"Process" art means...

 (Painting by friend "B" age 2 with red, black, and white paint, and a variety of brushes and sponges)


What's in a name?  "Process art" is thus named because the learning happens in the exploration of materials, the sensory experience, the cause and effect, the thinking, the emotions, the self... it's all about the PROCESS of creating.  Likely, for young children, there is no "product" in mind when they begin creating, and that's what makes each art project unique and beautiful.

What it's not?  A craft!  "Crafts" have a specific outcome, with specific steps, and most of the products look alike when completed.  If a child can't recognize his or her own work on the classroom art wall, there's a problem.  They haven't thoughtfully engaged with the materials or experience.  They haven't made it their own.

Here are some examples of process art created at Harmony's House:

These are paintings that baby "K" did when she was 4 and 7 months old.  Paint was put in a bag with paper cut outs, and baby "K" squished the paint inside the bag with her hands and feet.

Friend "Z" (age 4) created this piece with streamers that she cut herself, loops of tape, and drawing.  She practiced making choices about which materials she used, how to use them, and the order in which she created.  This was done to celebrate baby "K's" birthday and looks quite festive!

Friend "V" (age 4) used markers on white paper to draw a rainbow map, and practiced pre-writing skills by drawing various straight and curved lines.

What open-ended process art experiences can you offer your children soon?  I am so excited for April because I want to introduce paper-machet and multi-media self portraiture to the children.  Don't limit your art experiences to 2-D opportunities.  3-D art is amazing and beautiful to behold!  Start looking at the world for materials to use in art, in new ways, for the purpose of exploration... it's exciting!

Lesson Plans and Menus

As new lesson plans and weekly menus get published, you can find them under the "Forms" tab at the top of the Blog.  These are also printed and placed on the parent bulletin board at Harmony's House.

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Be a problem solver!

This is what we want our preschoolers to be: a problem solver!  Often, when crisis erupts in the classroom, teachers ask questions like, "How can we solve the problem?"  "What are your ideas?"  "Would you like help solving that problem?"

When the child is able to delay gratification, consider another's perspective, formulate a solution that is fair and safe... then they are developing both social-emotional and critical thinking skills, not to mention the language skills to explain a problem and idea to solve it.  With time and practice, the child will need to rely less on the adult and more on self to problem solve socially with peers.

But... helping young children problem solve doesn't always go as smoothly as the book or poster seems to imply.  After two years of calmly approaching children, helping them negotiate, work through problems, sometimes it just. didn't. work.

I felt like it was because the child might be so upset that they couldn't focus on my words, rise above the intense feelings they were experiencing, to think at a higher level and solve a problem.  I was in the trenches with the kids everyday, and I wanted them to be able to self-regulate and talk through problems with their friends.  What to do?  I created the Problem Solving Basket... and it literally transformed the classroom!  I've used it every year since then.

I introduce the Problem Solving Basket to my class during Large Group times often in the beginning of the year.  Teachers will role play with each other, and then include children, to practice problem-solving.  Usually when children fight over a toy, there are three ways to solve a problem: share (both use it at the same time), trade toys, or take turns with a timer (the child who had it first gets to finish his/her turn).  We demonstrate what each card looks like and sounds like,

• "Let's do this idea!  We can share and both use it together!"  
• "I'm not done.  You can have it next."  
• "Can I have the red car?  You can have this blue one that I have."

Why does the basket work?

1. The children literally have to step away from the problem to go get the basket.  This gives a few seconds to calm down.
2. The children can focus visually on the symbols of the cards (stick figure pictures) and on an adult's voice, so understanding the solutions is enhanced.
3. It feels like a game: which card do we choose?
4. Even young children who cannot fully explain their ideas can point to the card that they want to use in problem solving, and an adult can scaffold the language gap.

**Sometimes the basket has even had hand puppets, or dice.  You can create the basket to suit your children's needs.  If a child is upset, communicating with a puppet sometimes helps bridge the gap between feeling and thinking and words.  Older children might like the enhanced feature of rolling the dice: the person who gets the biggest number gets it.  Do what you want that works!**

We have created Problem Solving cards for apologizing, using an indoor voice, or using manners (saying please).  We've used an "Ignore" card to help children remember to focus on the teacher instead of a child who is looking for attention with disruptive behaviors.  

