Using natural resource for painting

This week in the centre the theme is Pacifika, referring back to my first blog as Rachael mentioned to include other cultures in the centre and that is exactly what is happening this week in the centre.  This whole week from Monday to Friday each island will have a day to facilitate a Pacifika culture from undertaking a performance and preparing a traditional meal for children to taste.  Santrock, (2009) Like Piaget theory, Vygotsky’s sociocultural cognitive theory “emphasized that children actively construct their knowledge and understanding through social interaction and culture”( p. 25).  

  What trapped my attention today was children’s painting.  From where I was sitting I saw a group of children surrounding the table. I saw them just looking at the paintbrush but preferred to use fingers to paint a picture. As I was looking from a distance I thought to myself so how can I support this learning experience for this group of children.  I gave them a good 15 minutes to see what will happen next but they were still using fingers to paint.  So I decided to gather some natural effects from the outdoors and get some of the children to come and help me collect the item.  Once I and the children collected some natural resource I explained to the children what these items can be used for.  I showed them once how to create a picture using these resources and just empowered them to continue painting.  I stepped back and continued to observe from a distance.  Ministry of Education,(1996) states that “An early childhood programme for young children should provide a rich bank of experiences from which the children can learn to make sense of their world and the world around them”(p.25).  

It was their choice to use what was there or they could continue to use fingers to paint.  I saw the children using the tools and really consuming their initiative to create a really awesome picture.  The natural resource was so interesting for the children to see being used as a paintbrush.  I notice that when the children were using the tools their eyes were scanning the whole tools to see how they could place the item on the paper.  The natural resource gave children knowledge that they can use whatever they want to be creative, and not only a paintbrush can be used to paint but you can use variety of resource as long you can be creative with your ideas.  Some children were using the tools as a paintbrush and some were just putting paint on the items and sticking it on the paper. 

I saw that change is a good thing for children, because when the children use the paintbrush all the time they get so board using the same thing over and over again so provide children with variety of resource to implement their creative skills and share ideas with their peers.  The natural resource was good for them because it gave them an understanding that it is okay to use any resource form the outdoor and you can make pictures out of anything.    

I was so please with the turned out of this learning experience because it made me reflect on that moment and what I was feeling from observing the children.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to have a group hug with the children.  As I reflect on that particular time I thought about when I was growing up I did not use paintbrush, my teacher used to make me and my classmates go out and break little brunches off the trees, fetch a rock and hit the end pit of the brunches with the rock.  Once the end pit was flat and it was squashed then it was good to be used to paint.  I thought that was a great way to utilise the natural resource. Gonzalez-Mena, (2006) explain that Vygotsky’s “ZPD” Zone of Proximal Development” provides children with opportunities to help each other by scaffolding their learning. This method is strongly used in the Pacific Island culture and also through “AKO” which is the tuakana/teina relationship (pg 23).

Reference List

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Foundations of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse society (4^th ed.). Boston, United States of America: McGraw Hill

Santrock, J.W. (2009). Lifespan development (11th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.