REGGIO EMILIA MATERIALS AND ACTIVITIES

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REGGIO EMILIA MATERIALS
AND ACTIVITIES


Reggio materials
Why are materials so important?

Materials have the potential to draw you in, make you want to stay a while, explore a little (or a lot), try new things, create and wonder. They also have the potential to completely turn you away. In a Reggio-inspired environment, as with many other play-based, child-led environments, the materials are carefully selected for their potential to enhance learning and discovery.

The way we think about materials really reflects how we think about children; what do children deserve? What are they capable of? How will they approach the materials? Treat the materials?

Materials are chosen for their aesthetic qualities; what do they look like? Feel like? Smell like? Do they have a unique quality of their own? Are they derived from nature? Can the child connect with the material in some way?

Many materials used in a Reggio-inspired environment are common and easily found in craft/art/hardware stores or indeed, out in nature. It's when you start to think differently about learning, about what activities or explorations you present to your child, that you start to see the potential in these materials as tools for learning and discovery. Like little treasures for the child to explore, presented with an air of wonder.

So where do you start?

Children, like us, love to stumble across and explore beautiful things. Why give the children cheap plastic or 'kiddy' versions of a material when they would much prefer to explore the real thing. With guidance and support, children can be trusted to work with breakable items like vases and mirrors as well as delve into beautifully illustrated books, handle delicate items like glass beads, flowers, authentic musical instruments, or work with art materials like pastels, watercolours, fine paint brushes or permanent fine-tipped markers.

Start with open-ended

You hear this a lot but what does it mean? For me, open-ended means a material that can be transformed. A material that when left alone, does nothing in particular but comes to life in the hands of a child. Materials that require the child to use their imagination or their experiences. A block that is shaped and painted like a tree is more likely to be played with as a tree, however a simple wooden block can be transformed into any multitude of things. While I think there is value in having the tree-shaped block, open-ended materials greatly enhance the play experience as they require the child to bring themselves into the play experience in a deeper way.


Types of open-ended materials

Add some play silks and scarves to your dress-up box. They will compliment the costumes your might already have as well as have the potential to be any and all things.
Add simple wooden blocks to your block collection
Add fabric scraps in various sizes and textures to a small collection of animal figurines or people
When creating a small world imaginative play scene, rather than adding all the elements from plastic play toys, try using reusables like cardboard tubes, popsicle sticks, cotton wool or natural materials like rocks, sticks, pinecones, bark and leaves. Leave scope for your child to arrange and engage with the materials. You might like to add a few animal or people figurines but try not to define the play scene too much. You want your child to make it their own and explore in their own way.
Add natural materials to your play area. Try to have them dotted around where ever your children play. Natural materials have wonderful aesthetic qualities. They stimulate the senses by how they feel, smell and look. Add a basket of pebbles to the block area and see how your child incorporates them into their play.
You can pick up off-cuts of mosaic glass or ceramic tiles from kitchen stores, often for free or very cheaply at least. Add them to your construction area, play kitchen, or in a basket on their own with a picture or book nearby to inspire mosaic/ mandala or other kinds of play
Rolka blocks (or other kinds of plank blocks) are wonderful open-ended materials. Endless possibilities for construction.
Treasures. If you find something beautiful, a vase or a stone or a starfish; anything that captures your attention, is likely to capture the attention of your child, too. Pop it into their play area and let them explore. Try to think beyond its general purpose and let your child explore/play with it in their own way.

Extending Block Play

Every child plays with blocks in their own unique way and has therefore developed their own unique understanding of how blocks work. Through observation though, we can extend their block play. You might notice your child creating pretend worlds with the blocks and so adding some loose materials to the blocks will encourage them to deepen their play. Or you might notice your child building similar structures each time and so maybe some sketching to expand ideas or a demonstration will inspire them to use blocks in new ways.

Next time your child is playing with their blocks, sit and watch for a while. What are they doing?

Are they stacking into a single tower?
Are they building a line of blocks?
Are they building a 3-dimensional building with walls?
Are they constructing a flat blue-print type building?
or the tallest tower they can manage?


These observations will give you insights into how your child approaches blocks. There is no right or wrong way, each child will play in a way that speaks to them, but we can provide opportunities for them to extend their play and continue to master new skills and understandings.

