In the past, Studio Red has had a designated space for drawing and writing, a space that has been appropriately called "the drawing table." This year, we are exploring drawing and writing in a new way. Rather than provide a table, we have offered the children clipboards.
Without a specific place to be, could drawing and writing more easily permeate the studio?
Could we develop a habit of bringing this practice to places where we are working with other materials?
How might this encourage a use of paper and pens to reflect on the play happening in blocks or the learning happening in our library with books?
We value this medium for many reasons. We value the power drawing and writing have to make us slow down and reflect. Attending to our fine motor movements, our bodies often shift. We also value the way drawing and writing can bring together large numbers of children all together in one place, crowded around. We wondered if clipboards instead of tables might lend to the same ways of being. Will they provide the same visibility? Will children remember these materials are a possibility when they are not represented by an ever-present table? It seems some children are beginning to figure out ways to use this tool...
...but, of course, if you find a table, go right ahead!
