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Creativity vs. "Craftivity"

Liam Salmon • November 20, 2020
I have a vivid memory of my early crafting experience when I was in kindergarten. We had a special educator come in who was the ‘craft lady’ and always had these amazing ideas. (Who knew you could do so much with paper plates??) Usually, each child had a specific set of materials laid in front of them and we would follow her carefully engineered steps. These steps would result in a ‘heart’ cake made from circles and squares. Early on, I strayed from the instructions, feeling like I knew where we were going. Ultimately, I ended up cutting the shapes ‘wrong.’ During this, the teacher actually walked up to me and said: “See – you cut your circle incorrectly. If you had been paying attention, then you wouldn’t have made this mistake.”
 
While this heart cake was definitely a “craft” it certainly wasn’t very “creative.” So how can we open up our process to children and let their creativity guide their experiences? Well first things first: let go of the ‘product.’ Fostering creativity in art experiences means that we’re focusing more on the ‘process’ or ‘experience of creating’ than what the ‘thing’ looks like at the end.
 
A selection of natural materials provided for a creative art experience from Preschool 2 room at 1000 Women Child Care Centre:

While the educator’s initial  intention with this setup may have been for the children to glue the various materials to paper in order to make a sort of collage, what actually happened was children using  their own ideas about  how these materials could be used. Children created so many different things including dolls made of sticks, bouquets of leaves, and actually used the glue itself as a sort of 3-D paint on the construction paper.

 

In this art experience , educators had an idea of what they imagined could be done with the materials. But the key to  open-ended art  is that we don’t want to limit what other ways a child may use the materials. So you’ll notice several key rules to this  approach:

 

-   There are no models as example for children to copy.

-   Materials are arranged in an aesthetically-pleasing  way designed to spark imagination.

-    The educators facilitate the experience accepting that there are many different ways the materials could be              used. (i.e. painting with glue, or sticking objects together, or sticking objects to paper… the possibilities are                endless)

-   We frequently use natural materials as a way of encouraging appreciation of natural beauty. 


 

Ultimately we are delighted when a child finds a unique and creative way to combine, create, and reshape their materials. The joy in this process is seeing just what a child will come up with, what way they’ll surprise us.

 

Let’s close with some other photos to spark your own imagination, what would you do with these materials?

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Cultural Responsiveness in Child Care

September 17, 2020
Fables from the Islamic World. "Children appreciate their own distinctiveness and that of others." (Flight, Makovichuk, L., Hewes, J., Lirette, T. & Thomas, N. (2014). Flight: Alberta’s early learning and care framework. Retrieved from flightframework.ca. Page 111) Our goal is to become knowledgeable and confident in our various identities. We do this in many ways including incorporating cultural fabrics, dolls painted to reflect the cultures of the children in the playroom, cultural artifacts, and storybooks depicting a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Our intention is that children may come to form positive and inclusive relations with others and learn about differences, engaging with communities that represent Alberta society.

Possibilities With Recycled Materials

September 4, 2020
We're always looking to provide new experiences, explorations, and sources of wonder at our centers. Here's a fun example of what's possible with recycled/found materials that can be recreated at home. Materials: A clear plastic tube, or bottle. Water, soap, oil or other combination of liquid. Objects to go inside like: multicoloured staples, pom-poms, noodles, etc. Glue to seal the tube or bottle shut to prevent spills. Thanks to educator Mary Ann for the idea.

A Tour of A Playroom at ICFC

August 28, 2020
Here's a video tour of one of our playrooms at ICFC led by Program Director, Ellen Genchez. You'll notice several different play areas for different kinds of play with an emphasis on cultural artifacts, encoperating natural elements like branches and leaves, a reading area, an art area, and other creative configurations.

Modified Play During COVID-19

August 25, 2020
To reduce the spread of germs during the pandemic, we provide each child with their own individual bin of water, playdough, and/or sand. Adding bubbles, food colouring, ice, and other play materials supports dramatic play, experimentation, and investigation. Sensory play supports development of fine motor skills, language, and problem solving skills, as well as providing a calming experience.

A Water Wall at ICFC

August 21, 2020
Today the children playfully experimented with cause and effect, action and reaction. They transferred water from jars, to funnels, the tubes, to bottles, to pvc pipes, containers, and watched as it flowed. Where will the water come from? How does it flow? This is a fun project that can be recreated with many household items, and other contraptions!

A Showcase of Children's Art

August 18, 2020
Children used water colours, and recycled paper to create their pieces. Some children decided to use a brush and swirled their paint in big shapes or clumps. Others decided that it was more enjoyable to use their hands. Some even very carefully dipped the tip of their brush in colours, and dabbed it across the page making little triangles. Even little 'accidents' like spilled water on the page helps add texture to the pieces making each picture unique and eye-catching.

A Performance at ICFC

August 14, 2020
Here's a video of our children watching artists acting as birds in an alley next to our playground. Our children watched closely, and had various interpretations of the performance. Some children thought they were witches while others insisted they were birds. Both our centres, ICFC and 1000 Women Child Care, are located in rich and vibrant neighbourhoods in downtown, Edmonton.

Playing With Paint

August 7, 2020
Here an educator set up an open-ended play provocation. Some of the objectives with this set up was to practice fine motor capacities in the use of a paintbrush, as well as to provide an opportunity for a child to express their imagination and creativity through art.

Video Tour of Preschool 1 Room at 1000 Women Child Care Centre

July 31, 2020
Here's a video tour of one of our playrooms at 1000 Women led by Program Director, Tracey Findlay. You'll noticed several different play areas for different kinds of play including a comfy corner, sensory play, a reading area, an art area, and other creative confirgurations. You will also notice that we have made some modifications for COVID-19 including children having their own crafts instead of sharing materials.

A Day At ICFC

July 31, 2020
In this play provocation we laid out x-ray scans, different animal toys, and natural materials like shells and plants. We wanted to spark the children's curiosity and invite them to explore and interact with different materials as well as foster and develop their awareness about the natural world.
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