun away from the fire to protect themselves. 

Emilia drew buildings at LEGOLAND.She shared that the buildings were light green during the day and became very dark during the Night as she had to go to sleep. Everyone had to sleep too.

Jing Ru drew the Zoo. Jing Ru's focus was on colours. She shared about how the colour of the sign board appeared to have changed during the day and Night. During the day it appears Green and at Night it appears purple. Then she thought for a while and said "I think purple and red can make black." Great thinking! I loved it! Jing Ru can be given the opportunity to work with lights and paint of different colours." Then Adu came to me asking," What colour is this?" Pointing to a dot made by maker on his paper. When I said purple, he continued," It looks purple here right? But when I turn the paper to the back of it, it looks brown. How is that? "

Jeongwon drew her Mummy in a garden. She painted a story about how her Mum got eaten up by a shark when she went out. And that night her dad had to cook for the children and they all slept. In the morning, her Mum returned. She realised that she had been dreaming.

Ethan drew flowers and volcanos. He shared that some flowers bloom during the night and close during the day. Moreover he said that they can be found in india.

Adu drew Volcanos and shared that when everything is dark during the night, as the Volcano erupts, the lava will be bright. Besides he shared that not all the volcanos would erupt.

Xi Wen drew a legoland building. She said that the building is very colourful during the day. But at night, it will be dark only the windows will have colours and light.

Leeann shared about going to her cousin's house with her family. In her picture she drew the sun low that it almost touched the ground. She said it is going to be night time as the sun is going down. She also shared that everything(flowers)grow big during the day.

Julian shared about going to the Supermarket with his Grandma during the Night. He also shared about going to his cousin's home and playingswords during dinner. He had dinner with his parents' friends, went back and slept. He woke up in the morning and had his breakfast. He shared that he had the snack which Nicole had placed in the birthday goodies bag. Then he played tennis which was bought by his Grandpa from Kuala Lumpur. When it is morning, I saw a moon but it was not clear.

Nicole: It is Morning. I have drawn the eyes of Morning. Can you see the rainbow? I see the sky and the sun and the rainbow in the morning. At night, i see the Night star. I can see the birds flying and sleeping. My pool is blue at night and it is the same in the morning.
Celin: Night time is dark. The stars are sparkling. The sun is coming soon. Morning, someone gets up and smells the flower. The sun was hot and someone goes into the house. Then it was almost Night time again. 

Avinaash: I drew the sun and moon. When I wake up in the morning, i see the Sun. When i sleep in the Night, I see the moon. Then the sun come up again. Then the clouds also come out.

Zhi Han drew a girl and a bunny and drew told a story. ' There was a girl. It was the first day of her own life. When the girl goes out, she sees the biggest sun in the world. The girl finds a swimming pool which is icy cold and has toy sharks inside. Then the little girl sees a bunny hopping by. She feeds him carrot as he is hungry. Then the little bunny wanted to follow the girl home. The little girl took him home and asked her Mummy if she could keep the bunny. Her Mummy said, " You can shower the bunny and you can play." And then it was Night time and the bunny slept beside the girl on the bed. And she read the story,' The Hunter who Got To the Forest' to the bunny.

Jia Wen drew the stars, moon and blue sky for the Night sky. She drew a sun and yellow sky for the morning sky. She shared that she could see clouds and Sun in the morning and moon and stars outside at night.

Hope you enjoyed reading the stories.

Love,
Rachel

Nursery 2A, 3-4 year olds at 215 EtonHouse Bi-Lingual Preschool in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 4 year olds from Nursery B at Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.

Observations from Ms Senthamarai, a loving teacher

Our homes represent more than our financial assets; they have a deep and unique emotional meaning. Our earliest memories of home are often connected to our childhood. Layers of love (our 2nd mailing project with Mexico) helped us to cogitate about our homes, inside and outside. It was not a mere art experience that just involved paper, oil pastels and paint to enhance creativity but a reflective process that helped children to share their perspectives through illustration of what home meant to each one.

Personally, contemplating about my home gave me flash backs of both my wonderful and unpleasant experiences during my childhood days. I remember the time when my Dad discarded a wardrobe and placed it outside my house to be hurled out. My friend (my neighbour) of my age, used to join me to play in that wardrobe. We used to hide inside and pretend that it was our home. There was a discarded table outside too and we used to smuggle food from home (scramble eggs in a bowl), sit outdoors and party there. It was so fun. I was about three at that time and my memory is still vivid. I felt sad when I had to move out when I was four but there was a tinge of excitement of how my new house was going to be.

I believe that you have memories to share too.  These memories might help us to understand our children better.

At school, the moment we handed the photographs( of the homes) to the children, they got excited and started chatting with each other. It was spontaneous sharing amongst them (between friends) and 'meeting time' became obsolete.

When we finally settled down for discussion after about ten minutes, all the children had something to say about their home and they couldn't wait for their turns. Adu said that he might forget if he doesn't say it now.

Actually this is true. I realised that children are just like us...or at least i could reflect my teachers' meeting where sometimes I would be bubbling with ideas and just can't wait to relate my opinion.

Children were able to describe their homes in various ways E.glevel 1, fifth storey , tall building, high etc. A child reflected about a time where she cried at home ( a sad memory). Another reflected about what happened to her vase of roses when the water became dirty. Others related about how special their homes were.

Drawing about homes aided at sharpening observation skills of children. Many wished that their homes were colourful and made colourful illustrations with the oil pastels. Getting down to our children's level( height) while taking the photographs might have given us a view that might be familiar to children. A child couldn't recognise her home (from exterior) as she had not seen her home from the angle which her parent took the photograph from. It made me realise that children observe things from their level (physical, emotional or/and social) which may differ from our perception.

