The projector

This morning I set up the projector and wondered what the response from the children would be. As the children entered the room, they wandered over to explore the projector. They initially watched from a distance and then moved nearer for a closer look. They were very curious especially when they discovered if you put your hand under the light it appears on the wall.

They had learnt that even if you put your hand up high you will still see the shadow appear on the wall. They had then discover that they could make patterns with cut out shapes and the glass nuggets on the wall.

Isenberg & Jalonga, (2001, p. 321) state that” when children play with technology, they have many opportunities to determine the outcome of their play through the use of a variety of symbols”.

The next day I had moved the projector to a different area. When the children arrived today they noticed that the projector had been moved to a different area and a screen was placed in front. They checked it out carefully and then wiggled their fingers under the light to see whether it was reflective on the screen. The children then took turns to place nuggets on the glass to create a pattern and then looked at it on the screen. Te Whariki states “Equipment should be provided for scientific, mathematical and technological learning” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.83). 

The concentration as the children had explored was amazing and their faces said it all!!

After a while I placed a picture which had been drawn on plastic onto the overhead projector. This again provoked interest.  The children asked if they could try creating their own pictures, so I helped them find some plastic to draw on and they then proceeded to experiment with their creations using the projector. The children then discovered that they could make their creations bigger on the screen. Te Whāriki states “children use a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore their world” (Ministry of Education, 1996. p. 98). This was really exciting for the children as they then tried creating faces using gems that they had placed onto the overhead projector and tried to enlarge their created smiles. This gave them a sense of achievement as they had big smiles on their faces and they appeared to be very proud of their work. Isenberg & Jalonga, (2001, p. 322) state that “materials that promote problem solving provide children with possibilities for gathering information, making decisions, generating creative ideas and solutions, and testing their plans and solutions”.

Exploring with the glue gun

Whenever the glue gun is out I have noticed that it draws children to the table. We have been very lucky to get two new glue guns this week. Today I placed some grease proof baking paper on the table along with the glue gun and glitter glue. As usual the children were straight over excitedly asking if they could have a turn. I told them that since we only have 2 glue guns they would have to have turns using them. Sharing according to Arthur et al, (1996) as cited in Isenberg and Jalonga(2001, p. 21) “maintains positive peer relationships.  It helped to promote social interaction between the children and helped them learn skills such as negotiation and sharing. I placed some baking paper on the table and I explained to the children that they could try making a pattern with the glue on the paper and then peel it off when it’s dry. 

S was the first to have a turn; she created a beautiful piece of art using the glue gun with glitter glue. I was so impressed with her creation that I asked if I could take a picture of her completing her creation, which she responded “yes” to.  In the mean time some of her friends came over to see what I was raving about. S explained to her friends what she was doing saying “It’s like a picture and then you can peel off the paper”. She then turned to her friend K and said “you can have a turn next” and then turned to me and said “I can help and take the pictures of the children when it’s their turn”. S had a turn using the camera to take a picture of K and then decided that it was only fair if K took a picture of the child that created their creation after her.Arthur,Beecher, Dockett and Farmer(2008)encorage the use of real resources as it allows children to have real life experiences. The children had fun taking picture of one another and then viewing them thereafter.  It was really good to see the children share justly during this activity whereby all the children were able to take a picture of their peers whilst working with the glue gun. Strand 3 of Te Whāriki states, “children experience an environment where there are equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity, or background; they are affirmed as individuals and are encouraged to learn with and alongside each other,” (Ministry of education, 1996, p.64). Once the children had finished making all of their creative glue art we decided to make a big hanging display. They knew that their contributions were recognised and valued as they tried out the new glue gun and experimented with the glitter glue and baking sheet thereby also sharing their ideas with their peers, (Ministry of education, 1996). The photos that the children took were fantastic and this was also added to the hanging display. Te Whāriki adds that children’s development takes place during active participation, each child should be allowed to “make his or her mark,” (Ministry of education, 1996, p.64).

Our Veggie Patch!

Finally we got our vegetable patch, this morning when we went outside K, our handy man, was busy getting the boxes to the little garden on the side where we decided to set the veggie patch. The children were very curious about biotechnology and started to ask questions. They gathered looking at the boxes while K was stacking them on top of each other.

When K started to fill the boxes with soil, K, Z and F were the first children to explore. I initially assumed that they liked the texture of the soil, but I later learned that they were looking for earth worms as K told them that there were many of them hiding in there. J rushed to the sandpit and brought a little bucket and started to collect the worms, but after explaining to them that earthworms were important to plough the soil by tunneling through it so that their tunnels provide the soil with passageways through which air and water can circulate, and that's important because soil microorganisms and plant roots need air and water just like we do. Without some kind of ploughing, soil becomes compacted, air and water can't circulate in it, and plant roots can't penetrate it. The children then decided that the earthworms needed to stay alive in the soil so our plants could grow.

When K brought in the garden mix in the big wheel burrow, Z and F helped him pushing it all the way up the pathway to the garden. When K tipped up the compost mix in the boxes he asked the children if they could help spread it evenly all over. 

This was good as you could see the interest that the children were taking in preserving nature and getting the planting started. According to Kellert(2002) as cited in Gonzalez-Mena(2008, p. 243)”society today has become disconnected from its natural origins that people no longer recognise our basic dependence on nature as a condition of growth and development.

Z and F, had always showed an interest in gardening and specially helping K in whatever he was doing. Sometimes the children did weeding whilst at other times they would get their little wheelbarrows and follow K around. This time the children helped K to spread the garden mix and they listened attentively to him when he asked them to wash their hands after they had finished spreading the soil. I was impressed with the children’s hard work and perseverance as they did not lose interest and leave what they were doing to do something else, thus indicating their love for gardening. Te Whāriki states that “children develop a relationship with the natural environment and knowledge of their own place in the environment” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 90).

We all know that a child’s early years are a crucial time of development and that educational experiences during these first years significantly influence the rest of their lives. Hands-on projects like gardening allow children to explore at their own pace and engage in experiential learning have a high rate of success We would like our children to learn about nature and living things, and we therefore encourage them to explore in the garden and look after the plants. Now that we have started on the veggie patch this will be a great opportunity for them to learn about growing food and taking care of plants and maybe encourage some children who do not like to eat veggie to start trying them!

 Who knows maybe some children will start their own veggie patch at home.