The Atelier – A Unique Artistic Expression for Children

In the Reggio Emilia educational approach, there is an expression, “A child has a hundred languages.” These languages refer to art, innovation, nature, construction, fantasy, music, dance, building, writing, talking, signing, science and more. An education incorporating these multiple languages helps children build knowledge and understand the world around them. With the Reggio Emilia approach, a child is considered a competent, capable and natural researcher who wants to learn and explore. To encourage this, many Reggio Emilia schools offer an Atelier for children to use. What is an Atelier? “Atelier” means “art studio” or “workshop” in French. A Reggio Emilia Atelier is a welcoming and inspiring place offering a wide variety of natural and man-made materials for artistic expression. Here, children of all ages come individually or in small groups to encounter experiences with these different media that will progressively support all their languages of expression. The early exploration of the visual arts offers children endless possibilities. Inside the Atelier In the Reggio Emilia approach, the environment is the third teacher. Nowhere is this more evident as in the Atelier. A bright and welcoming space, the Atelier is designated for children to explore and have fun. Materials such as clay, paper, fabric, wire, light, beads, shells, leaves and wood, among others, are available for children to explore as they see fit. The Atelier is designed to encourage collaboration as well as creativity, and children are can work together with their peers to complete a project or discover new ideas. In the Atelier, the mood is calm and inspiring. Children go at their own pace, and learn to problem-solve and express themselves without time limits or restrictions. Ateliers are led by an Atelierista, a teacher who is a partner in the child’s artistic journey. The Atelierista encourages the child to experiment and create, and collaborates with individual children and small groups to support their ongoing learning. As part of the Reggio Emilia educational approach, the Atelierista documents each child’s process to further understand and celebrate their ideas. The benefits of a Reggio Emilia Atelier An Atelier in a Reggio Emilia school encourages experimentation, intuition and spontaneous creativity. The wide variety of materials allows for free expression of ideas. The Atelier, along with other spaces in a Reggio Emilia school, invites children to invent, create and explore themselves through art. In addition to encouraging creativity and self-expression, the Atelier promotes other benefits for children.

Welcome to the ATELIER… 2022/23.

September is all about settling in , getting to know eache other and setting Essential Agreements together .

INDOOR ACTIVITIES…

Discovering Colors using different textures, Nursery and Preschool.

This is ME!… I have green eyes , brown hair and a big smile. Reception.

The SUn is yellow , the Lemons are yellow… Preschool.

I can be ME in many different ways…. I can BE whatever i want to be. Year 1.

EMOTIONS …Reception.

Discovering Kandinsky with year 1 .

In the making…

Discovering colors with Nursery and Preschool….

Yellow !

LOOSE PARTS DISCOVERY

Loose parts are open-ended materials such as boxes, crates, sheets, pipes, log rounds, buckets, blocks and rocks that children can adapt, move, design and transform in many different ways. They can be moved, combined, redesigned, lined up, taken apart and put back together in multiple ways.