The Language of Art

We have recently begun an inquiry into using art media as a thinking tool. We have always valued the ‘Hundred Languages’ approach of the Reggio philosophy but we want to more clearly focus on how we use art as a language for the students to communicate ideas, emotions, questions, and learning.
We are hoping to see them digging deeper and extending their own learning as they use art media to represent their thinking.

One of our resources is a book by Ann Pelo – The Language of Art: Inquiry-based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings. It’s providing us with a great start. We began by exploring texture, movement and colour in many ways.

Here are two of our young boys totally immersed in the sensory activity of finger painting, of exploring the feel of the paint on the paper, the mixing of colours, and the excitement of lines created and then wiped away. As the boys discovered the secondary and tertiary colours being created by mixing paints it was evident that they were not only learning about colour, they were relaxed and engaged and enjoying a positive encounter with an artistic medium. We are hoping that positive experiences such as this one will encourage the students to choose art as a means to communicate their learning.

This is some of the dialogue captured:

Little Mr. J squealed with delight as he began to mix the blue and yellow paint together.
“What colour will my paper be now?”
” Look!!! It’s making green! Yellow and blue make green!”
Little Mr. C responded: “What makes green, J?”
“Yellow and blue!”
Little Mr. C was incredulous – “Yellow and blue??”

As they were conversing Little Mr. J was adding a few more colours- “Now it’s making brown!”
Little Mr. C: “What is?”
Little Mr. J: All these colours together make brown!!
Little Mr. C was busy mixing blue and yellow together and jumping with excitement.
“Green!! Blue and yellow make green. I’m going to put in more colours!’

Little Mr. J slid his hands rhythmically over the paper, swaying side to side. ” My hands go skating when I’m asleep. They skate like this.”

I asked him what happy hands might look like on the paper. Both boys broke into big grins and started jumping their fingers up and down and up and down.
” Happy hands!” they laughed “Happy hands!”