Our Camp Has Gone to the Birds!

This morning we gathered around clay that was presented in the shape of balls. We noticed yesterday that this was a shape they were interested in making and we wanted to see how they might move beyond the ball. When one child poked her finger deep inside one of the balls, Susan took the opportunity to teach how to make a pinch pot to the group. Another friend said that he thought the result looked like a nest.  And so it began....Everyone was trying out the new skill to make a nest and then placed it on the board. Then we needed eggs and birds. Our nest count was 15, or was it 21? It's hard to tell when your preschoolers don't exactly have one-to-one correspondence as they count. What ever the number, it was a wonderful example of children working together toward a common goal, exchanging skills and knowledge, and sharing a limited resource so that everyone could be a part of the project. Not bad for 10 kids around one clay board!

In our small groups we began found object sculptures. The children looked in books for inspiration for their sculptures and then we constructed the bodies. Tomorrow we will add the details. In our other small group, we collaged cut paper tubes on our painted boards from yesterday.

During free exploration, we painted, worked in the message center, tested out stamps (as a pre-cursor to printing), played with balls and tunnels, returned to clay, collaged in the tinker room and had duck and milkshakes in the restaurant.

See you tomorrow!