Materials in Dialogue
Materials in Dialogue
Every material has its own qualities and personality and over time the material becomes a part of your language. ‘Materials in Dialogue’ led you on a magical journey of becoming active participants in your learning, as you constructed your own knowledge when interacting with materials, the environment and each other. Throughout the year, as we explored and researched our chosen materials and their properties, it was very obvious to see your creativity evolve, along with your ability to think critically about the world around you.
What range of possible transformations could these materials undergo?
To fully engage with and explore the materials, a deeper understanding and dialogue occurred as you built on previous experiences and knowledge. You became artists, scientists and researchers. What follows is a wonderful dialogue between the materials as you met, discovered and ultimately transformed them.
Ms. Penny (Pedagogista)
“Our task is to help children communicate with the world using all their potential, strengths and languages, and to overcome any obstacle presented by our culture.”
Loris
Malaguzzi (from the catalogue of the exhibit ‘The Hundred Languages of Children’)
Artwork by Paris
Freesia children ‘cooking’ paper.
Introduction
To put your year in a book was the most challenging thing to do. You have experienced so much over the past year, Freesia Friends. From starting school for the first time (for some of you), learning new rituals, being in a new environment with new people who eventually became friends. You experienced some incredible invitations, celebrated some funfilled festivals, and dove deep into thought-provoking investigations. You learnt ways to express yourself in your own way using the 100 languages and you kindly showed them to us so that we could understand you better. You built a community, the Freesia community, which you then extended to other classes and people within the school environment. You exchanged ideas, thoughts, and feelings with one another, each bringing in something new.
Firetruck, Sasa
“My family” by Mimi
Freesia Friends, this is but a snippet of your ongoing journey. A journey that could go on until you choose it to end.
Artwork by Paris
“Happy Birthday” (Song) by Kha Anh
Mixologists
Your journey began with your shared and incredible love of mixing. We first noticed this passion of yours while observing you in the “kitchen,” as you called it. We found you mixing loose parts you found on the table or around the classroom.
This joy of mixing extended to your outdoor play, where you used sand and water to make magical meals or potions. With a dash of colour, and a splash of imagination you were captivated by it for a long, long while.
“Mix, mix, mix”
was heard whilst using tools like drippers and deep spoons to collect your materials.
Artwork by Mimi
What incredible concoctions, what glorious feasts!
We had noticed that you started to take an interest in using more natural materials in your mixing play. Natural materials like shells, stones, wooden buttons and beads, and dried out pods. You created the most amazing potions with it, and this became a part of your everyday play. Outdoors, indoors, it didn’t matter where. You all loved to create, to mix, to make magic!
Artwork by Mia
Painting on plastic
Collaborative artwork
We noticed more and more that most of you took an interest in paper and would gravitate to tables that had any kind of paper with scissors and graphic tools. You would become so engrossed in what you were doing that we thought we could expand on it and really get into a good, deep investigation. Your love for mixing continues and will never end, but your journey with paper has begun.
Your journeythentookaturn
Artwork by Ky Anh
Artwork by Paris
Artwork by Tram
Let’ s sail away and follow the paper trail.
Worlds of Paper and Card
Your journey with paper started with you exploring a very handy tool - scissors. Oh, how you adored (and still adore) cutting!
Snip, snip, snip went the scissors as they cut through the paper of various colours, shapes, and weights. You began by cutting paper into small, very tiny pieces creating some interesting shapes while using your other hand to maneuver the paper into the direction you wanted to cut. Starting at the corners and working your way in, you cut away at sheets of paper. Some friends snipped away at the edges of the paper to create what seemed like a frill, or perhaps some legs for an imaginary creature?
“A long story on picture” by Juniper
Some friends requested glue and stuck the cut pieces onto another piece of paper to form an interesting image. You used your hands to tear, and scissors to cut, some masking tape and glue to connect and build. Each piece a work of art telling a magical story. Your story.
Some friends enjoyed observing the drip, drip, drip of the glue as it slid off the popsicle stick onto the cardboard. While others stacked smaller pieces of card creating a design of your own. Each of you so intensely engaged in what you were doing and coming back to it, the next day.
“Lion” by Chloe
A chorus of:
“Paper, please?” “Scissors, please?”
From paper to cardboard, the journey continued..
Artwork by Mimi
Artwork by Paris
“Airplane”
by Chloe
Artwork by Mia (Bebe)
differentsh a pes . . .
Artwork by Sasa
Artwork by Tram
.different sizes
Artwork by Hai Anh
Artwork by Dan
What you created was something very special and unique, each creation encompassing a tremendous amount of love and thought.