You could:

add loose materials based on your child's current interests to the blocks
add a mirror to the block area to encourage your child to build 3-dimensionally by making the front-side of the blocks visible
if the blocks come with a booklet of suggested designs (like Rolka blocks or Lego), put these away for the moment so your child can discover and create on their own
provide a nice sturdy platform for them to build
provide as much space as possible to build – a big space encourages big work
ask your child about specific details of their building – "Is this Daddy's work?" "What is this part here?"
before they crash it down, ask them if they would like to sketch their building so they can refer to it (and build upon) next time
if they are having difficulty building something, like maybe a bridge, bring out the clipboard again and ask them to draw their ideas. Use the plan to work through the problem together
don't be afraid to teach them how to build something – Jack always revels in being taught a new skill or design idea



INITIATING AN ACTIVITY

Start with a Question

Reggio inspired activities are about exploration and discovery; exploring with their senses, asking questions, testing theories, making plans and thinking deeply.

When you are setting up a provocation (an inquiry or discovery activity) have a think about some of the questions your child has been asking lately.

What have they been wondering about?

They might ask your straight up, 'Why does my shadow stick to me?'
They might say a statement, 'Hey Mummy, look at my shadow when I wave my arms.' Or
You might notice them doing something intently, like playing with their shadow
This is your cue, your opportunity to provide an experience which will engage their interests.

Find out what your child already knows

Once you have identified an interest, get some idea of what your child already knows about the subject. Depending on their age you can:

brainstorm – where you discuss what you know and make a mind map
for younger children, what they understand will probably come through in their play, drawings and paintings
Take notes to help you plan

Take notes of what your child already knows as well as any misconceptions they may have. This will help you to plan an activity/inquiry that really relates to what your child knows or wants to know.

Plan your Activity


Now thinking about what they want to know and what they already know, you can start to plan your activity/inquiry.

Decide on the type of activity

What types of activities does your child enjoy? There are a thousand and a thousand more activities out there but no matter how beautiful the picture looks, if your child isn't interested in it then that activity isn't going to engage them. Any subject can be explored in a multitude of ways; this is The Hundred Languages of Children, the cornerstone of the Reggio Emilia Approach.

What kinds of activities engage your child's sense of wonder?

Maybe an observation of living creatures like our snail inquiry?
A sensory exploration like this large painting activity? Or this scented discovery basket? Or maybe some playdough?
An exploration of a new art medium like this exploration of paint? Or this one with clay?
An observational painting or drawing activity like this one of van Gogh's Starry Night? Or this one of Autumn leaves?
A discovery activity like this nature walk?
An exploration of a new material like this rocks and minerals provocation? Or this one with magnets?

Gather your Materials
Now you can start gathering your materials. What you will need will depend on what you are exploring.



Head out and about:
If your subject is something real (in nature or around the neighbourhood), head out for a walk, if you can, to explore the real thing
Connect the walk/outing to your child's interests:
'You were asking about ant nests yesterday. Let's go for a walk and see if we can find some.'
Take along a notebook and pencil for sketching
Some binoculars and a magnifying glass (if useful)
and a bag to carry any treasures and go explore
Listen to what your child is talking about, notice what they are doing, these little clues will help you to continue the exploration when you get home.

Art Explorations:
Aim for authentic art materials;
clay
charcoal
watercolours – paints and pencils
oil pastels
chalk pastels
coloured pencils
thin permanent markers
paint

Other Explorations:

Look for authentic materials, open-ended materials and ones which invoke a sense of wonder and discovery
natural materials – pinecones, seeds, nuts, leaves, sticks, birds nests, shells…. any and all natural materials are wonderful tools for exploration
loose parts – glass gems, felt balls, fabric pieces, string, ribbon, cardboard… beautifully textured materials of all different shapes, sizes and colours for imaginative play, model making, design and pattern work and sensory explorations
open-ended toys – blocks, animal figurines, puppets, dress-ups, real musical instruments, non-fiction books, music

Using Mirrors

Finally, mirrors. Can the activity be enhanced at all by adding a mirror? Is there an aspect of the activity which would benefit from being seen from another perspective?



Using a mirror with blocks allows the front side of the blocks to be seen, encouraging the child to build more 3-dimentionally.
When painting or drawing, a mirror underneath an object allows the underside to be seen as well as reflecting light and colour
Surrounding the activity with mirrors reflects light back onto the child as well as engages the child's curiosity as they watch their movements.
So these are my thoughts on putting together a Reggio-inspired activity. Reggio-inspired activities are so engaging, they really make you want to get right in there and explore. So have a go and let me know how you went.





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