As you scroll down, you will notice that this post directly corresponds with the "GUERILLA ART" post. We believe that autism is closely related to all of us in ECE as it is extremely likely that we will encounter children with this disorder some time in our practice.
Our Big Idea
- Place large puzzle pieces (the symbol of Autism) around downtown Toronto for people to participate in a large scavenger hunt
- Those who find the pieces could choose to:
a) participate
b) leave the pieces for others to find
- Those who do choose to participate meet at Dundas Square at a set date and time (instructions would be written on each puzzle piece)
- At Dundas Square, participants assemble the large-scale Autism puzzle
*Media and sponsors would be present during assembly, speakers (such as adults with autism, parents of children with autism, organization members, professionals in related fields) would also be present
Our Goal: to raise awareness and educate the public about autism
Art word of the week: balance
Simply stated, it's when equilibrium or harmony is reached.
Wouldn't it be great for everyone to be viewed equally? There are many people including professionals in the medical/educational field who are unaware about how autism affects an individual, and how to work with individuals with autism. It's a very "puzzling" disorder because there is no known cause and no known cure.
For this week's blog, our group (Claire, Kayla, Natalie and I) decided to promote awareness of AUTISM around the city. We decided to go where there would certainly be a large flow of traffic, Eaton Centre. Before going out, we got together and spent some time cutting out bristle board in shapes of puzzle pieces (the symbol for autism) and writing some interesting facts on them.
We placed puzzle piece in open areas...
... in areas close to the escalators and stairs...
...on sale signs placed outside of stores...
...and even on tables in the food court!
How did the public respond?
Some were confused as to what we were doing...
...and others were curious about what we put up.
It was great to see people walk up to the puzzle pieces to read them, and even though we did get a few stares from strangers, it was a fun and memorable process. We all agreed that this activity allowed us to see how simple it can be to promote awareness. Out of all the activities we've done over the duration of this course, this was by far, my favourite. People everywhere are making their own mark, and this website has posted a range of guerilla art forms from across the globe http://www.guerrilla-innovation.com/. It doesn't take a lot to get people talking, and as future educators, all we have to do is generate that idea to get the public involved!
Eaton Centre is a popular location as it attracts many locals downtown
along with many visitors from around the world.
(The video above is of a flash mob done at the Eaton Centre just last year.)
Art word of the week: aesthetic process and experience, engaging in an experience using all of our senses!
References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E.(2009).Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.
This week, our task was to choose an inanimate object and bring it to life.
Art word of the week: colour
According to Schirrmacher & Fox (2009), "it's based on the passage of light (visual sensation of light caused by stimulating cones of the retina). When the light source changes, so does the colour. If there is no light, then there is no colour."
I present to you, the tortoise and the hare.
Names: Benny & Jenny
They're fraternal twins and live way up high in a magical castle on a cloud. Both of them are legendary creatures who speak Latin. Jenny is a lazy hare who likes to sit on the couch and spend endless hours watching television. Her favourite hobbies are sleeping and eating. She occasionally goes to the park to sit on a bench and admire her natural surroundings. Benny is an active and outgoing tortoise who can't seem to slow down! He daily routine consists of a quick run in the morning, working throughout the day, and taking a relaxing dip in the pool after work.
These characters were created using colours of the real animals because I wanted people to be able to make a quick connection to them as colours should make you respond with a feeling. Did the characters Benny & Jenny make you feel perplexed? As educators, we know how important colours in the classroom are because they evoke certain emotions. Although we are not interior designers, we must think twice before painting the classroom walls in particular colours!
This week, we got to have some fun with grocery shopping!
Art word of the week: shape
According to Schirrmacher & Fox (2009), it is the outside form of any object with its own qualities and characteristics.
First, we chose a category of food to focus on.
I chose... fruits.
