Studio Camp

red guy

Studio camp has been lots of fun this week. Children have some time to learn about new materials like paper mache, clay and plaster, and also lots of time to work on whatever they want.
Today Jake invented a bowling game, which everyone played, a Rodent factory produced many hamsters, and some spaceships, solar panels, and houses were built.

cheering for the bowlers... go team!

making hamsters





                   








dancing to the radio

magnatile construction

During Studio Camp this week the kids came up with a way to use magna tiles that I have never seen before, digging out all the metal items they could find from a tray of mixed materials and sticking them to their structure.

Even though everyone in this group that spans from rising kindergartners to 4th grade had a hand in building this, they put a stop sign on top so no one would knock it down.

Music and Sound at Gallery 5

sound toys to play with
Sean and Brian -these guys were great and brought "a table full of noisemakers and sonic experiments for children of all ages to come fiddle with. Lots of knobs and switches with some flashing lights for good measure".

making sure the art car still has it's headlight

making a sound sculpture

stylophone

drawing a tambourine

checking out some instruments

listening

microphone and echo effects

looking at the exhibit

slinky sounds

decorating the art car

figuring out how to make sound with a bike chain, fire pole and gear

thanks to all the people at Gallery 5 for hosting us!

naming

After working on his pictures with chalk pastels, 2 year old W. said "I'm gonna punch a hole. With wire. For my Mama."

Punch a hole with wire? I wondered if I should hand him a hole-punch but instead just motioned to the shelf where they are kept. 

W. grabbed the stapler and looked at me quizzically. 

Of course! 'punch a hole with wire' must mean stapling! He must not know that word, I guessed. 

Was he looking at me to give it to him? I said, "what is that?" and helped him put the paper in the slot of the stapler and press down. 

He said "it's a climp."

"It's a clomp"

"It's a stick-through thing"

I thought it was so interesting that although W. didn't know the name of the thing he wanted (stapler), or the name of the thing it did (stapling), he did remember the function of the object (putting a piece of wire through a hole). I have read that there is debate about how children label and classify things, both in their minds, with language, and when sorting physical objects. Some psychologists think children classify by shape, or how the object looks, and some think the function of the object is more important in labeling and classification. This young child described the object he wanted solely by it's function. 

ps. I did tell him the name of the stapler and we looked at it closely together, opening it up and turning it around to see al the parts.

"Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, 

and philosophy begins in wonder."

                                                                                                                                                -Plato

K playing her one stringed instrument during the first grade Middle Ages play 

A making sound with a glass and water

this is pretty great

thanks, Sara!

sights from the exhibit

 The 'Sound is Moving Through the Air or Flying with a Cape' exhibit
has it's official reception on July 16th, but last night at Richmond's first Friday, bunches of people came through Gallery 5 for a different event that was happening, and I snapped a few pictures. It was great to see people who have nothing to do with the school stopping and taking time to really look. I wish I could have heard more of what they were talking about...

 

I loved these guys. They looked closely at the documentation of the 3 year old's theories on how sound
works for a long time, talking about the drawings and pointing out things they noticed.

My friend Black Liquid, who taught hip-hop writing
in the middle school last semester, came by to check it out.

...and then some great bands (including one of my Husband's) played in a benefit for WRIRlp, the independent community radio station where I volunteer. FUN!