E17: Lights, Shadows, HOLIDAYS

The Speckled Bees: A Celebration of Childhood

"The light is everywhere, but to “see it”, paradoxically, it must be turned on in the mind”
- Loris Malaguzzi
We were inspired by the Jack-o'-lantern for this week's episode. The extreme sensory experience of the lighted up pumpkin really sets the tone for the Halloween season. That launched us into a discussion on light focused holidays! We go through Halloween, The Autumn Festival (yum, moon cakes!), Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Iemanja, Christmas, Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr, and Saint Lucia Day. Light seems to be a universal way to bring emotion, tradition, and symbolism into holidays. We hope we were able to convey the respect we have for the different cultures we talked about.
We then talk about using light and shadow play as a really impactful tool. In fact, it is considered one of the Hundred Languages of Children in the Reggio Emilia inspired curriculum. It is an important way children explore, communicate, and learn about the world. It hits socioemotional by adding warmth, addressing sensory overload, and providing a platform to have conversations about fear; cognitive by letting children see things in a “new light”, introducing perspective and paradigms, promoting sense of self, and body awareness; STEM through introducing the scientific method and introducing shapes, density, color, size, and length; language by introducing new vocabulary like transparent, translucent, opaque, shadow, diffusing, transmitting, reflection, and patterns; and community by talking about routines, cultures, and traditions.
We also made a list of ways to bring light and shadow play into classrooms and homes:
1. Light Tables, Flashlights, Candles, battery operated tea lights, and string lights
2. Sidewalk shadow tracing
3. Build a Shadow Theater
4. Shadow Tag
5. Shadow Dancing, Glow Light Dance Party
6. Study Lights in Holidays
Spencer goes through an amazing project she oversaw as the atelierista where the children put on a whole light show inspired by artists: https://www.thecompassschool.com/locations/manassas/?keyword=the%20compass%20school%20manassas&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8eOLBhC1ARIsAOzx5cEeX_qCX6eW4vXXX8MrgSLcpRGRtZD_LWTcGI1sXmCHYp8Ddka3_G8aAuMoEALw_wcB
The bottom of that page shows some gorgeous pictures of it!
How do you use lights in your holiday celebrations? Do you use lanterns, candles, fireworks, twinkle lights? Did we miss any holidays that you think should be on the list?
References:
https://childcareeducationexpo.co.uk/learning-from-the-reggio-approach-light-and-reflection/
https://www.cosa.k12.or.us/sites/default/files/materials/events/8_big_ideas_cosa_feb_2016.pdf
https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/christmas-around-the-world/traditions/holidays-of-light/
https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/ramadan3.htm
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm
https://www.mass.edu/stem/documents/pr

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