Anyway, we have finished our art project and sent them to Mexico. So what is next? Let's look onto the homes in other parts of the world. How are they different from ours and how similar are they? Is our environment changing constantly? Are there reconstructions going on?

Love,
Ms Senthamarai (Rachel)

Nursery 2A Core-Teacher
EtonHouse Bilingual Pre-school
Singapore

The Layers of Love, Dear You art project. This picture depicts the artist's home and their artistic representation of it from the outside.

Sharing the Love!

Ms. Rachel, core teacher of N2A, presented Layers of Love project in a unique and meaningful way to her students. 

Our homes represent more than our financial assets; they have a deep and unique emotional meaning. Our earliest memories of home are often connected to our childhood. Layers of love (our 2nd mailing project with Mexico) helped us to contemplate about our homes, inside and outside. It was not a mere art experience that just involved paper, oil pastels and paint to enhance creativity but a reflective process that helped children to share their perspectives through illustration of what home meant to each one. 

I live in a tall building. I stay on the 7th storey. I have many books at home. I have toys in my home. The lift is on level 1. When you press the button, the lift will go up. I have a big table and a small table at home. I have big and small chairs too.

-Jiang Xi Wen

Nursery 2A and Nursery 2B, 3-4 year olds at 215 EtonHouse Bi-Lingual Preschool in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 4 year olds from Nursery B at Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.

Opening mail!

Our children enjoyed opening their mails. They loved them. We took out the crafts and placed them in individual envelopes and dropped them into the children's mail boxes.

With love,
Ms Rachel

Nursery 2A and Nursery 2B, 3-4 year olds at 215 EtonHouse Bi-Lingual Preschool in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 4 year olds from Nursery B at Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.

Colors of Us at EtonHouse in Singapore

The Art experience was wonderful. One child, whom I worked with lastly made a stunning picture. She chose to trace a picture from the book, 'Colours of Us'. She selected a picture of a dark woman who wore lovely jewels. The child traced the picture carefully. I guided her verbally, showing herareas which she overlooked on tracing, e.g. side of the face, pupils, contours etc. After tracing she decided on the colours of the tissue to be affixed. Pre-cut tissues which could be cropped further were provided. She chose yellow and carefully affixed them on the face. When I gave her a pink paper, she said that it was too big and cut it smaller to be affixed as a hairband. When she felt that she was done, she turned over the art piece at looked at it with amazement...I was surprised too. I asked her if she would like to use the marker to colour the little details. She accepted my suggestion readily and coloured the nails and jewels. It was awesome. Her friends who saw her picture asked if they could do one too. They were inspired.

The Art experience contained a surprise element...as children would only be able to see the big picture after finishing their work. It exhibited the child's personality when she selected her desired colours and shapes of tissue. The size of the picture e.g. the large face gave the child a bigger space to work on. This experience was a confidence booster for this child who often felt that she could not make beautiful picture like her older sister who was apparently able to create lovely pictures. I had another child who felt unhappy about issues with the size of the tissue papers and felt that it could not be cut to her desired shape and size to make the right fit. As such she prefered to use the marker which she could confidently colour within the boundaries.

Children should be given the opportunity to work with both large and small sized pictures creatively rather than comparing which might be better. They can work with their desired combination of colours to suit their taste as such they need time to think and work with different colour combinations. Exploring their work with a wide variety of light sources is something we were unable to do due to other work commitments at school. We observed our work on the light table which gave them a different appearance. When I photocopied the pictures they looked different too. We could have tried observing the pictures on the wall being reflected by a torch light or even on projector.  

Now children are interested in tracing faces... tracing a real image of a photo poses challenges which are different from cartoon pictures with definate lines or borders. We tried it at school. It was a different learning experience.

Sincerely,
Ms Rachel

Nursery 2A and Nursery 2B, 3-4 year olds at 215 EtonHouse Bi-Lingual Preschool in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 4 year olds from Nursery B at Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.

Excitement at EtonHouse!

Our children are excited to send mails to your children. They asked, " Ms Rachel, Are you saying that we are going to receive mails from the children in Mexico?!" When I said, 'Yes!', they jumped with joy. Sharing an art work is a excellent idea. 

In fact we had a show and tell with all the children about their mailboxes and they all gave unique descriptions. The Lights, Camera, Action! Dear You Art Project was well received by the children. The sticky contact papers often got stuck together and had to be pulled apart. Children were exploring with the materials. Perhaps after the project, I will suggest an open-ended experience with the materials that you suggested. Most of them enjoyed tracing the pictures while others decided to draw the pictures on their own. A child was very focused and wanted to use specific coloured tissue papers for specific part of the drawing and was concerned when the tissue paper couldn't be cut into the exact shape and size. Another child preferred to use the markers alone with the contact paper.

Exploring the unique properties of the materials would be my next objective. We haven't used it with torch or the projector or paint. We will do more later.

The children shared that they have to go to the Airport to send their mails since the mails have to take the flight just like us. Interesting! Looks like we have to do an inquiry on how mails travel around the world.

The children will do a show and tell upon completion and experience light effects on the Art pieces.

Today we also did a Mexican dance at school. It was fun.

Thank you again!

Love,
Rachel

Post Box Central at 215 EtonHouse Bilingual Pre-School in Singapore

Last week Ms Rachel had this great idea that the kids make their own mail box at home and bring it for show and tell this week. So when the kids receive their mail from their friends in Mexico each one of them will have it put by the teacher in their mail box. She has informed me that there are quite a lot of interesting looking ones. 

Below are pictures of some of the mail boxes made by our children at home with the aid of their parents.

Regards,
Ms Pema and Ms Rachel

Nursery 2A and Nursery 2B, 3-4 year olds at 215 Eton House Bi-Lingual Preschool in Singapore are making and sharing art with the 4 year olds from Nursery B at Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.