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Oh No! Her Lips fell Off:
The Statue of Liberty High School Project
January 25, a snowy winter day and the children are faced with a dilemma. They want to play in the snow, but many children do not have boots. Their decision is to bring snow inside. After patting, poking, and tasting a group of about seven decide to build a snowman. "Hey, it's getting too high to be a snowman."
At this point I provide popsicle sticks, explaining and demonstrating that they can be used as a sculpting tool. After a few minutes of "sculpting", a child calls, "There it is, it's the Statue of Liberty High School! The child had previously become interested in the Statue of Liberty through stories and pictures that were shared by a classmate. The child's mother works at Liberty High School.
We go to the encyclopedia for a picture of the Statue, closely comparing the picture and the statue. What is she holding? What is she wearing? What is on her head? Work continues and the statue is placed outside by the front door.
A few days later, one of the sculptors rushes into the room. " Something happened to the Statute." We rush outside. "Oh no, her lips fell off." After many hypotheses, it is decided that she is melting and that she needs to come inside to "be safe."
By 2:00, after measuring her every hour, creating songs about melting snowmen, pretending we are melting, counting the cups of water created, listening to each others snow melting stories, the Statue become a statistic, or so I thought.
The next day children viewed photos of their sculpture and her last day, sparking renewed interest in the city of New York. During the course of the next month the children created many unique representations including their representation of New York using wood scraps, a map of the city, a mural, and a stuffed Statue. They also engaged in dramatic play going on a trip to New York, where we looked at tall buildings (our own mural) and visited our souvenir stand where our torches and crowns were sold. The arts allowed the children to represent, express feelings and ideas, think critically, and use interaction skills that develop social competence.
From snow to life-like structures the children experienced many learning opportunities across all curricular areas. As their teacher I learned so much about each one's development, abilities and interests as I observed and documented their participation. As teachers we rack our brains trying to come up with ways to help the children learn, when all we have to do is be brave enough to put it in their hands and be there to support, stimulate, and stretch their ideas. I know that the learning I gained from our artist in residence provided me with the courage to trust the children's creativity and the knowledge of the art tools, vocabulary, and methods for scaffolding and integrating their learning.
Sherry Bellomo |
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