mirror that!

math area with wall of MIRRORS, pillows and low work table.

 The idea of MIRRORS in the early childhood classroom is wondrous on a number of levels:

Light.

Reflection.

New thinking.

Looking closer.

Mimicking.

Game playing.

Color.

Movement.

geo boards, sorting bears, and dominoes in the "MIRROR cubby"

Mirrors 

can be used in small cubby spaces to open up the area.

In one of my classrooms, I had an inset area about 4 feet high under some attached upper cabiinets - I mirrored the whole space, added pillows and a low "toddler" table for kneeling use by preschool age children.

We used the space as part of our math and science center, game invention space and large puzzle building space.

We actually called the space "the mirror cubby".

this boy put together 6 large scenic puzzles BY HIMSELF in the "MIRROR cubby'!

self portrait with a TRI-fold MIRROR.

using a leaning MIRROR as a reference for his completed self portrait.

large inside MIRRORED play space for gross motor and movement

MIRRORS above a light table  - Wow!

MIRRORS as table mats for flowers and science explorations.

MIRRORS as part of drama spaces.

Here's the thing, though.

Actual MIRRORS are not the only thing to consider when using the term "MIRROR".

We can think of mimicking, matching, and reflecting back with peers and objects:

this boy's attempt at MIRRORING his watercolor art with his paper towel.

these two friends MIRROR each others' hats and cameras (and smiles that you cannot see!).

this pencil drawing is a MIRROR of the child's Geo Board design

a group of children MIRROR their hands in this sensory tablet.

both girls are trying to MIRROR the other - walking with hula-hoops!

this student is trying to MIRROR the phrase "ONCE UPON A TIME"

AND, perhaps my favorite kind of MIRROR:

this student always came to school in clothes that were seemingly NOT play clothes, yet her PLAY never was interrupted.
The most important MIRRORING that occurred was clearly her family's support of her PLAY PLAY PLAY. 


Got MIRRORS? 
They will dramatically change your environment, the materials, the relationships.
Think about mirroring part of a wall, or adding leaning small mirrors in a display area, or including hand held mirrors as props. 
Think outside the box to add light and reflection to your daily life with young children.

sandbox treasure hunting

ahhh, the feeling of cool sand on your feet...

I can hide my feet under the sand!

Besides their bare feet  - children love to HIDE things in the sandbox - treasure, shovels, rocks!
If you add a few "unusual" sandbox items for your children, they WILL FIND THEM because children are fabulous discoverers!
I have added sequins, shells and small sparkly bits and it sure doesn't take long til you hear a child come up to you and say..."LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN THE SANDBOX!!"  Games of HIDE & SEEK or I SPY are soon happening with groups of friends!

**Check out "It's Playtime!"  for amazing Play Ideas, hosted by Anna : The Imagination Tree, Rachel : Quirky Momma, Jamie : hands on : as we grow, Rachele : Messy Kids, Jenny : Let the Children Play

the big art show!

Parents and guardians. Invaluable in the success of a school year on so many levels : support, communication, volunteer work.

parent/artist showing an abstract art piece & using the view finder

This particular year, we had an amazing opportunity to work with a parent in our 4s/5s class who was a professional artist!

step 1: watercolor!

The parent and teaching staff collaborated about the concept of this project.

We discussed the process, the materials, the timeline, and the storage during the process.
 

step 2: scraping tempura paint!

We discussed:
"WHY are we doing this?" 
"What do we do with the art?" 
and the specific goals of how children should be the creative forces as they gain unique skill from working with a professional artist. 

step 2: spreading tempura paint!

The first component was to have the children work with large art paper to engage in Abstract Art. The process was going to have three visits to their work to add layers : 1. Watercolors with brushes 2. Tempura type paint with scrapers and rollers and 3. Pen details and symbols with rulers as an option.

step 3: pen work for lines and symbols!

Each week the children would "revisit" their dried work and make decisions as to how much of the next process they would add. There was a reflective component where the children were examine their own work and that of their peers to admire and "discover" color or lines or swirls: Art Appreciation at its best.

Looking closer at our Abstract Art with the Viewfinder!

The second component of the process was for the children to examine close-up sections of their work with their "view finder" like an I SPY game.

They would search amid their own painting to find a section that caught their eye, we would take a photo of that section, and then they would describe it or name it. For example, one boy's overall painting was called "Rollercoaster" and one of his viewfinder sections was called "Upside Down!"

artist discusses with student.

student describes action of his art!

  

students wrote signs to guide our visitors to our exhibits.

The final component: The Big Art Show! We welcomed our entire school community to our classroom to admire and celebrate our work. This celebration was part of our All-School celebration when all classes are inviting parents and the school community to appreciate their work, as well. As a side note, we also had three other exhibits in our classroom at that time to uplift other work we had been doing all year - incredible work by this class group!

giant display boards with the student photo, their Abstract work and their 3 viewfinder frames!

parents sit on the center bench of the art rotunda to appreciate all the children's work!

a student describes her work to a visiting teacher!

The Art Show. Incredible. Our visitors were so impressed. 
Many were wanting to have the the art show displayed in our local town, in a real art studio! [we couldn't because of some other factors, yet the idea was fabulous!].
Because we were a project based classroom, we were so fortunate to have a parent who was "an art expert" that could share with students in a process oriented way AND offered the students an experience that allowed us to create our own museum. The riches of this journey - to have a parent take on a three month commitment to our class - was priceless.