THE GREEN WHEEL PROJECT
Community	Creativity	Collaboration

Introduction

We developed The Green Wheel as a creative arts project to involve 6 local Early Years settings working closely with 3 artists, parents, the local and wider community to develop a collaborative approach to learning. The Green Wheel title came from the drawing of the wheel and the significance of a continuous evolving and turning process – like a wheel - taking us on a journey reaching out into our local and wider community. Also the community and environment is seen as being fundamental in drawing together expertise, collegiality and inspiration.

What was our inspiration?

The change over the last few years to a more formal approach in Early Years education has been a catalyst in challenging us to identify what we really believed were the essential elements of excellent Early Years education. We knew that young children should not be sitting down for long periods engaged in formal activities, and having been on a challenging course entitled ‘Learning to Learn’, we were reminded that the way children learn is more important than just the content. This course really re-invigorated us to review and research the process of learning. This was the start of the Green Wheel. We wanted to provide the best opportunities and experiences we could to develop children’s love of learning, spirit of enquiry and attitudes to others, environment and community. We already met once a term as part of a larger cluster of Early Years educators and also as a smaller cluster of settings that fed into the local Community school. One of our group had been researching into the work done in Reggio Emilia in Italy on child initiated learning and had been given the opportunity to go there to an international conference called ‘Crossing Boundaries’. This was dedicated to Loris Malaguzzi, the pedagogical founder of the educational experience and services in the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. The main aim of the conference was for the participants to be part of an international opportunity for dialogue and exchange around themes such as the rights and potentials of children and adults, learning processes and the school’s strategic role. On returning, our colleague presented her findings and we began to discuss how, when and what we could implement from these, what parts were relevant to our culture and would fit in with the Principles in the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. ‘It is a mistake to take any approach and assume like a flower you can take it from one soil and put it in another one. That never works. We have to figure out what aspects of that are most important to us and what kind of soil we need to make those aspects grow.’ Howard Gardener

What did we decide to do?

The group decided to embark on a project to work with artists in order to enhance and develop the very good practice that was already in place in the settings. In the beginning, we wanted to research child initiated learning and how the children could work alongside an artist and become engaged more deeply in the creative process. We developed The Green Wheel as a creative arts project to involve 6 local Early Years settings working closely with 3 artists, parents, the local and wider community to develop a collaborative approach to learning. The 6 local Early Years settings include Sun Hill Infant School, Busy Bees Pre-school, Itchen Abbas Montessori, Meon Springs Montessori, Patchwork Day Nursery and 3-4-5 Pre-school. The Green Wheel title came from the drawing of the wheel and the significance of a continuous evolving and turning process – like a wheel - taking us on a journey reaching out into our local and wider community. Also the community and environment is seen as being fundamental in drawing together expertise, collegiality and inspiration. We wanted this partnership of 6 Early Years Settings, parents and community to work with 3 Visual Artists for one day a week over a 14-week period as a research group, to promote an awareness of the environment and new ways of looking at learning through a creative and reflective project.

Aims of the Green Wheel

In our current work we had already begun to develop thinking skills in our settings and have been exploring the idea of process and not just product in the education of young children. These fit in with the recent Government initiatives on creative thinking skills and the Rights of the Child and are an essential area for the future development of educators and children.

To promote the Continuous Professional Development of Artists and Educators by engaging in the reflective and creative cycle of observation, reflection, analysis, interpretation and creative resourcing. To involve parents and others from the local community to use their creative expertise and raise awareness of the Rights and Responsibilities of Adults and Children. To achieve a shared understanding and collegial approach to develop creative thinking skills within the Arts using the local environment as a stimulus for children, young people and adults. To learn how to develop thought provoking and challenging experiences from the interests of the children to improve the quality of the spoken and the written word. To develop the use of language – speaking and listening. To create a new awareness of the expertise of parents and those in the community of being part of the whole curriculum of young children.

We are particularly interested in developing models of good practice within Early Years Settings. We see the future development of this project as developing the creative thinking of children and adults alike, in gaining a new insight into working together with a shared vision, and in using the expertise of an artist.

Further Information

For further information please contact: Rosie Waring Green Tel 01962 733237 Email rosie.wg@virgin.net

The Green Wheel Project is supported by: I V C, Alresford Pigs Association, Early Education Childcare Unit, Alresford Motor Services Arts Council.