“This is the mouth”, Miu
Artwork by Hai Anh
Artwork by Juniper
What could we do with all the snippets of paper you had made with your cutting?
How could we continue to promote sustainability which is paramount in our ethos?
Thejour
n e y
i nto paper
mak i n g b e g a .n
Oh, what a fantastically exciting sensory experience it was for you all!
Some of you squealed when touching and feeling the torn paper that had been soaking in water for a few days.
Some of you noticed that the c o n s i s t e n c y h a d s o f t e n e d .
You each dipped the sieve into the paper water and gathered up the paper bits, took it over to the table
And TADA! Your very own piece of paper. where y ou p u s h e d the remaining water out w it h a r o l l e r
Handmade paper, Collaborative art
Once your paper had dried, Ms. Claire brought it to the class for you to explore further. Did you notice how the texture and thickness of the paper was different to the ‘normal’ paper?
“My family” by Saku
“Mommy” by Mia
Artwork
by Ky Anh
Each of you were so engaged in your paper. Some of you chose to draw on it, some of you chose to tear it, some of you chose to cut it and some chose to stick masking tape or glue other paper onto it. Each investigation unique.
How had your relationship deepened as your dialogue continued with paper? Your ideas continued to show that you were thinking deeply, and that paper was revealing more qualities.
“What
if we take away the tools and just use our hands and fingers?”
You all had your thinking caps on and were seriously wondering about your options until Juniper called out “Pull!”
“I
wonder what would happen if we pulled the paper?”
“The paper gets sad!” Mimi
“Broken” Juniper
“It becomes a monster” Miu
We just loved this conversation so much. You showed us a deeper level of thinking and how you inspired one another. We shared a technique called folding and rolling. You all found your own way of folding and rolling the paper and noticed details as you went along which sparked such joy.
“My
creature” by Juniper
“Oh, I can see many lines,” Juniper
“It’s a book, Ms. Dory,” Mimi
“This one like a book,” Paris
“I see lines,” Miu “Lines,” Na “Look at this! This is a tree bus!” Juniper
Book making by Dan
We wondered if each of these special lines told a story?
“Writing” by Miu
Oh, To Play with Clay!
What started as an exploration with playdough for your Tet Festival celebration, we noticed that the sensory explosion that playdough brought you was undeniable. You had been exploring the wonders of chalk and had combined it with your exploration of playdough. There was a feast of materials laid out on the table for you to choose: your very own crushed chalk of various colours and a collection of flowers. Some of you noticed how the playdough changed when you added the crushed chalk, while other friends enjoyed mixing and folding and creating.
“Snowman” by Na
“Itchange color,” Chloe “The color is changing,”
“Imake Pizza,” Paris
“I’m making flower,”
Miu while holding up her creation
Juniper
“I mix it” Kha Anh
“ConlamdepkhongCo?”KyAnh “ImakeUnicorn,” Na
For each of you it got your creative and imaginative juices flowing.
Ms. Claire then introduced you to wonderful clay, a material that you came to really love and form a relationship with. You spent weeks exploring this natural material.
You explored it as a block on the table and used your own imagination to do with it what you wanted.
You explored it with water, as a slippery slime.
You used it to connect other pieces together to build something from your mind.
You also explored with it in its dry form.
Some of you preferred to feel it, cover your hands and arms with it and squish it between your fingers. I can only imagine what that must have felt like.
“Snail” by Saku
Every time you were invited to play with clay, you invested more of your energy and went that little step further in creating a wonderful friendship and meaningful dialogue with it.
“Playground” by Mia
“The rock - jump inside!”
by Tram
Each journey that you went on together - an adventure, I would say – brought you all so much closer together. We saw you from day one, when Freesia became Freesia, each of you coming into the classroom, perhaps feeling a little nervous and shy, at first, have now become the best of friends. The connections you have made together have become so strong and so meaningful. We saw each of you help another friend in need, dry the tears of a sad or hurt friend, help to tidy up and keep the classroom environment clean and neat so that you could all play and enjoy it together. The year has flown by, yes, but these kinds of friendships are forever. You created Freesia and made it a place and a feeling that will always be remembered.
“Chocolate” by Kha Anh
We cannot predict the future, but we know that yours will be an incredibly exciting one, filled with wonderous wonder and magic! Of this, we know for sure.
Researchers
Miu
Chaewon
Ky Anh
Kha Anh
Chloe
Paris
Sakunosuke
Mimi
Mia
Tram
Hai Anh
Sa Sa
Na
Dan
Juniper
Eita
Mia
Ms. Maxine
Ms. Dory
Ms. Binh
Ms. Claire (Atelierista)
Ms. Penny (Pedagogista)
“Freesia family”, Pen on paper, Chloe
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AURORA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
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