Roundness

Today at the overhead projector: things that are round.

Introducing the Overhead Projector

I can hardly explain the magic of bringing an overhead projector into a classroom for the first time.  I rescued it from a storage room down the hall, where it was dusty and unloved, and brought it into the classroom on Tuesday.  We have been using the same tray of materials all week as we learn about what it can do.  I spend a lot of time point out what I see and what I notice about what the children are putting onto the projector and how that manifests on the wall.

This group of children has been chatty at the projector, working in pairs to put the objects on, sweep them off, and start over.  Watching the evolution of the process this week has been interesting: at the start, they dumped and swept off, or just dumped and walked away.  At the end of the week, they are making up stories, chatting about the objects and the shapes, and starting to get up to use their own bodies to make shadows.

An unexpected moment this week came on Wednesday, when the attention of the pair was focused on the objects on the projector itself.  Children often look at the projector as a box rather than at the wall; but here, the illuminated objects had their own fascination.  

The child doing the hiding in this video is the same one I showed once before, hiding toys under cups and mixing them up, then asking others to find the object.

The projector will be a staple in our classroom as we continue getting to know this space.  What objects will we try next week?

Happy Weekend!

Appeal

I'm thinking about the overhead projector. What makes children engage with it for a long period of time? What appeals to some children about the light box aspect of it, and what appeals to others about the projection aspect?

I was riding on the tram last night, looking at Children, Art, Artists - a book put out by Reggio Children. There is a part where young children are exploring the properties of materials, and of black and white. I noticed that, in every photograph with the overhead projector, it seemed to be the only light source in the room.

How might this work in a classroom? I myself have overhead lights - I can turn half of the lights off, but as winter comes, it will be pretty dark in here. Perhaps this will motivate me to finally go to the big secondhand shop and buy lamps for the room. Then the corner with the overhead projector would be a dark space with the one light source, inviting more children in.

I love the overhead projector as a tool. I would like to make it a more regular part of the classroom, and I'd like to see it complimenting and extending our inquiry.

Overhead Projector

Working its magic again this year.

In Your Hands and On The Wall

I introduced the overhead projector yesterday. I've seen so many photographs, many from Reggio Emilia, of children using materials on the projector's surface. The children worked in groups of three for ten minutes as an introduction.


I was lucky enough to be able to observe all of the groups without interfering and without anyone needing my assistance. Most children laid tiles randomly on the surface for a few minutes and then began constructing objects out of the blocks, like houses and flowers. Some were really interested in the way their hands looked as shadows on the wall, and how the colors looked on their own bodies while standing in front of the light. Others were not interested at all, which is obviously to be expected.

I'm picking up my film after school today -- it includes photographs from a visit to the new Turtlewings Atelier. My husband, my brother and I attended their Grand Opening last weekend. They have a beautiful setup for their projector -- onto a white sheet in the middle of a wide open room so that the children can experience it from both sides. I have mentioned them before - -I was part of a casual meeting in November. They found a beautiful space! If you are in Brussels, you should visit them here. I'll share those pictures with you tomorrow.

Happy weekend!