The teachers in the West Wing noticed, at the beginning of this year, that emotional expression was an effective strategy to use for creating a tight-knit community. At first, they identified some emotions in what then became the “Emotion Legend” that has been expanded and referred to throughout the year.
The intention was set in the West Wing to grow awareness of ourselves and our new community. Teacher Flora took groups of children on walks with this lens. She and the atelierista Cindy noticed how playful the children became with their shadows.
So Cindy used this shared and joyful shadow interest as a focus for extended play in the atelier. She purposefully had groups of children record each other’s expressions with cameras, light, and shadow, on a screen.
Cindy purposefully brought these photos that were taken in the atelier into the classroom in order to trace the shapes and rethink about connections and revisit emotions. This metacognitive approach helps to deepen the discoveries the children experience in play.
“We want to be together in our shadows.”
Cindy expanded the lens of emotional expression in the atelier through body language by introducing the mannequin for the children to manipulate after posing themselves. She also provided clay for them to form into people. By slowing this process down, there was more time for deeper reflection.
Over the months, Cindy would periodically ask the children for self-portraits. Self-portraits are a direct window into how children think about themselves. At the beginning of the year, the self-portraits were the expected, ‘starfish’ shape: a central head with radiating appendages and few details.
Midway in the year, before Parents’ Day and after all this investigation, we saw a bit of development in the children’s self-awareness. The head below is now on top of the appendages with arms coming from the beginnings of a body. There are eye sockets and hair, a nose, and a slight smile.
Then on Parents’ Day, you received the latest leap in learning. Volume is now represented, with parts in the right places – even down to the belly button.
Again in pairs, the children worked on self-portraits in April.
“You need to add your eyes. You need your whole face.” – Mika
Leo watches as Mika points out the torso, “It’s where your belly is.” She moves to the large mannequin and hugs its middle. “Here it is.”
Cindy took Mika’s example and had all the children refer to the mannequin’s torso during their final West Wing portrait. The physical input had quite an influence!
We have eyeballs, carefully formed curls on the head, arms and legs in approximately the right spot with hands and even fingers represented. But the volume is a new development and we can’t help but feel it was informed by the shadow work, the mannequin play, and the growth of respect and friendships within the West Wing community. It’s as if the children are now saying, ‘I see you and anticipate seeing you in all your detail and I”ll bring my whole self to this day at school too.’ After the summer break, we will offer more tools for the children to manipulate and explore their emotions and connections in order to make these invisible ties to each other visible. – Cindy & Kris