Outdoor Weaving

It was another beautiful day around here! I wanted to add more outdoor art areas to our backyard so I created a 'weaving area' underneath the kids' climber. I attached a short piece of chicken wire between the two support posts using zip ties.

We used the ribbon from our indoor art area. The kids were really amazed when I brought the ribbon outside - they were surprised that it could be used outdoors too!

I encouraged them to think about what pieces they'd like to use - considering the colours, sizes, and textures of the ribbons when creating their communal art.

Cutting the ribbon and weaving it through the wire were excellent fine motor activities, especially for my three year old son! Because this was a communal piece of art much problem solving and cooperation were needed in order for the kids to be successful.

The result? A beautiful piece of art that can stay outside and be added to every once in a while when the kids feel like weaving! Maybe the birds will borrow some ribbon for their nests!
 

Displaying Ribbon

In Reggio Emilia inspired spaces the art materials are considered to be aesthetic additions to the learning environment and arranged so that they are appealing to use. The environment exists as the 'third teacher', inspiring children in their endeavours. 

We have spools of ribbon thrown into a bin in our art area and I find that the children are not usually eager to use it, either because they forget where it is or it's a mess when they finally dig it out.  

I found these beautiful paper towel holders at our local dollar store and thought they'd be great for displaying our ribbon. They are slender enough to hold most spools and their upright position allows them to sit on top of a working area or shelf when not in use.

Doesn't this look beautiful? The ribbon looks much more appealing organized like this!

By stacking the colours in a spectrum they are aesthetically pleasing and functional. I have another two holders and am planning on creating one for neutral browns and the other for black and white shades of ribbon!