Little Saints Parent Reggio Workshop

On Saturday 19 February, Little Saints was filled with parents who were eager to experience an hour or two of what their pre-school children do every day. Celia Diana opened the morning with an introduction to the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education, and she shared some of the ways this is implemented in our daily routine.

We have been investigating dragonflies over the past few weeks at Little Saints and so it was fitting for the parents to experience some of the investigations and provocations their children were exposed to. The parents were divided into groups and tasked with drawing a dragonfly, participating in a thinking routine commonly used at Little Saints, and constructing a dragonfly using various loose parts. While the groups were working, further Reggio principles were introduced, like the intelligence of materials, the value of group work and cooperation, and socio-constructive learning - all concepts the parents were experiencing first-hand. Giving feedback to one another and constructive criticism was the final stage of group work, followed by a question and answer session with the Little Saints teachers.

We displayed documentation and the children’s artwork in the piazza and classrooms, as well as a group collaborative giant dragonfly made by every one of the Little Saints children.

MELANIE NIJLAND
ATELIERISTA: LITTLE SAINTS