Stages of Replication

There is so much research out there about developmental stages, "The Whole Child", the Stages of Ages, and so on.  I read constantly about the levels and abilities of each child, whether it is about their large motor skills or their small motor skills. This week I decided to play with the idea and observe where each child was in his/her stages. My group consists of 6; 3-5 year olds.  Of course, our 5 year olds are getting ready for kindergarten this fall and all the younger children are trying desperately to keep up, catch up or just surpass their peers (buddies).  I placed a simple little art project in the center of a table.  I made it the night before so the kids couldn't see how I did it.  It was extremely simple with a few pom poms, google eyes, and shaped papers.  I then provided trays and all the materials needed for each child to recreate (or newly create) a craft of their own.  No directions were given, no rules, and it was open for anything.  I sat back, never interfering in the dialogue that was going on and it was such an amazing 20 minutes of pure enjoyment.   Look at our creations by PattyKakes Kidz.

Above was the original art project in the center of the table and I let the kids go from there.

This is how our 3 year old boy saw it.  The kids shared with him that it looked like an old man.  He was content with that and kept on going with his craft.

This is how our 4 year old girl saw it.  The kids didn't realize you could actually draw on the green center circle, so it inspired 

others to copy.

I loved the eyes on the 2 pom poms.  It's hard to see, but a little bit of green was drawn on the circle too.  Our little craft here was made by a 4 year old boy. 

This was created by our 5 year old boy.  He too decided that drawing on the back made it look more like the original craft. Plus you can see his ability to make squares.  The eyes made it on the brown pom pom too.

Our last one was made by an almost 5 year old girl.   I love how all the pom poms were selectively laid around the circle, yet, it was so far away.  Plus the eyes are on the inside looking inward.  I also like how she used blue to draw the design.  

I'm amazed daily by the creations, discussions, and eagerness to learn that our kids have.  Check out a few of the kids creations from this week.  

"S" is for Snail

Mazes & Matching

Our "S" Poster

 "T" is for Turtle

Rainbow colors and Shaving Cream

This week there was a lot of writing of mommy names, and many times the kids were writing letters to mail to their friends.  You would be amazed at how much thought the children put into their creations. I see this daily and I have been watching the development of each child grow, from holding scissors to racing tricycles on the track. Don't blink because these children grow so fast, you'll never see it happening.

Until next week, when a new 

stage will most likely develop again.