PBL: Decorate Our Classroom, Day 1

Date: 19th September, 2022
Facilitators: Simran K, Simran J, Jasmine and Sweecha
Main Art Medium: Tempera Paints
Broader theme: Cultural Festival

What is a PBL ?

Project based learning is real-time learning where students spend an extended period of time in planning, executing and reviewing a particular project. It involves critical thinking, collaboration with other peers, development of creativity and communication skills. The PBL must fulfil two criteria, first being that it must be personally meaningful and secondly, that it fulfils an educational purpose.

Introduction

The very first PBL of ‘First Steps Morning’ is ‘To decorate our own classroom in lieu of Durga Puja’, a hindu festival which is celebrated in India annually. During the nine days of the festival, devotees pay homage to goddess Durga.
The PBL is divided into two parts:
1st Part: Create decorative items from Monday to Thursday
2nd Part: Arthlings and educators put those decorative items in the class together. The last day of the PBL will also witness the celebration of the festival in class.

Series of Steps

Work Time: Materials used were Soft blocks and big canvas with an outline of a ‘dhak’ (a percussive instrument). During our opening circle the kids were introduced to both the activities and asked to make a choice between the two.
Small Group: Materials used were small earthen pots and tempera paint colors. As part of the set-up and execution, each kid was given one earthen pot. Paint colors were squeezed out on plates and kids were invited to use the paint brushes and paint to decorate their pots. These pots will be further decorated the next day.
Sensory: Three trays were set up where white rice, mini wooden containers and paint bottles were put. Arthlings were invited to play with the rice and then invited to mix paint with the rice. The colored rice would be further used to decorate pre-planned things in the subsequent days.

How did it go?

The class witnessed a great level of enthusiasm owing to the presence of paint colors throughout the day.
WorkTime: Hriday, Atharv Gupta, Vanya, Jevika, Prisha, Kaira, Swastik, Janya, and Yasha participated in painting with dabbers. Hriday is still developing verbal skills, so he was seen pointing at his plate and making a specific noise to indicate that his paint has been finished and to refill it. Kaira named every color and assertively asked the facilitator to refill her plate. Prisha and kaira also seemed to prefer using their palms to get an imprint instead of using the dabbers over the canvas.
Jasvi, Aaradhya, Swastik, Atharv Goyal, Radhya, and Advaith engaged in ‘pandal making’. The facilitator also used grapat figurines and the kids pretended to enter the pandal with their family members.

Small Group: It seemed like painting with brushes was quite mindful for the toddlers. Each and every kid participated and painted their respective pots with multiple colors.

Sensory: The toddlers mixed the rice granules with different colors and played quite a lot with the colore rice. Prisha would sprinkle the rice over the tray and pretend that it is raining rice. Advaith seemed interested in filling and pouring out rice into the wooden containers.