Cohort 10's First Art Provocation!

Today was our first art provocation in Cohort 10! Provocations are set up to give children the opportunity to explore new or even familiar materials. I laid EF on his back next to a piece of white paper with a few drops of blue paint. I also had a bucket with some water and towels nearby for an easy clean up.

                                      

As EF moved his arm up and down, he smeared the paint across the paper. He smiled when he felt the cold paint on his hand. I rotated the paper after a few minutes, so that EF could reach the other blue dots. He turned his head to look over at the paper and see what he was making. I acted as a “sportscaster” for EF while he was painting. I described what he was happening, what the paint was doing and how he may have been feeling: “You can feel the cold blue paint on your hand!”.

This provocation was EF’s first time experiencing paint. He was able to feel the cool paint on his hand, arm and side. He felt the smooth texture and how it felt to rub paint onto paper. Infants use their senses to learn about the world, so provocations like this are a great way to introduce new experiences and materials. It’s also a great way to let older children to use materials they have used in a different way.  The goal of provocations isn’t the product, but the process of exploring materials and trying new things.