Next, we made list of 15 foods that met the criteria.
tangerines: similar to the orange, but smaller in size and softer
pears: round - smaller at the top and wider at the bottom, green or yellow, smooth
peaches: fuzzy, orange/yellow/red mix
bananas: long, yellow, smooth
cherries: deep crimson red, smooth, round, small
strawberries: bright red, black specks of seeds, green leaves on the top
blueberries: very small, deep blue, squishy
raspberries: very small, red
grapes: purple or green, round, soft, translucent inside (some with seeds, others seedless)
watermelons: big, green and white skin, heavy, round, smooth
mangos: oval shape, orange
papayas: long oval shape, yellow and green skin, smooth
cantaloupes: rough, net-like skin, round
Finally, we picked 3out of the 15 food items to sketch.
Okay,but you're probably wondering how does grocery shopping relate to early childhood education? Taking your child with you to a grocery store can be a fantastic learning experience! Very young children are able to listen to adults simply labeling different every day objects, hence acquiring language. Language acquisition is a very fascinating process involving the child, the adult(s) and the environment. If you don't believe me, watch this enticing clip below!
References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E.(2009).Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.
This week, we were given the task of filling the blank: ___________ with scissors.
I chose to take a risk and use the word
RUNNING
I know what you're thinking, but...
**NO! NO! NO! **
**This does not mean that my activity consists of children literally running with scissors,
that is a serious safety hazard.**
What I mean by "running" with scissors, is simply engaging in gross motor activity.
The Childhood Obesity Foundation statistics reveal that childhood obesity rates have tripled over the past 25 years! In Canada, over 26% of children and youth (1.6 million children) are considered overweight or obese.
In lieu of these facts, I created this activity Running with scissors.
FYI, the art word of the week is: line
According to Schirrmacher & Fox (2009)
"A line is defined as a visible mark made by an artistic tool,
usually suggests direction, movement, rhythm or form.
It helps artists define shapes and contours or represent edges. "
As we all know, scissors are used to cut things. My favourites are the craftyscissors that create a different line pattern with every snip. Remember the tedious straight line runs phys-ed teachers always get their students to do? Well, I got bored of them and decided it would be a great idea to have children run in specific motions.
Divide the children into x number of teams and get them racing across the gym, running different types of lines. For younger children, this is a great activity to get them to practice their motor control and refine their skills. Below are just a couple of line ideas. Don't be afraid to make up your own innovative lines for the children to try out!
Run like there's a wave.
Run in zig-zags.
References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E.(2009).Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.
For this week's blog, my friend and I watched PAN'S LABYRINTH...
Movie synopsis, courtesy of IMBD:
In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl name Ofelia, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.
Claire: So what did you think of the movie?
Calene: After watching the trailer in class, I was a little bit reluctant to watch the movie because of all the grotesque creatures.
Claire: Yeah same actually.
Calene: Fortunately, the movie proved itself to be very suspenseful and tapped into a range of emotions. It was like the Chicago Sun Times review said, it was “a fairy tale for grown-ups”.
Claire: Haha you’re so right! I love all horror movies, but this one was no like your typical “Exorcist” or “Scream” movie since the plot had historical relevance. It took place in Spain of 1944, which was a time of political division that was apparent with Capitán Vidal (who believed in dictatorial power) and the rebelling Spanish Maquis guerillas.
Calene: I really didn’t like the character of the Vidal though, he was so cruel. All he cared about was having power over people and a son to carry on his family status. I’m glad he got what he deserved in the end, especially since he killed Ofelia and he hadn’t cared for her mother at all.
Claire: I didn’t like him either, but I thought the worst was the scene when Ofelia was given her second task where she encountered the “Pale Man”. This creature totally threw me off with its different textures. There was its rubbery-like skin, smooth head, long pointy fingers and finally, coarse hands with eyes at the palm. After all the warnings the faun had given her to not touch any of the food, she still ate the grapes causing that monster to awaken, eat two fairies and chase after her. I must admit that it was still a very intense scene as the sand in the hourglass was dropping quickly like a race against time.
Art word of the week, texture!
Schirrmacher & Fox (2009) refer to it as the “surface quality of a work of art”.
Calene: Don’t even get me started, the first task was already brutal to watch. When Ofelia entered the fig tree and there were all those huge insects crawling on her, I cringed and just wanted it to be done with already. Then, to top it all off, the enormous slimy toad just had to die and vomit out the key. (So gross!) What I found most fascinating though, was that all the “fairytale” creatures did not fit under the stereotypical norms like the ones found in Disney movies, such as Tinkerbell.
