Work Trays
Each time I visit the school, I am so interested in the work that the children are doing. Knowing that this is a summer program I am observing, there are far fewer work options that are available, however, there are enough that I can get the idea of how the work flow time happens each day. I am only observing in the morning work flow time, but I do know there is a work flow time that happens in the afternoon too. During each observation, I have been paying close attention to the items on each work tray and watching the children engage with them from across the room. The teacher who is in this room let me observe for 2 weeks and then so kindly asked if some of the children might be able to teach me their work lessons. Of course!! So she let me shadow her for two work lessons and then the children will soon be teaching me some of their lessons. I thought in this post, I would share two types of the work, art work and sewing work, that I have observed and the items needed for the work. Observing the work in this way has helped me rethink how I can present tasks to my own students.
Art Work:
I have observed a few art work trays and was excited to get a closer look at some, especially, as in my E508 course, we are reading about art play this week.
- Mixed Media art work:
- on the tray there 4 jars filled with a variety of collage materials (half pipe cleaners, scraps of paper cut in triangle shapes, cup up lengths of paper straws, and pom-poms)
- there was also a small jar of liquid glue with a lid
- small paint brush
- to complete the work a child chooses either a 5x7 or 4x6 sheet of construction paper and paints glue on the back of each material and places it where they would like on their construction paper
- on days when there are no triangle shaped papers left, there are also a variety of assorted construction paper scraps on the tray
- Gluing work:
- tray contained a small, stainless steel condiment container with die cut flowers and butterflies
- small jar of glue with a lid
- small paint brush
- paper chosen by the child
- Origami work:
- 4x4 origami paper with a variety of designs, all smooth paper
- laminated card with folding directions
- small jar of glue and small paint brush for gluing when the folding was complete.
- Sewing
- round basket with a pair of small scissors, small tomato shaped pin cushion (with sewing needles in it), thread (two color choices), burlap square with a design drawn on it with permanent marker
- the child threads the needle with their choice of thread and then uses a simple top stitch to sew around the line that marks the outline of a shape (they were all fruits)
- Piercing
- tray with a 4x4 thick piece of felt (1/2 inch thick), pictures of fruit traced on 4x6 construction paper (strawberries and bunches of grapes), small piercing tool, brush, small jar of glue
- the child places the paper on the felt and then uses the piercing tool to poke holes all the way around the shape (on the traced line), close together so that the picture can be carefully be punched out once the child has pierced all the way down. The child takes the pierced out portion and glues it on another 4x6 piece of construction paper.
- Threading
- small tray, two colors of thread wound on wooden spools, scissors, pin cushion with two sewing needles
- younger children unwind thread that is wound around wooden spools and cut it to different lengths and then thread it through different sewing needles.
Interesting. Is there any day that you could possibly go in the afternoon to compare the flow of the day? This observation clearly captures some of the 'practical life activities' that Montessori espoused. And it was interesting that you noted that it was like a 'brain break' from other work. My art educator friends would say, "NOOO!" While it should be found enjoyable, and perhaps uses a different part of the brain, it is still as much a cognitive or intellectual activity as most other work. I know you didn't mean to imply that, but I had to point it out. :)
ReplyDeleteI am working on finding out if I can observe in the afternoon and will follow up on that. :). Yes, I would agree that the art work especially uses a different part of the brain than some other works and the work the children are doing here allows the children to explore creatively, emotionally, and perhaps even physically as they compose their art. I could see the satisfaction in each of the children as they composed and completed their art and the ways in which they were able to freely explore position, perspective, and dimension which is a skill set that can be carried over into so many other areas of work.
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