Clay in the early years art programme

Clay gives young children opportunities to develop a set of valuable visual art skills. Also, it connects children to a natural resource that has been used by people around the world for thousands of years for art creation. This unique art medium reflects our respect for the nature. Clay is able to be reused and clay works can be recycled, which is an important benefit of using clay in the early childhood art programme. Using clay promotes greater awareness of environmental issues and sustainability.

The simplest of physical actions: squeezing, patting, poking, rolling, coiling, or piling it up - produces an immediate and satisfying change to the shape and form of a piece of clay. While the children are exploring the possibilities of clay as a medium of artistic expression, they are learning how clay behave and how they can use it to make their idea visible. It involves problem solving.

Younger children, particularly, seem to enjoy using clay and are delighted in its sensory and tactile qualities. They are quite bold in tackling wet and damp clay. While younger children tend to create abstract works, the older ones aim to be representational in their creation.

The teacher may want to bring out clay regularly. With practice, children will develop more sophisticated skills and be able to add complexity to their creations. Just give plenty of time for children to figure things out by themselves.

While it's important to let children explore and make discoveries, teachers' support is important too. Click this link for more.

Valuing children's art

Ann Pelo advises early childhood teachers, "honour the courage and boldness of creating!"

Something to ponder: " It is no small thing to put a strong black line on a waiting piece of paper, or to make the first stroke of color across a canvas, to press a thumb into a smooth slab of clay or put the first crimp in a length of wire. It takes courage and daring and humility, and deserves our regard," as said by Ann Pelo.

I asked, "Your picture looks amazing, can I put it on the wall, so everyone can see it?" The child says, "No! I want to take it home. You can make a copy." So, I let her use the printer.

Organizing a supportive environment means a quiet space, a chair to sit on...

Superheroes and ICT

A couple of weeks ago, the superhero play at kindy has moved to an interesting direction. The children have gone beyond capes and masks. It's no longer about dressing up and running around. As the kindy has a culture of using the medium of art as the tool of exploration, we put out pens and paint, and also pictures and magazines of superheroes for children to represent their understanding of the superheroes.

When we looked up pictures of superheroes on the internet, the teachers noted that a few children have a lot of knowledge and interest in the ninjas of Lego's Ninjago. While the teachers are not familiar with this set of Lego toys or characters, so alongside with the children, the teachers have been actively researching on Ninjago on the computer. Through research, the teachers are able to draw the children's attention to the positive attributes of the Lego ninja. Instead of talking about fighting and battle, they discussed about what each character likes to do, what their weapons are and their means of transportation. The children filled each other up with the story plot, and their narrative is sophisticated and full of details. Thanks to Lego!

While we think we know something about the classic superheroes like Batman and Spiderman, we won't do any research about them when planning the learning experiences. Whereas we know nothing about the Lego ninja, so we are keen to read more about them from the internet. In the end, the children's learning is enriched with greater understanding of the lego ninjas. Their drawing is more complex; and the ninja heroes are depicted in action, and sometimes with their plane or motorbike at the background...

We love to see children moved beyond dressing up and chasing each other, and we let them play games on the computer as well. The more experienced children help the less experienced ones use the touch pad to scroll the screen; click and select and so on. A lot of peer tutoring is happening.

How amazing is ICT in supporting teaching and learning! I've been thinking if we did research about Spiderman and Batman, would the children's play be more complex? Recalling a child who used to dress up as a Spiderman and jump, crouch and climb around kindy, if I had used internet to research about Spiderman with the children, they might focus their attention on the languages of body movements and drama, which is a valuable means of communication in the early years.

However, for a much younger age group - infants, what does technological literacy mean? Check out what Anita of Victoria University, New Zealand has found out.

Professional development with Ann Pelo

During the term break, the whole team attended a professional development workshop organized by Reggio Emilia Aotearoa New Zealand. It was a presentation by Ann Pelo from America on the language of art.

