Creative Expression
At Belong Early Learning Cottage, we view the child as limitlessly creative, imaginative individuals. We strongly believe in creating spaces where the children can engage in various forms of singing, dancing, drama, painting, collage, sculpting, building, and tinkering. We are strongly influenced in this area by the Reggio Emilia approach and view the child as having “a hundred languages, a hundred hands, a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, of speaking” (Loris Malaguzzi).
We also believe children are born creative geniuses, and it is the responsibility of education to encourage this innate ability. We encourage children to be endlessly expressive, hoping to encourage their inner imagination and allow them to carry this through to adulthood. We place emphasis on the process of artistic expression rather than the final product, respecting the children as individual artists as they work through the creative experience.
The 100 Languages of Children
The child is made of one hundred. The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
A hundred.
Always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.
The child has
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more) but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture separate the head from the body. They tell the child:
to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and at Christmas. They tell the child:
to discover the world already there and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
They tell the child:
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says:
No way. The hundred is there.
- Loris Malaguzzi
Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach
The Atelier
We have designated areas in our environments for artistic expression, called ateliers. ‘Atelier’ is the French word for a workshop or studio where student artists gather together under a master art teacher to work together and produce fine or visual art. Resources in this space are varied and vast, including a range of different types of paints and brushes, papers and canvas, and a range of media used for collage, sculpting and other such art expressions. The children are encouraged to use the space and resources at their will to express their emotions, learning, interests and skills. The atelier is a place to feel free to express innovative thinking. It is an inspiring space where creation happens. It is a space to follow the inner narrative, to engage in project work. It is more than just mark making, it is creative expression.
“I think of my studio as a vegetable garden, where things follow their natural course. They grow, they ripen. You have to graft. You have to water.” Joan Miro (Spanish Artist).
One educator will be the designated atelierista (Italian word adapted for art teacher) who will lead the art experiences for all children and help keep educators informed on art techniques, resources, and artists and have a creative thought process. The atelierista will use their knowledge of artistic expression to encourage children to engage in a range of different art forms, encouraging and praising their artworks for the individuality and effort of each. With the children, they will talk through colour scales/wheels, brushstrokes, shading, perception, paint types, shadow and light work, and other artistic concepts. They will use all art experiences to build children’s interest in the science of art, integrating STEAM education into the art experiences.
