Today the tamariki loved getting the opportunity to engage in a new art material; pencil shavings. Holly R enjoyed spending part of her morning, helping to sharpen the colouring pencils, saving the shavings for one of the art tables. The tamariki enjoyed gluing the shavings to their paper, commenting on it’s beautiful “rainbow” colouring.
We have had lots of new tamariki start recently, especially two year olds. At this age there is lots of learning about social skills and sharing of space happening. The Kaiako support the tamariki with their interactions. Today there was a small group learning to take turns to complete a puzzle together. Once the puzzle was complete they gave each other a high five.
Recognise
The children’s creativity was promoted through the pencil shavings for their art, as they used their imaginations to create a variety of objects for their pictures. The tamariki were engaging in using their pincer grip as they picked up the pencil shavings, supporting the development of their fine-motor skills. Exploration/Mana Aotūroa – Children develop the knowledge that playing with ideas and materials, with no objective in mind, can be enjoyable, creative, and valid approach to learning.
It was a special moment in time for the Kaiako to support and observe. The tamariki showed excitement when they managed to find the correct slot for a puzzle piece. At times there was a little bit of frustration when they all wanted to do it by themselves. But it was lovely to see that by the end of the puzzle they were willing to pass a puzzle piece over to their peer to have a turn at finding the correct spot. What a great way to learn new social skills, not only were they developing their mathematical and logical thinking skills but were also learning how to take turns and work collaboratively. Contribution | Mana Tangata: tamariki experience an environment where they become increasingly capable of, using a range of strategies and skills to play and learn with others.
Respond
I wonder what other creations we could make with the pencil shavings?
I wonder where else we can learn alongside others?
