It has been almost a month since my last post. I promise to find some more time soon. I really miss my blog!!!
Today I want to share something from my favourite book on childcare People Under Three by Goldschmied and Jackson.
I get really cross when I go around different nurseries and I see on the wall ‘lovely’ pictures created by adults or cut-outs or Disney characters, which have no meaning for children!!!!
I know people may argue, but I just really don’t like them.
Authors of the book already in 1994 pointed out: “all too often we find nurseries decorated with crude cut-outs of Disney cartoon characters which add nothing to the appearance of the room and little interest for children after the first pleasure of recognition. Reproductions of good paintings are rarely seen in British nurseries of child care centres, though in other countries this is regarded as an aspect of introducing children to cultural heritage”.
Britain has a fantastic collection of great pieces of art. I love spending my free time in galleries and me and my son enjoy many free tours or exhibitions. Displaying reproductions off good paintings may be very appealing to children and offer much scope for conversation. Children tend to be eclectic in their tastes and are also intrigued by non-representational art, for example:
Recent visit to Whitechapel Gallery
The exhibition of Mel Bochner is great to enhance children’s interest in problem solving by looking at colours, numbers, letters, shapes on many artworks. Just for £1 donation you can pick up an activity pack, in which your child can measure different things, work out the grid diagrams based on finding the painting first in the gallery! Your child can aslo draw own shapes, do wordsearch and own sculpure. We had a fantastic time !!!