Dear ISN kids, here's an idea from Indigo

Indigo started with a pencil drawing. Then she followed the patterns of her drawing with loose parts before picking up the pencil again to add more detail. We're not sure why she circled areas before then clearing away the loose parts.

Why do you think she circled areas before clearing away?
What do you like most - the loose parts drawing or the pencil drawing? Why?
Would you like to try this?

Reflections on our Nexus and ISN projects: Environment

In June we completed our outdoor learning project in the Nexus International School Nursery/ Kindergarten playground and we have just completed our outdoor learning project at the International School of Nice and are very much still buzzing from what we've learnt.

We wanted to focus on one of the bigger areas which is environment.

Building on our growing awakening, these two projects confirm our conviction that motivation, progression and deep learning are intrinsic within the child WHEN the environment allows it. Our role then as educators is to OBSERVE the child at work to interpret where their curiosity is taking them in order to furnish them with the resources they need to take each next step. We also PROVOKE by adding unexpected resources. Each and every time the child will always do something that we couldn’t have predicted and that is why we must stand back and let the magic happen.

So what is this environment? It is resource-rich and open-ended. It challenges, awes, inspires, provokes and even disturbs - a great example being the Living Organisms atelier at the Loris Malaguzzi Centre. See photos below:

The environment seeks to reach and enliven all the senses.

Outdoor learning at ISN

It's great to be back in France and to start our exciting project with the International School of Nice. Follow this link to find out what we and the kids are doing on our blog for the project.

We brought in our loose parts tray of all the treasure we've been collecting on our drive to Nice from Portugal for the Student Council. It was the first time they've even seen a loose parts tray, though they agreed when we proposed that they had probably been playing with loose parts all their lives - on beaches, in forests, rummaging through Gran's sewing box etc. 

The wonderful thing about the Reggio Emilia approach is that it levels the playing field. Let me explain - I grew up in a crazy house. My Mum is a hoarder, so there were little treasure troves all over the house to play with, in addition to all the natural finds that we hoarded on our walks. Our neighbour's house was, by contrast, minimalist with purpose-built toys neatly stored in play boxes. I envied the tidiness of it but the truth was, there was nothing to discover - there were not the same opportunities to express yourself with loose parts.

Some initial symbolic play before a theme of faces and bodies appears:

Some members splinter off from the group to draw natural finds from the loose parts tray: