Recycled Frame Corners

The children have been very interested in visiting our loose parts shelf. In this area there are many bins of interested found and recycled materials. One basket of particular interest was the frame corners. These vary in size, colour and texture and have become a very versatile building material during play. 

 

Today the children began joining the frames together to create along zigzag roadway. They worked cooperatively, stretching the road along the carpet.

 

Many children noticed the roadway and became quite interested in seeing what was happening.

They were curious to see how the pieces fit together and why the Velcro on the back made the corners stick to well to the carpet.

Once the roadway was complete a 'parking lot' was constructed...

...perfect for cars AND dinosaurs!

 

Artwork in Nature inspired by Andy Goldsworthy

Today we learned about the artist Andy Goldsworthy, who creates artwork using nothing but natural materials. His work is fascinating; he works with objects from nature in order to better understand the world around him. His artwork is not permanent but he does take photos of what he creates. We shared pictures of Andy's artwork with our children and they were fascinated! You can learn more about Andy Goldsworthy by clicking the link.

 

Many children wanted to become artists like Andy. We headed outdoors and spent time examining our environment. The children reflected upon the natural materials available to them and considered what they could create. We have been focusing a lot lately on the use of 'loose parts' in play and how these experiences relate to all developmental areas.

 

 

 

 

We placed frames on the ground to help define a working area for the children. Some worked to create collaborate artwork.

It was interesting to hear the children discuss their work with one another. They explained their choice of materials (colours, shape, size) and considered how to arrange it. Some children wanted to represent realistic objects like the sun or a tree and others worked more abstractly.

Their finished pieces were stunning!

 

We invited other children to take a 'gallery walk' and examine the artwork.

The artists explained their inspiration to others; the art appreciators described what they noticed in the pieces.

 

When we headed indoors we removed the frames, leaving the artwork still displayed on the sidewalk for visitors to our school to continue to enjoy.