As the sun streamed into the Art Gallery of Alberta (aga), we basked in its brightness and filled our eyes with the many works of art that surrounded us. There was art on the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor!!
Our talented leaders guided us through many experiences that had us thinking about and using concepts of: colour, line, shape and texture. For many of the children, it provided opportunities to put words to ideas they've been interacting with in many different contexts (e.g., the curvy line on the ceiling was like a waterslide, a zigzag line is like mountains). It is believed by some that young children think in metaphors, that is they are able to see similarities in two unlike objects. The conversations at the aga definitely supported this idea, as the children continuously compared the new items and experiences to those they already knew to be true.
At the end of our field visits, we try to sit together and share a talking circle. As an item is passed around, we each get a turn to share what we enjoyed about the visit. This provides an opportunity to: gather as a community before leaving, reflect on the experience, and appreciate how different people enjoy different activities. Listed below are the children's resonponses to the question, "What did you enjoy doing at the art gallery?"
Morning Class:
Reem: Points to the hanging art
Alexander: The Alex story about colour
Alice: Touching the art
Andrew: Looking at the skeleton (But I missed my school!)
Aviva: Playing with ribbons
Bryten: Touching the art
Bryten's mom: Creating animals with the felt peices
Caleb: The ribbons
Caleb's mom: The turtle painting
Coraline: The ribbons
Coraline's mom: The story
Elena: pass
Isabelle: The felt shapes
Jude: Going up the stairs
Miles: Watching the guide draw a dog and make it hairy
Miles' mom: The ribbons
Owen: Taking a (mental) picture of a moutain
Owen's Nana: Touching the things in the texture room
Rayanna: Looking at all the colourful pictures
Rayanna's dad: The swirly sticks
Rhea: The wooden shapes
Rhea's mom: The colourful stairs
Sophia: The stairs look like a rocket ship. It spins!
Thomas: EVERYTHING!!
Winston: pass
Afternoon Class:
Amaiya: The magnifying glass
Amaiya's mom: Jumping into the ocean
Amyrah: Being with friends
Amyrah's mom: The beautiful pictures in the sensory (texture) room
Ashton: Playing in the park with my family
Chelsey: The balloon
Chloe: Getting a aga sticker
Connor: Spinning
Eva: The seashells
Jessica: Feeling and listening to the shells
Julia: Snack time
Julia's dad: The sculptures
Lilianna: pass
Lilianna's mom: The sensory wall
Luca: The magnifying glasses
Luca's Grandpa: Seeing how excited the kids were
Philip: The paintings
Philip's mom: Tracing the lines in the sky
Victoria: The castle
Xander: The magnifying glass
Xander's mom: The secret (sensory) bag
Zara: The pictures
Our talented leaders guided us through many experiences that had us thinking about and using concepts of: colour, line, shape and texture. For many of the children, it provided opportunities to put words to ideas they've been interacting with in many different contexts (e.g., the curvy line on the ceiling was like a waterslide, a zigzag line is like mountains). It is believed by some that young children think in metaphors, that is they are able to see similarities in two unlike objects. The conversations at the aga definitely supported this idea, as the children continuously compared the new items and experiences to those they already knew to be true.
At the end of our field visits, we try to sit together and share a talking circle. As an item is passed around, we each get a turn to share what we enjoyed about the visit. This provides an opportunity to: gather as a community before leaving, reflect on the experience, and appreciate how different people enjoy different activities. Listed below are the children's resonponses to the question, "What did you enjoy doing at the art gallery?"
Morning Class:
Reem: Points to the hanging art
Alexander: The Alex story about colour
Alice: Touching the art
Andrew: Looking at the skeleton (But I missed my school!)
Aviva: Playing with ribbons
Bryten: Touching the art
Bryten's mom: Creating animals with the felt peices
Caleb: The ribbons
Caleb's mom: The turtle painting
Coraline: The ribbons
Coraline's mom: The story
Elena: pass
Isabelle: The felt shapes
Jude: Going up the stairs
Miles: Watching the guide draw a dog and make it hairy
Miles' mom: The ribbons
Owen: Taking a (mental) picture of a moutain
Owen's Nana: Touching the things in the texture room
Rayanna: Looking at all the colourful pictures
Rayanna's dad: The swirly sticks
Rhea: The wooden shapes
Rhea's mom: The colourful stairs
Sophia: The stairs look like a rocket ship. It spins!
Thomas: EVERYTHING!!
Winston: pass
Afternoon Class:
Amaiya: The magnifying glass
Amaiya's mom: Jumping into the ocean
Amyrah: Being with friends
Amyrah's mom: The beautiful pictures in the sensory (texture) room
Ashton: Playing in the park with my family
Chelsey: The balloon
Chloe: Getting a aga sticker
Connor: Spinning
Eva: The seashells
Jessica: Feeling and listening to the shells
Julia: Snack time
Julia's dad: The sculptures
Lilianna: pass
Lilianna's mom: The sensory wall
Luca: The magnifying glasses
Luca's Grandpa: Seeing how excited the kids were
Philip: The paintings
Philip's mom: Tracing the lines in the sky
Victoria: The castle
Xander: The magnifying glass
Xander's mom: The secret (sensory) bag
Zara: The pictures