Blog post 4: Treasured gifts for Easter

One Monday morning, I noticed teacher P and four year old girls, C and K doing something in the art area. On the table they had sticks, shells, different types of chocolate wrappers, very soft coloured papers, plastic flowers, dried leaves and a number of bottle tops. In addition they had paper glue, three pairs of scissors and a glue gun. I was very curious to find out what was going on, because they had very interesting items on the table.

Miriam: “I wonder what is happening here.”

C: “I am making something to give to my nana on Easter. My nana lives in Taupo”.

K: “I’m making a card for my mom”

Miriam: “Those are wonderful ideas. How are you going to make them?”

C: “I will use sticks, shells and the soft papers”

Miriam: “how are you going to attach all the materials?”

K: “we shall glue them”

C: “I will use a glue gun”

Teacher P then explained how the two girls had approached and told her that they wanted to make treasured gifts for Easter, instead of Easter eggs which most of the children were making.

I identified C and K as caring and thoughtful young children. As they made their Easter presents, the girls were excited and spoke about what they will do on Easter holiday. Teacher P did not interfere with children’s work; instead she supported their creative thoughts and encouraged their self – expression. (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2006). Great thoughts went into the making of Easter presents, and the two girls explored their ideas and materials through art.

Under the close supervision of teacher P, C glued the craft sticks with a low-temperature hot glue gun. The glue held pieces of plastic flowers, dried leaves and shells to the sticks very securely. Few beads were stuck to the sticks by thin wires.

Unlike C, K used regular paper glue to stick chocolate wrappers, soft and hard coloured papers to a big white paper, she was transforming to a card. Glitter and glue were used in the final finishing touches of the card. I asked K how her mother was to receive the card. “I will put it in the post” she responded. I suggested that she addresses the card to her mother, by putting her name, house number, name of the area and town she lives in. She smiled shyly and sat down, using a pen she addressed the card by scribbling some words on the back of the card. The point I was putting across was to educate K about the importance of addressing gifts, letters or cards to be posted very carefully, so that the right person can receive it.  A field trip to a local post office would be an added advantage, because K and other children can learn more about mailing and receiving letters at their level of understanding. Such as were the letters go when they are dropped in the slot, and how they are transported to faraway places, and then delivered by the mail carrier.

I asked the two girls some questions as I wanted to find out what they knew about Easter. The girls had some vague understanding about the meaning of Easter, they believed that it was a good time to visit family members, go to the beach, eat chocolate eggs, people go to church, and mummies and daddies don’t go for work. To broaden their knowledge about Easter, I   explained to them the meaning and background of the occasion.

Technology is a creative and purposeful activity (Smorti, 1999), that gave the two girls the technological experiences to use different types of tools such as a glue gun, scissors, wire, a pen. The girls also used their imagination in using unique materials such as chocolate wrappers, dried leaves and plastic flowers. Furthermore, one of the learning outcomes stated in Te Whãriki, says “Children develop: familiarity with the properties and character of the materials and technology used in the creative and expressive arts” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.80).

REFERENCES

Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2006). Creative thinking and arts-based learning: Preschool through fourth grade. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

Ministry of Education. (1996).Te Whāriki: He Whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No. 19 Autumn 1999.