Two months have passed from the first story, leaving you with a simple question: Are you ready to follow me? Well, sit down, stop everything you’re doing, open your mind and find out what happened to me.
After this period of observation at Ørestad Montessori Vuggeste and understanding a typical day routine at the kindergarten and after being integrated with the children and the colleagues, I met all the children’s parents. They took me with enthusiasm, with joy and made me feel a part of them; they also asked me many questions about my project: especially about how I intend to do this experience and how I can give a contribution for the kindergarten.
Due to the desire to answer about all these questions, I decided to spend my whole second month here to plan and design new workshops and the montessori activities. These activities have been possible with the help and the collaboration of all my colleagues and new ideas lab have emerged:
In the Music-Sound lab where the voice, the sound, the rhythm and the instruments are necessary for the purpose of the game with the children. So we create every week
small musical instruments with recycled materials that can produce sounds, rhythms and that can involve the children pleasantly. During the first week, we created small cardboard guitars with small ropes made from the fishing threads, of different sizes, depending on the age of our children. Moreover thanks to Renzo, my colleague and educator, who plays the guitar, we selected a series of Danish, English and Italian songs to be taught to the children who welcomed these activities enthusiastically. After the selection of the songs we gave the small guitars to the children and then we started to sing and play different songs. One of these songs is called “One Little Finger” which they love so much. The children had such a great time that they would have continued playing, dancing and singing endlessly; for me it was an incredible experience looking at the children smile and seeing their happiness. This laboratory was immediately a big success, so for this reason we decided to create during the following weeks castanets, trumpets, drums and harmonicas with the aim of forming a big orchestra.
After the description of the activities that I have done I would like to describe other activities that I’m going to carry out in the following weeks.
The reading lab, focused on a collection of fairy tales which develop children’s imagination and their fantasies with the goal of overcoming their fears. This lab needs the grandparents’ help by making them tell stories about their childhood.
In the art lab, children will be taught to paint nature, the human body and the world around them. All of these activities will be possible with temperas, colours, brushes, waterworks, sheets, coloured sheets, which inspire their curiosity and their fantasy. I called this lab “Let’s clap our hands with fantasy” because the connection between children with a painting represents a good method to understand the children’s feelings.
Another lab that will carry out is the one called “Pasta Lab” where children will be taught how to make pasta. Thanks to this lab children will develop their five senses, beginning with the sense of touch.
This itinerary that I have made until now is a road that is marked by children and for children, and that my colleagues and I follow fin the pursuit of their happiness.
I am enjoying this experience very much and it is giving me a good feeling about my personal life; so I know where I want to go and what I want to do; therefore for these reasons, follow me like a child: I’m very curious to discover where those little children’s hands will take me. Are you curious as well? Then, follow me…
