Storytelling and Other Magical Moments

Imagining Dialogue: Inspired by a walk in the snow. Light Table Stories: Creating beautiful moments with language and play Design Thinking: Creating possibilities to design, test, change and play  

This year I decided to link the creation of personal story boxes to our Unit of Inquiry, Where We Are in Place and Time.  Here is the story of our stories.

Beautiful things quietly support specific learning, socialising, self-management, focus and creativity.  How do you use loose parts for conversations? Provocations? Connecting with unit thinking? Provocations on a wet and rainy day. Bringing it inside for those wanting to continue and explore and choose new materials.

A materials exploration that leads to  student inquiries, evolving experts, magical moments and beautiful art.

We filled our Outdoor Learning time with snow's natural provocations - sledding, digging, sculpting, rolling and just playing. I added a bit of color to see how the discussion would change. While many students stuck to soccer in the snow and other gross motor activities, we also had snow filled paintings and designs.  Some painted small snowmen and today The Snow Bakery opened up, with beautifully decorated snow cakes and one rainbow ice soufflé! Happy Artists. Almost the end of thirty minutes of collaborative painting! "Can I use a pro scope to take a closer look?" The bakery in full working order. A fresh strawberry cake is on the right. 'I call this the rainbow soufflé!"  Beautiful colors.

After Christmas is an amazing (and cheap) time to find loose parts on sale at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, various Dollar Stores, Jo-Ann Fabric and even Target. Here are a few of my last minute purchases on my visit to the US. Even decorative pieces from gifts were valuable for my back to school stories and play. Different balls, ornaments and marbles to add to construction, stories, designs and light table creations.  Ornament hooks that fit nicely into old wooden pegboards. I will add this to my screws, nails, small straws and golf tees. Pegboards are great provocations for math, but also fantastic for small (contained) storytelling spaces. Cannot wait to put these by the light table and construction area. These will be added to two story boxes. They were less than a dollar with the sales at Hobby Lobby. Perfect inviting story box provocations. Although not on sale, I always love some rainbow ribbon, for those spontaneous magical moments.

When children have time to play on the light table I make sure to not say "What are you making?" but always ask, "Would you like to make a story on the light table?" or "What is your story about?" This way of simple questioning has created an environment that when students go to the light table they always tell a story, or create an image with a story.  I have collected loose parts from around the world, donated from friends, found at dollar stores, and quickly picked up things that were going to be thrown away and have created a beautiful space to share them, hoping that their beauty is equally part of the provocation... Loose Parts Light Table Images and Stories "This is that time when the leaves fall down and the people are playing in the leaves. (Fall)" "The lady bugs are in the middle of the beautiful place. They are eating. The flower is beautiful and the sun/stars are there." "This is the bea...

I wanted to use some of the new tools that we purchased for an open ended provocation at Outdoor Learning.  All I needed was broken electronics, some screw drivers and a place to organize all the cool pieces or loose parts. The focus, attention to detail and negotiations made with all the pieces that offered a fantastic opportunity to observe language, confidence and also fine motor skills. The group at the table are intently working and  sharing the materials. The foreground shows some of their thinking with the bigger parts. Gray. Silver. Black White. Clear. They chose to sort by color, material, size and texture. Asserting themselves at times in order to be heard and understood.                                   What do we do next with all these amazing Loose parts?

This school year I have the pleasure to work with some of the students I worked with last year.  They have moved on to Grade 1 and new EAL students have joined them. Some have a confidence and ease about them that they did have last year. When I asked students to explore and play in the room after our time as a new EAL group, Sophie was comfortable in the classroom and went straight to the light table and new loose parts. This is her creation. "This is a caterpillar obstacle course. See The one is going in the tunnel and the others is climbing." - Sophie These rubbery caterpillars have been a hit! They have been found by each of my students at some point in the first few weeks. They have been sorted, organized, used in block play, light table and maths. Who knew?

Adding bright colored fabric on a hot sunny day created something unique for each child.  There were dresses, princesses, dens, long hair and blankets for stuffed animals in taxis! Quick and easy opened ended play. Rapunzel adjusting her hair. Off they go to the animal hospital.