January 2023
Reflecting back on last weekends workshop on exploring various art mediums, we carried it forward to our preschool program as it coincided with interests surrounding model media.
Beginning yesterday afternoon, we had decided to take a few steps back in our exploration of clay, and start right from the beginning… what IS clay? What does it feel like? Is it playdough? How can we move this clay around?
In this experience the first thing we did was unwrap this large piece of modelling clay, and placed it in the middle of the table, allowing the children to break off their own chunks, beginning their own individual experience of what they can do with this material.
Next, we added a natural material of small sticks. Familiar with adding pipe cleaners, and wire into plasticine, having this material extended off the children’s ideas of placing them vertically in the clay.
We then added one more material to this experience; water and sponges. Talking with the children we explained how water can also change the clay, and how if we dipped our sponges in a small amount of water how we can move around, change, or even erase how we previously manipulated the clay.
Moving forward to today, the children began to bring over their own materials of trucks using them to make tracks, or as a base to pile the clay on top. We are excited to continue this exploration with the children, and to continue to add different materials. Stay tuned...
Megan Ahtila RECE
Cassandra Sheedy RECE
