"WRITING AND DRAWING WITH CHALK"

 

Today the children were provided with a variety of different learning spaces.  One of the learning spaces that was provided was a container of chalk and a space of concrete for the children to freely express themselves.

"J" approached this learning space by himself.  He picked up a piece of chalk and started drawing different types of lines, some were swirly and some were zing zags on the concrete.  He got back up and looked at what he had created then knelt back down and started to write letters of the alphabet.  As I continued to observe him I noticed that he was writing the letters of his name.  I could also hear him saying the letters of his name aloud.  Although "J" was to talking to himself I could hear him repeating the letters of his name again and again.

I believe "J" was making sure that he had the correct letters of his name and that they were in the right order.

"J" has just recently gained the skill in writing his name and by the end of the week  he was really confident in identifying and recognising the letters that make up his name.  He has also gained the confidence and control of pencil grip and now he is exploring the skill of developing chalk grip when writing or drawing using a piece of chalk on the the concrete space provided instead of paper. Therefore children should develop "familiarity with the properties and character of the materials and technology used in the creative and expressive arts (MOE, 1996. p.80).

My next step will be providing "J" with different resources or equipment to write with in the outdoor environment.  I could see how "J" explored chalk and found satisfaction with it.  Some of the resources that I can provide will be a paint brush, a chunky marker, a pen and maybe a stone. Hamer and Adams (2003) suggests that "writing, fundamentally, is a potent social tool which empowers children, links them into their communities, and helps them develop strong reciprocal and responsive relationships with people, places and things" (p.111).

 I know by providing "J" with these different types of tools to use he will be able to see the differences between each tool used. He will be able to acknowledge what tool he prefers and what tool has he gained more confidence in by trying the tool over and over again.
According to Te Whariki it states that children develop"the knowledge that trying things out, exploration, and curiosity are important and valued ways of learning;" (1996, p.84).

     

Reference List

 Adams, P. & Hamer, J, (2003) The New Zealand Early Childhood Literacy Handbook. Practical Literacy Ideas for Early Childhood Centres.

      Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whariki – He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aoteroa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand:

Learning Media.