I chose clay for the first big materials exploration with the Tuesday Group. Clay is messy but easily wiped away, many items can be used in conjunction with clay and it allows for many possibilities, also clay in large block form has an imposing "wow factor" presence. For the first encounter I didn't set anything out with the clay but let the children explore it in it's most basic block form. With two-twenty five pound blocks of clay stacked on top of each other the children were intrigued but each approached and experienced the clay differently.
Although I didn't set any "tools" next to the clay there were plenty of items around the room and the children could bring anything they wanted to the clay. Amalia began her exploration by just watching as Sebastien and Hayden interacted with the clay. At some point some small balls of clay were made and the smaller size appealed to Amalia and she carried two around for some time. Toward the end of playgroup Amalia approached the clay block on her own and began to dig into it as she had seen her friends earlier in the session. Letting children engage in the material at their own pace and comfort level shows them that we trust their process and gives them the space and time to learn, understand, and discover a new material.
Hayden started with both hands in the clay but once he discovered what the clay left on his hands he switched to using a tool (scissors) as a means to interact with the clay. Having Sebastien, who has interacted with Clay often, provided the children with a more skilled and knowledgeable peer in using the clay. Seeing Sebastien use scissors in the clay gave Hayden a new way to continue his exploration. As time went on and more interactions with the clay continued Hayden was more comfortable with touching the clay and started extending the uses of the clay by using clumps to layer over a little car.
Clay has so many wonderful properties and sometimes a child uses the clay in a way that even surprises me. Sebastien brought the clay over to the art easel and proceeded to press and stick clay pieces onto the paper after he watched Hayden press his clay covered hands on the paper. He expanded on Hayden's idea and took it to the next level. If clay on your hands leaves a mark on paper, what happens when I put clay on the paper? When working with clay (versus say play-dough) children have to exert a lot of pressure to grab, mold, and press the clay. You can hear how hard Sebastien is working to get the clay to stick.
Jaden missed the Tuesday Group's first encounter with clay but he made up for it during the second exploration. At first Jaden really wasn't interested in interacting with the clay. Knowing Jaden's interests I placed a few cars, trucks on the clay to see if that would peak his interest. As the other children used the vehicles on the clay, Jaden did take notice of the clay and began interacting with it. As his exploration continue he let go of the use of the vehicle and moved on to really "work" the clay. With a lot of activity around him he worked diligently with a wooden knife to "cut" clay off the block and place it in a bucket. Jaden worked long and hard filling the bucket and even moved on to get a bigger bucket to fill.