Claire: Yeah, I felt that way too. I was shocked to see that Ofelia had put her trust in the faun even though he had all those rigid and sharp features that would typically frighten many children. It really showed how courageous her character was. The story itself was really inspiring when Ofelia refused to sacrifice her brother’s life (the third and final task she had to complete) to reach the underworld, a place where she really wanted to escape to.
Calene: I agree, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the movie was able to include lessons to teach us about morals and values. Ultimately, it was a good watch since the movie ended on a happy note as Ofelia became a princess and reigned the underworld with kindness and justice.
Continuing on with morals and values, it's extremely important for children to learn about empathy, especially in our society with diverse cultures and people. As educators, we are able to give children opportunities to learn about inclusion. A simple way to do so is by including dolls of different races, genders and providing wheelchairs (to promote awareness of child with special needs). This year, I was given the amazing experience of working in a centre for children with special needs for my placement. Although the my official placement period has finished, I still volunteer with them weekly. Take a peek at their website www.cicc.ca to read about how Centennial Infant and Child Care Centre has touched the lives of many!
References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E.(2009).Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.
This week, our task was to spot out patterns around the city. Webster's dictionary defines a pattern as a "form or model proposed for imitation".
Take a look at this photo and see if you recognize it from anywhere.
If nothing comes to mind, check out this next photo.
If you happen to commute and take the TTC subway, this is the tunnel you walk through at St. Patrick station. I thought it was super cool that a pattern did not solely exist on the walls with the tile pattern, but also with the lights on the ceiling and the tiles on the floor!
Patterns can be found anywhere, and to prove it, I found something in my room that was just on my desk! Can you guess where this pattern comes from?
Look at this next photo to see if you were right!
Patterns can be tricky because our visual perception can perceive images that are different from the objective reality. It may be extremely confusing for young children to understand optical illusions, but it is a ton of fun to present them to an older group of children. By introducing children to these illusions, it gets them thinking, how is that possible? Click on the following link to see some simple optical illusions. It shows you how each illusion was created and how they worked: http://spriteland.wordpress.com/category/optical-illusions These are simple ways to get children interested in a discussion that could cover a span of topics (math - measurements, visual arts - aesthetics, logical concepts - can that happen in reality? etc.)
My art word of the week is, SPACE According to Schirrmacher and Fox (2009), there are two types of space:
positive space - the space taken up with lines, colours, shapes, and forms. (subject matter, content, and design occupy positive space)
negative space - the space left between or surrounding subject matter, symbols, or shapes.
This week, we headed over to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) to take a look at the artwork, and ultimately choose one to critique here! I chose an oil on canvas painting done by Paul Peel (a Canadian painter) and his piece was named "The Young Biologist".
This painting highlights a boy standing upright, observing a frog on the ground (the positive space in the painting). We can tell that the boy is looking in the direction of the frog as his whole head is on a slight downward angle towards it. The negative space would therefore be the background of the pathway and the green bushes.
When I look at this photo, I see a young child pondering what to do in a new situation. It felt like a photo that all of us in our program can relate to. If you take a closer look, you will see that the boy is holding what appears to be a small watering can behind his back. Is he purposely hiding it to so he can use it to catch the frog with it later? You can also notice the boy's stance with his feet wide apart. It does not look as if he is willing to move anytime soon. It makes me wonder, is he afraid to take a closer look at the frog? Why is he standing so far away? Also, the boy is standing alone. Why is that? Where were his parents at the time?As educators, we can be ready for these spontaneous moments of learning and help facilitate their learning!
I remember back in grade two, our class had done a project on frogs. We had kept a frog in our classroom for a week to observe and then we took a field trip outdoors to try and find frogs. Speaking of finding frogs, I found this clip of an Australian frog quite fascinating. This one would definitely be a tricky one to spot, check it out!
References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E.(2009).Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.
4 necklaces, 2 bracelets, 1 ring, and 1 keychain charm
Art word of the week... DESIGN (or COMPOSITION)
According to Schirrmacher and Fox (2009), it is the overall mark of success that attempts to address the artistic criteria of the following questions:
Did the artist accomplish what they originally set out to do? Where they successful?
