Reggio Emilia-Inspired Provocations: Start with a Question
Reggio-inspired activities are about exploration and discovery; exploring with their senses, asking questions, testing theories, making plans and thinking deeply.
When setting up a provocation (a term for an inquiry or discovery activity), one uses some of the questions the children have been asking lately.
What have they been wondering about?
When setting up a provocation (a term for an inquiry or discovery activity), one uses some of the questions the children have been asking lately.
What have they been wondering about?
- ‘What are clouds made of?’
- 'Why are some clouds white and some clouds dark?'
- 'That cloud looks like a hippopotamus!'
What kinds of activities engage the child’s sense of wonder?
What types of activities does the child enjoy? There are a thousand and a thousand more activities out there but no matter how beautiful the picture looks, if a child isn’t interested in it then that activity isn’t going to engage them. Any subject can be explored in a multitude of ways; this is the hundred languages of children, the cornerstone of the Reggio Emilia Approach. What kinds of activities engages each child’s sense of wonder?
- An observation of living creatures like a bug exploration
- A sensory exploration like a large collaborative painting activity or a sensory bin
- An exploration of a new art medium like painting with glow-in-the-dark paint
- An observational painting or drawing activity inspired by a book or a famous artist
- A discovery activity like a nature walk
- An exploration of a new material like a rock and gem provocation or one with magnets
Art Explorations:
Real, authentic art materials:
- clay (moist, sculpting)
- charcoal (pencils and sticks)
- watercolors (liquid, cake, and watercolor crayons)
- oil and chalk pastels
- colored pencils
- permanent markers (fine, chisel, bullet, felt tip)
- paint (acrylic, oil, tempera)
Other Explorations:
Authentic, open-ended materials invoke a sense of wonder and discovery
- natural materials, such as pine cones, seeds, nuts, leaves, sticks, shells…. any and all natural materials are wonderful tools for exploration
- loose parts, such as glass gems, felt balls, fabric pieces, string, ribbon, cardboard… beautifully textured materials of all different shapes, sizes and colors for imaginative play, model making, design and pattern work and sensory explorations
- open-ended toys – blocks, animal figurines, puppets, dress-ups, real musical instruments, books, music
Setting up a provocation:
Natural materials are not only beautiful, they appeal deeply to our senses; their color, texture, smell are far more engaging than plastic alternatives.
Examples:
Examples:
- baskets
- wooden bowls
- wooden trays
- glass jars and vases
- flowers and plants
- leaves, pine cones, sticks, rocks
How does the activity look?
Define the work area
A mat or a tray will draw the child’s attention into a provocation:
- a placemat for a distinct work surface
- a hard surface for building with blocks
- a mirror for a painting activity
- a notebook for observational drawing
- a canvas-covered board for clay
All images from Tykes 'n Tots Preschool & Daycare. Content excerpts from http://www.aneverydaystory.com/beginners-guide-to-reggio-emilia/setting-up-a-reggio-inspired-activity/