What impressed me the most is how Ann defined art. She described art as an experience with emotional engagement, which involves thinking, feeling and expressing. Specifically, she suggested that art is a verb rather an a noun. So, we should be 'doing' art, instead of 'creating art', the focus of which is the product, an object. What an inspiring way to say the process is more important than the product.

As the process is so important, have we as teachers been doing enough to show respect and support? I ponder. I think, sometimes, we might need to stay around and listen to children when they want to talk about their work. And what else can we do to prepare the environment? Perhaps make sure it is away from busy foot traffic, with lovely music in the background; keep it tidy regularly, and present the art resources neatly alongside plants, natural resources...

Furthermore, Ann believed that art should be more than visually pleasing, and it should also be intellectually provocative, showing the curiosity, confidence, rigor and passion of the artist.

I can relate Ann's ideas with many episodes of children doing art at my kindy. Just like the collage picture on the left. It illustrates a new way of seeing art as a combination of textures, colors, lines, and patterns through collage and drawing. The artist is curious and he plays about with artistry and ideas with confidence. He spent long periods of time to complete the work, thinking, reflecting and adding details, which demonstrated his passion. This is what art is about.


In particular, I like Ann's encouragement to teachers to develop skills and experiences together with children. While art teachers at school specialize in art, early childhood teachers may not have the necessary skills under their belt. But we can competently support children as long as we are committed to learn. Many years ago, I had written an article investigating various ways to support art in the early years. I'm glad that Ann also believes that art is more than the art techniques.

Be courageous next time when being confronted with a blank piece of paper!

The Art Exhibition

Last week was chaotic as everyone at kindergarten were rushing to finish the preparation of the exhibition. Children were excited too, because they had been fully involved. We had asked them to brainstorm a name for the exhibition. They came up with plenty of good ideas, and we eventually chose the name "It's Just Art" for its simplicity. And then, we printed proper invites for parents and friends in the community. We scheduled two viewing sessions, one in the afternoon for children and their families, the other in the evening for adults only.

The major task, however, was displaying the artworks.
Some teachers wrote biography for the young artists; some documented the child voice in relation to the particular artwork or the creative process. I decided to collate a folder to talk about the artists, their works and their inspirations. On top of that, I printed labels with names of artists and titles of the artworks. We wanted to present the artworks nicely to show our respect for the young artists.

For the same reason of respect, I debated with myself how much accessories or ornaments should I use in the display. Visually, it would be nice to decorate around the artwork, but the decoration should not be too overpowering or overwhelming, as the main focus is the artwork created by the children. Eventually, I decided to separate the clay artworks of children into three groups. For the clay figures and animals, I placed scented tea light candles, crystal, flowers among them on a nice velvety tablecloth, appealing to the senses of sight, smell and touch. The second group of clay slab carving were framed. And the clay Maori indigenous waka (canoes) were displayed inside a glass cabinet, decorated with native flowers, pohutukawa, native plant, i.e. flax and some pebbles.

The afternoon session was a great success, attended by grandparents, parents, siblings and friends. They were awed by the efforts we put in to create an "art gallery" with a professional look. Most importantly, they were impressed by the quality of children's artworks. I believe they did see the artist in every child. I think the exhibition has communicated well to parents the value of art in the kindy programme.

The only regret was the evening session with embarrassing turnout, especially all the teachers had brought in refreshment and nice nibbles; and a parent who is a music teacher had volunteered to sing for the night to create the mood and atmosphere for the event. It made us realize how difficult it is for parents of young children to attend social events in the evening. Something to bear in mind when we plan for future events. I hope these information will help whoever planning an art show for children.

collaboration in art

I see learning as a collaborative process; it happens in a social setting. To children, just to be near another person is very important when learning. When a child learns, he learns as a whole, so the cognitive and social aspects are inseparable.