Do line, shape, colour, texture, and form blend and work together as a unified whole? Is the arrangment of these artistic elements pleasing and satisfying?
Does the finished work impart a sense of overall order, coherence, equilibrium and organization?
Did the artist strike a balance between monotony and choas or unity and variety?
Is there a focal point, emphasis, center of interest, or dominant sport that attracts and holds attention? Does it make the viewer want to return and admire again and again?
At first I had no idea what to make my sculpture with, as the only criteria was to use every day items. So I thought about what I came into contact with daily... At the same time I was also thinking "Which necklace would match my shirt today?"
*click*
I made this to put a few of my favourite things together; my passion for music, my fascination with shiny jewellery and my obsession with hearts. I happened to establish a nice neutral colour theme using only jewellery that has silver. Neutral refers to pigments that do not have a particular colour, like black, white, gray etc. All the accessories are intertwined to one another to give the illusion of unity. If you take a look at the jewellery on the right-hand side, it creates the shape of a circle symbolizing continuity whereas the left-hand side kind of separates itself as a contrast. Also, if the hearts were not a big enough symbol for love, the literal word "love" is included too. The focal point of this piece is where the light strikes, on the ring with the letter "C" refelecting upon myself since my name begins with that letter. Most importantly, I'd say I was pretty successful in creating an aesthetically pleasing product.
As educators working with young children, literally anything can be made into a sculpture. (Although children shouldn't be playing with their food, this McDonald's sculpture really caught my eye.) I remember making masking tape structures with toddlers, structures with leaves and grass with school-aged children, and the list goes on! Stuck on ideas? Take a look at this article: http://www.incrediblethings.com/art-design/incredible-sculptures-made-using-everyday-items/ with some more extravagant sculptures!
References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E.(2009).Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.
Where do I even begin to find the suitable words to define this broad term? It's one of those words that are used so often but is not "clearly defined".
Probably the most common thing I associate it with, are the arts. In my perspective, creativity is a traitthat we all possess. It is a way of expressing ourselves at whatever task we do, in our own individual styles.
My personal creativity comes from music. I started piano lessons and joined a choir at a young age. During middle school, I participated in various school plays and got minor roles/a few solos here and there. In my last year of middle school, I was part of the worship team and lead the school in song (along with three others) every week during chapel time. In high school, I auditioned for the school musical for the first time in grade eleven. It was a such a fun experience, that I did it again in my senior year.
In a sense, the experience of putting on a musical and enduring countless hours of hard work in the theatre, is comparable to the process of exploring creativity. The ultimate goal is to successfully put on fantastic performances that are enjoyable for both the cast and viewer (the completion of a product). However, the most crucial moments were all the rehearsals where we discovered what worked and what did not over the course of endless practices (or the proccess).
But I must say, joining a professional choir was the most memorable experience of my life. It opened my doors for travelling, to places like Newfoundland for national choral festivals, California for Disney's Magic Music Days, Cuba to explore international music differences etc. It also led me to once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as performing live on the Treehouse Kids television show "Judy and David's Boombox" and meeting/participating in a workshop with Bobby McFerrin! Throughout all the various performances, I developed confidence for singing anywhere and anytime to express myself.
Just a little blurb about me, I'm currently a second year student at Ryerson Univeristy in the Early Childhood Education program. This blog was created specifically for my CLD 215 - Creative Arts I class, so watch out... things may be a little unique!
I discovered my passion for working with children in grade six when we had a buddy program at our school. All the "older" children were paired with a "younger" child for weekly activities. The one activity I remember the most, was teaching my buddy how to tie her shoelaces for the first time. After a few weeks of struggling and many attempts later, I felt extremely accomplished that I was able to help teach somebody this practical skill.
P.S - The inspiration for my blog title? Well, creativity is kind of like a spark. When you are able to catch a spark, it grows and keeps going if you feed it, until it become a fire! It's a such a joyous moment, just like the following "feel-good" song (where I borrowed the lyrics from):
