Creativity Can Pass On!

Over the last few weeks, the Prep Neighborhood has continued to be provoked by experiences that have allowed us, as educators, to document and analyse different ways in which children create. In response to this documentation, we have begun to plan and facilitate a series of workshops that further develop the children’s understanding of creativity in the world. 

I see creativity in the prep neighborhood in the garden where there is lots of nature.  Jess

I see creativity in the art room, when people are drawing or thinking of ideas that they can draw from nature. Anais

I see creativity at play and recess in the sandpit. They build stuff and make up games and they listen to each other.  Max

The documentation from the Learning Commons continued to explore the role of speech, speech bubbles and developed conversations between two or more characters. Character conversations initiated simple questions, such as “Would you like to play?” or “What day is it?”, which is prompting further investigations into the role of punctuation.

 

Questioning, curiosity and journal writing have become features of our new Da Vinci provocation that further explores a range of Da Vinci’s works. As we look to nature for inspiration, we are developing an understanding that we can trial or improve a range of ideas on the same page, as Da Vinci demonstrates. This trial and re-drafting practice has also become apparent as children continue to write their own fairytales. A number of students have written a second draft to help organise their words and improve their communication.

Da Vinci makes mistakes but he moves on to a new place in his journal to try again. Amie

Da Vinci makes things up…shapes, patterns, inventions…maybe poems! Eren and co.

Da Vinci spied bones and things from nature. Emily

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Meanwhile, in the Construction Space, the children are being inspired, by Rube Goldberg machines, to build contraptions that create chain reactions. These constructions have presented opportunities to learn about forces and how simple machines, such as levers and ramps, manipulate them. Often, children take on challenges that require them to scientifically adapt and tinker with their designs. For example, trying to get a ball to roll through a course and up a ramp. 

Technic Lego has also been introduced to the Construction Space and children have been making moving vehicles, spinning tops and ‘BeyBlades’, which has provoked thinking about wheels, axles and balance.

In the Studio, the children have continued to explore creativity through different art mediums and tools. An exploration of black artistic ink and watercolour paints has produced a series of beautiful collaborations. The natural world coming into the studio from our courtyard has provided inspiration for a variety of creative art inquiries, including nest making with wire and sticks, 100 birds for our wooden tree and now 100 bugs too! We are beginning to use the actual garden in the courtyard as inspiration and as a ‘canvas’ for future creations. 

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The observations and documentation from the neighbourhood provocations and workshops, into the concept of creativity, uncovered connections and patterns in the children’s thinking about creativity. These are some of the concepts revealed in the analysis of the documentation.

• A connection between creativity and the arts including writing and visual art.
• Creativity is closely connected to building and making.
• Nature is a source of inspiration for creativity. 
• Creativity exists in the natural world and the human world. 

These developing themes will begin to form the basis of our neighbourhood projects into creativity

John shared some of his creative drawing from home. He drew space crafts. He inspired Matilda to be creative. She drew a space craft too. “Creativity can pass on!” Cleo