The best relationship at early childhood is among two or three children. Working with children with clay has given me some fabulous examples. The kindy only has three clay boards, so at most three children can work together. They talk and listen, thereby helping each other think and build on ideas. The small group size allows fruitful exchange and dialogue, as they do not need to compete for a turn to speak. Collaborative learning is less likely to appear when children are in the whole group of 40.

Amy announced that she would make a clay bird, Brianna offered the ideas of eggs and nests. So three girls at the clay table worked out how to flatten clay for creating the base for bird nests, then shaping and constructing the birds with a sharp beak, tail and eyes. I believe the children are learning together, sharing ideas, strategies and individual strengths rather than 'copying' what each other is doing.

I believe the kindergarten is a learning community. Children share the same goals. They comment on each other's work. When children are working towards the same goals and confronting the same problems, they form a bond, and they persevere until they achieve.

Also, learning is about the relationship with the teacher as well. The teacher staying with the children is a way to help them to face and solve a problem. For example, I just need to listen when the children are discussing about the technical problem to join clay pieces securely. I encourage them to experiment with every solution they come up with. They found that what they do are considered important and valuable by the teachers. Eventually, they solved their own problem. Children appreciate the opportunities to talk with, listen to and watch a teacher. This makes their interest grow. We have to make a call when to be present or to be absent, in order to capture the right moments to intervene.

Somethings to ponder: As teachers of young children, how can we facilitate children learning through interaction with other children? What's the role of teacher in con-constructing knowledge with children?

Competent children - reflecting our image of the child

Everyone is busy with the preparation of the art exhibition, yet, I let children give the finishing touch to their clay sculptures, rather than doing it myself. As there has not been enough time to fire the clay work, I decided to cover them with a glaze of polymer medium, so the sculptures look better and won't break easily. Though the glazing takes time, but I respect the children as 'artists', so they are involved in every single step of the art show.  Why I take so much troubles? because I see children as competent learners.

it's amazing that the children can still remember what they had made weeks ago. One boy asked the whereabout of his lizard, when I let him glaze his dinosaur. A girl recalled that the hair of her clay dancing girl has fallen off, and she asked me whether I had figured out how to glue it back on. They invested time, thoughts and energy into their work, though it seemed they were just having fun. The children are committed artists who took ownership and responsibility seriously.

Marvin, when talking about working with children in art, advised against demonstration because children tended to think following what the teacher has done is more important than original thinking. He sees children as competent artists and are able to come up with ideas and solutions.

The same applies to behavior management. Here's my recent experience. Out of the blue, a new child cried and screamed. We have tried to comfort him and have done all sorts. But we could not figured out what's the issue, because he did not talk and just screamed. The head teacher decided to shift the balance of responsibility back to the child. She calmly told the child that we were willing to listen whenever he was ready. Then she just walked away. After a short while, the child came to me and explained that he had no friends to play with, because a particular child did not play with him. I explained that we can always have more than one friend, and pointed to the children at the playground and asked him to join in. Happily, he went to make new friends.

The head teacher trusted that the child is a competent communicator, and he is able to express his needs and wants once he has calmed down. She understood that children need time to learn to regulate their emotions, and she respected the child's need to do things at his own pace.

Ask yourself what's your image of the child? One who sees children as dependent on adults' help will intervene and 'teach'; and others who see children as competent and confident learner will observe and seize the magic moment to support and facilitate 'learning'.

More on Creativity

Children's art expression reflects their artistic skill. The question is how do we, as teachers, strengthen children's artistry?

I believe that we need to know a bit about art theory/the elements of art so that we can contribute to children's artistic development. With some knowledge in relation to art, we are able to talk with a child about the color, shape, line, form, texture in their art work. With some knowledge about the principles of balance, contrast, promotion, pattern, rhythm, we are able to give advice, suggestion, additional ideas to children.

