In the Brown Room, we’ve introduced the term Mirror, as a starting point to think about who we are as individuals. Can we look in a book, magazine or the world and see ourselves? We started by simply asking, “What is a mirror?” The children answered, “It’s where you see yourself.” To aid this conversation we read the book Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder and invited the children to point out any mirrors they find for themselves. Here are some of their thoughts.
“That’s a mirror for me because I wear hats.”
“That’s me cause I like to swim.”
“That’s me because I’m a girl.”
“I see a mirror! Cause curly hair!”
“My mirror is a boy.”
To begin working on our self portraits, the children were presented with magazines to look through and find mirrors. Many of the children were intentional about what they picked, and even had moments of noticing mirrors for their classmates!
“Do you want me to cut this out as a mirror for you?”
“I’m a man so I cut this one”
“My favorite color is purple”
“I just love food.”
“I have a mom and dad”
“I have a garden at my house”
The mirrors were added to a life size tracing of their bodies. This identity collage is a representation of what makes up the children in the Brown Room.
As we think about how children begin to build their sense of self, this important work of reflecting on who we are and what makes us, us is essential. Not only will it give children confidence in self-expression, it will also support their ability to “see” others. Building a community that is appreciative of all that identify us as people at Barrow.
Though this is up in the hallway, it is not finished yet! Many of the children are still making some final additions! Feel free to come take a closer look to see what “mirrors” your children picked for their identity collage.
