Over the last few weeks we have continued to explore children’s theories, questions and wonderings in connection to our artist in residence program. We have observed, documented and further provoked this learning, strengthening and illuminating potential pathways for deeper inquiries and projects. The addition of the prep children as the documentors of their Prep Neighbourhood has brought a new layer to our whole school well-being project.
The ideas connecting sound and the Corona virus have continued to capture our imaginations. The children have been able to spend time with both Deb, our resident music educator and Emily our sound artist in residence. The importance of these inquiries in giving our young learners an opportunity to explore their feelings and understandings of this complex time can not be underestimated.
The virus has a wave sound. Put it in the machine to make it loud. Lulu
You have to break the Corona Virus down. Put it in a machine. Put the Corona Virus into several pipes and the machine will break it down and put the virus through a cord.The cord goes to a setting thing that makes it need earphones to hear. Sam
The virus is wearing sunglasses and drinking a milk shake to stay healthy.It’s a monster virus. Camilla
The germ detector sucks in germs and gradually amplifies the sound. Germs go through the pipe to a computer. Sebastian
The virus disguises itself. It is invisible. Henry L
The children continued their inquiries into the sound of covid further with Emily, exploring a different language to express and make sound with their bodies.
Many children throughout the Neighbourhood spaces are now immersed in using different art languages to represent the story of The Prep Neighbourhood including clay, photography and mixed media drawings. We look forward to further provocations from the various artists. The children’s empathy for next year’s prep’s and their strong desire to communicate and express to them the Story of Prep, has provided a way to collectively make sense of their time in 2020.
This idea of communicating through written words has found another strong pathway. A small group of children have continued with their determination to create a way to reconnect with their year 5 prep buddies. This burgeoning system of letter communication is now becoming an authentic means for writing for all the children in the neighbourhood.
And finally NAIDOC week has provided for some rich provocations for an understanding of Indigenous perspectives. We have taken the opportunity to share rich literature from this perspective with our children, allowing time for conversation, thoughts and wonderings. A group of children have been deeply focussed on a provocation of a map of the indigenous lands in Australia. We are beginning to look for a pathway for these children to share their understandings and questions with the whole Neighbourhood.
With so many rich pathways for our further exploration, the last weeks of prep 2020 promise to be exciting for all.