Materials Exploration or Tinkering
Exploring materials. Materials exploration. Playing. Testing. Tinkering…Whatever you call it; allowing students the time to try out ideas and techniques, to get used to materials, and to discover their possibilities and limitations is a vital part of facilitating art for others.
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A 5 year old student was very curious about how I filled up the ‘outdoor sink’ and the different settings on the nozzle of our hose. I told him next time we had our 1:1 class I’d leave the tub empty and we’d fill it up together. Before class this past weekend I made sure to put on some old clothes and water proof shoes. We spent the first 10 minutes of class exploring the hose, tub, and water. “What does the jet setting do? How far will it go? Whoa, too strong! It sprayed on my face! This one is the best for filling up the tub.” Although we were in the middle of a paper weaving project, and you could say all this water was irrelevant, I’d beg to differ. It set him up for a session full of questions. As he cut up his paintings to begin weaving some paint sticks caught his eye. “What do these do?” I told him they were like paint in stick form, you could twist them up and down like a glue stick, and some of them were shimmery. “Can I try some on a piece of extra paper?” Now, I never teach a class without test paper lying around so I handed him a piece and watched as he tested the paint sticks. After some considerable exploration he went to his painting and added very purposeful marks with a few carefully selected paint sticks.
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Another experience comes to mind. This summer I was working with a 10 year old boy. He was working on a “Door of Doom” (pictured at the top). He wanted this Harry Potter inspired, evil creature to be emerging from an eerie cloud of smoke with a faint light behind it. We began testing. Wet-on wet-techniques, different amounts of water, layering different colors, waiting for the first layer to dry, using different brushes, combining different colors, using pen underneath the watercolor, using pen on top of the water color…we spent the good part of an hour doing this. I’ve never seen him so focused. And then, with about 20 minutes left of class, he finished his masterpiece using a very specific combination of materials, tools, and techniques.
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We’re all lead to so many of life’s decisions by knowing what our options are, considering what we like and what we don’t, thinking about others who are involved in the decision, what the outcome will be, etc. Just like life, creating a work of art requires a sequence of decisions…some well planned and some more spontaneous. So let’s make sure when our students or our own children are creating something we give them the time and space to try things out. After all, some of the planet’s most amazing inventions were discovered by accident….because somebody felt they had the freedom to explore, test, play, tinker…
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I’ve changed plans mid-lesson when I notice that students just need some time with a new concept or material. We’ve spent entire classes experimenting and testing. What broke my heart was at the end of one of these magical sessions a little girl ran to her father, “Look!” His reply was, “What IS that?!” said in a way that really let this girl down.
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Sooooo….When your child makes something and you can’t tell what it’s supposed to be ask them how they made it, how they felt when they made it, and what they learned from making it….whatever ‘it’ is. Encourage materials exploration at home. You don’t need anything fancy…a napkin, some tin foil, string…Go on the hunt for some things around the house with your child and then sit down and ask them, “I wonder what we can make with this?” Here are some excellent materials to explore and things to consider or ask your child when engaging in materials exploration from Agency By Design, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Have fun!!