I've been busy working with children for the kindergarten art exhibition in a month's time. I consciously incorporated art elements and principles in my discussion with children when they are engaged in art. I'm pleased to assist children getting to know the elements of art and learning how to use them in their creative process.

pinching with fingers adds texture to the clay dinosaur

Meanwhile, my children are working on clay sculpture. I shared my ideas about texture. The children were aware that they could change the surface quality of their clay work to create a 'feel' or 'look' of smoothness, roughness,softness and so on. Also, we talked about various forms of clay work, such as  cylinder, sphere, and pyramid, also drawing attention to the height, width and depth.

Creativity can flourish when it is motivated. So the important event of art exhibition enables me to work closely with children with a strong focus on art. Nevertheless, there should be a balance between extending children's artistic development and letting children to explore freely. It's up to individual teacher to decided when and where to get involved or stay away.

Nurturing Creativity

My kindergarten is planning to hold an art exhibition to showcase children's art work. I feel very excited of the opportunity to work closely with children in art. It has been a myth that only some talented people are born with creativity, but actually creativity can be nurtured. While children need time, space and materials to explore and master art, 'expert input' is equally important. 'Expert input' could mean learning a new skill, looking at other artists' work, seeking feedback and so on. Even professional and semi-professional artists visit art galleries to find inspiration.

I decided to create clay sculpture with children for the exhibition. For sure, I have taken some risks. In five weeks time,  our children have to work very hard to pick up the necessary skills to manipulate clay to create what they have in mind. Initially, I encourage them to make the Maori wake, a kind of canoe used by the indigenous people of New Zealand. it will be manageable as young children will find it easier to poke and push into the clay than joining pieces of clay together. It also provide an opportunity to use various tools and see what effect each tool is able to achieve.

A week after making clay waka, something interesting happened. One child specifically asked to make a dinosaur. As I was not busy, so I sat with the boy and demonstrated all necessary skills to him. It amazed me that he was able to make a dinosaur that looks really good. Other teachers are equally amazed, as they recalled that his previous clay work used to look like lumps of clay. With a teacher sitting with a child, demonstrating, giving advice and feedback,  the child feels empowered. Most important of all, the mother has 'discovered' the creative side of the boy. (he is so proud of himself that he let his mum have a preview of his art work before the exhibition!)

Yes, creativity can be nurtured. I'll talk more about it, in the leading up to the art exhibition.

The learning environment

'what does this say?' a child asked while studying a plaque made to commemorate
an ex teacher who passed away. I read out the words and she happily walked off. Another child pointed at the alphabets she was able to recognize and read them out. Interestingly, the plaque is providing opportunities for literacy learning. As a teacher of young children, I am always aware of the significance of print in the environment. We put labels everywhere at kindergarten, such as the kitchen, toilet, puzzle corner and so on. We positioned posters at the child's level to enable them to read/look at them or just ask questions.

a well planned environment definitely promote learning. Think about putting some flowers on the drawing tables to prompt children to observe and draw them. If you are frustrated by the stereotype five-petals flower drawn by children, try to look closely at the flowers and talk about the colors and shapes of the petal, stem and leaves. At the block corner, photographs of towers, bridges, and other architecture will certainly help. These photographs give children some reference and extra ideas, enriching their repertoire. I have seen a child who is used to build roads tried out a bridge.

Really think about the environment, use your imagination and plan ahead.

clay with young children

I had clay today and I sat down with children to support them. As my kindy puts out play dough often, children know quite well how to create with play dough, but the skills with play dough cannot be transferable to working with clay. So, I decided to work closely with children to share my knowledge, passion and skills.

At times, children need to have the opportunities to explore freely. At other times, children benefit from 'teaching'. While some children just dived into clay right away, others felt uncomfortable and did not like the mess on their fingers and hands. I demonstrated the fun of creating with clay, showing them how to pound, knead, carve...simply getting my hands dirty. I reminded them that I can always wash my hands when I do not want to do any more. Actually, when I started sculpturing with clay, the children realized the potential and possibilities of clay, such as making animals with legs strong enough to stand. It's easy to make three dimensional objects, as clay is firm in texture and the shape can hold together.