Basically, there is beauty in the simplicity, flexibility, and efficiency of the basket!  The children learn to solve problems and learn the social dialogue of problem solving much more quickly when using this tool, than when they didn't.  Soon, they don't need the basket to prompt them; they problem-solve on their own!  :) 

Open Enrollment

*This is a repeat-post, but I wanted to remind everyone who might be interested that they need to reserve their spot soon!  Preschool opens in just a few weeks!*

Half day preschool is not for everyone, but for some parents, it's a great fit.

• Are you a stay at home mom wishing for more social opportunities for your child?  
• Do you home school, but would love to have two mornings "off" while your child is taught elsewhere?  
• Do you have a new baby that would benefit from more one-on-one time with mom, but your older child needs more attention during this life transition as well?  
• Maybe you would just like to have a few mornings to go shopping or clean house by yourself.

Harmony's House might be a solution for your family.  Ms. Harmony offers a two-day, half-day preschool opportunity for children ages 30 months through five years.  She works from her home with no more than five enrolled children to maximize supervision, individualized learning, and healthy social development.  Use the tabs at the top of this blog page to read more about Ms. Harmony's program and experience.  With only five available spots, it's important to act quickly to contact Ms. Harmony, submit paperwork, and reserve your child's place.

harmonyhutson@gmail.com

Harmony's House plans to open the first week of April!  Enroll now to reserve a spot!

March Explore Table

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, AND, baby K's birthday... we made a Rainbow Rice Explore Table! The leprechaun gold is hidden throughout!  But to make it even more fun, you can make "cupcakes" with real candles with the rainbow rice.  Baby K's friends had so much fun at her party cooking up rainbow cupcakes!  Happy Birthday baby K, and thanks to all her friends who came to play!

Fine motor skills, story telling, puzzle working, and more!

Oh my!  The Toy and Puzzle Area is busy this March!  What can be found here?

March is typically a month where preschoolers explore colors, weather, rainbows, St. Patrick's day, Spring, and things that grow.  The Toy and Puzzle Area is a place where children can explore all of these concepts through play, and in playing, develop fine motor skills, communication and language, social problem solving, practical problem solving, etc. in addition to general thematic information.

You will see opportunities for children to build with Gears! Gears! Gears! and Education K'nex Transportation.  Rainbow cubes, fabric pieces, robot men, and cotton balls are "loose parts" that children can use to enhance building play or use as a stand-alone activity.  Loose parts are wonderful for generating symbolic thinking in children as they use the manipulatives to represent something real.

The children also have options of puzzles, increasing from simple peg puzzles, to three-dimensional puzzles, up to 24 piece puzzles and even floor puzzles.  Geometry, number identification, spatial awareness, size, and quantity is emphasized through play with geometric stackers and lacing beads.  Finally, the Toy and Puzzle Area is often home to small group games.  This month, children can choose to play Gardening BINGO where they can match pictures and learn new vocabulary related to growing plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Indeed, the Toy and Puzzle Area is one of Ms. Harmony's favorite places to work!

Is the Alone Table a Place for Timeout?

The Alone Table during February was set up to be an X-ray machine at the doctor's office.  The children could select different x-rays to see bones from the human body, work a Sesame Street puzzle, and explore different systems of the body in the DK Human Body book.

What is the function of the Alone Table?  Isn't preschool about socialization?  Basically, is it just a "time-out" spot?

Well, if you consider "time-out" to be a punishment, then no, the Alone Table is not a "time-out" place.  But it can be a calm-down center for one person at a time.

• Self-discovery-  Sometimes children need to work alone so they can develop that inner voice, hear their own thoughts, and work out their own ideas.

• Mental break-  Sometimes children need a break from playing with peers, which is a mentally and emotionally strenuous activity for children learning to practice social rules and emotional regulation.

• Social problem solving-  Sometimes when social problems occur over materials in the classroom, the children are too upset in the moment to think about whether they want to share, trade, or take turns.  They need to take a break at the Alone Table, and after calming down, realize that they DO want to solve problems with friends, and so are then able to reach a resolution and re-join their peers.

• Communication-  When a child moves to the Alone Table, s/he communicates to his/her peers that s/he wants to work alone.  S/he communicates that s/he needs space for a few minutes.

• Behavior regulation-  Sometimes when a child experiences sensory overload, is learning appropriate behavior for the first time, and/or has developmental "growing pains," the child behaves in a way that is inappropriate or unsafe.  Under these circumstances, the child is invited to work at the Alone Table until the child is able to respond to teacher redirection and appropriate behavior is restored.

The Alone Table is way more useful, and beneficial, than a simple "time-out" place.  I frequently update the materials at the Alone Table to allow children to experience all the benefits from learning to work alone.