The children came up with various imaginative ideas, and I coached the children along their creative process. After we had worked together for a while, when I was happy with what they have learnt and the children have developed some confidence and competence, I left and gave the children opportunities to explore further. My goal was to shift the balance of power back to the children and let them determine where to go next. I believe the strategies of 'hands-on' and 'hands-off' are both valid.

Lisa Terreni, a practicing artist and an ECE lecturer, observes that some children who do not usually draw or paint prefer creating with clay instead. She believes that children need to be offered an array of visual art opportunities so they are able to choose their preferred medium to express and communicate their ideas. I totally agree with her. She shared her experiences and knowledge on http://www.educate.ece.govt.nz/learning/exploringPractice/Literacy/UsingClayToDevelopLearning.aspx. Check it out.

inspiration from the local artists

The head teacher of my kindy suggested researching on our local artists and then working on a similar style or technique with children. I looked through the internet and picked Carol Smith from west Auckland. Her work is mostly abstract painting of landscape, capturing the mood of various times of the day and expressing her feelings. She specializes in layering acrylic paint on canvas, which I think is quite suitable for young children to achieve.

My approach was to introduce the idea of painting from observation. I believe in a child-centred approach for art, so I let children study a few painting of Carol, featuring the blue sky in different tones. I let them involved in mixing different tones of blue with white paint and black paint. I drew their attention to the color as well as the direction of the strokes. Young children tend to move their brush up and down, like a painter painting a house. So, I pointed out how Carol used horizontal lines in her work. Finally, I put out brushes of different thickness. Naturally, children experimented with all of them. Through hands-on involvement, they learnt to vary the thickness of the lines, achieving a variety of effects.

The painting they completed looks very interesting. I call it seven shades of blue, naming after the seven different tones we had created and mixed together. Hopefully, through this painting experience, the children develop the ability to use color with growing confidence. I noticed that they are also developing a sense of movement and direction of lines, as a couple of children kept reminding others to move the brush from side to side, not up and down.

A bonus of this painting experience is supporting social competence, as I used a big canvas and children had to work cooperatively, trying to work alongside each other without getting in each other's way. A worthy art experience!

using recycling materials for art

I am asked to look after the recycling area for the kindergarten for a month. Our kindy has a strong focus on the issues of environmental conservation and care. We have a well established resource bench keeping recycling materials for children to use as collage. The materials are carefully sorted in glass jars according to their colors, offering possibilities and inspiring creativity. Open-ended materials allow children choices and independence, which are crucial in stimulating genuine creativity. I believe in offering open-ended materials in the art area, as making something out of such materials requires and builds flexibility, and it develops the ability to focus while the product may remain unknown. Art making then produces a greater sense of competence in children.

So I have been thinking, “What can I do to further extend learning in this area?” “How can I encourage/motivate the children to go further?” “What new materials can I introduce?”
After I have done some research and observation, I am convinced that the  area is working well. What I can do to bring the learning to the next level could probably be topping up the materials and tidying up the area with the children, just that simple! 

Cathy Weisman Topal,  coauthor with Lella Gandini of Beautiful Stuff (1999), points out that children develop power when they build individual relationships with materials. When children have the chance to notice, collect, and sort materials, and when teachers respond to their ideas, the children become artists, designers, and engineers. When children are simply given materials to use without the chance to explore and understand them, the materials do not become part of the their world.

Let me also quote an example from Weisman Topal :
When a child says, “Oh, I need some of that red netting from onions,” he demonstrates that he has experience, knowledge, and a relationship with the material, a connection. It is not somebody else’s discovery; it is the child’s. Whenever a child makes the discovery, it’s exciting, it’s fun. The child is the researcher and the inventor; this builds confidence.

I am hopeful that with guidance from teachers in the exploration of materials, our kindy children are able to accomplish more. I will keep posting...

In the meantime, check out my favourite ECE New Zealand website and get inspiration from Lisa Terreni, a practising artist and an ECE lecturer.

•