2 hours Exploring decorations: Investigate Provide illustrations of decorations from different cultures’ decorations as well as real celebrations. Describe what you like examples for children to about them and what you would change. handle (commercial products Brainstorm words to describe the look, and homemade ones). feel, shape, colour, texture and purpose Start a design journal and of the decorations. support children to collect Talk to each other and to family sketches of interesting members, use the internet, books, designs and construction catalogues, etc. prior to addressing this ideas. in class. See sample template in This section could be expanded to focus Appendix A: Investigating (this on a specific research strategy e.g. web is a suggested outline only search, interview, survey. may find it easier to use large sheets of paper or Exploring making decorations: Look scrap book pages). closely at decorations and see how they are made, joined, hung, stored. Provide a diverse collection of tools and materials and Exploring materials: Collect all the encourage experimentation, available materials and compare their e.g. can you do with “What attributes colour, texture, stiffness, – these materials that you have ease of cutting/tearing/breaking. Develop never done before?” a shared vocabulary or descriptive language. Show children how to use their design journal to collect Exploring tools: Observe how different drawings and samples of tools are used and experiment with interesting techniques and innovative techniques. Discuss and materials they discovered, e.g. practise safety routines. a page of cutting”, a “fancy page of joining”. Exploring cutting: Try different tools “tricky and methods for cutting materials, e.g. shredding paper, cutting wavy lines, folding paper, cutting designs. Exploring joining: Try different materials and techniques, e.g. gluing, taping, threading, stapling, Section 2. Ideation 1 hour Reflect on what was learnt about Talk about the difference decorations. Identify the purpose for a between sketches” and “ideas decoration: final designs. is the celebration?” Model how to make labelled “What design drawings. These might will the decoration do?” “What include measurements, identify which materials are to does it suit the purpose?” “How be used, highlight any special Talk about the properties to include in the
2 hours Exploring decorations: Investigate decorations from different cultures’ celebrations. Describe what you like about them and what you would change. Brainstorm words to describe the look, feel, shape, colour, texture and purpose of the decorations. Talk to each other and to family members, use the internet, books, catalogues, etc. prior to addressing this in class. This section could be expanded to focus on a specific research strategy e.g. web search, interview, survey. Exploring making decorations: Look closely at decorations and see how they are made, joined, hung, stored. Exploring materials: Collect all the available materials and compare their attributes – colour, texture, stiffness, ease of cutting/tearing/breaking. Develop a shared vocabulary or descriptive language. Exploring tools: Observe how different tools are used and experiment with innovative techniques. Discuss and practise safety routines. Exploring cutting: Try different tools and methods for cutting materials, e.g. shredding paper, cutting wavy lines, folding paper, cutting designs. Exploring joining: Try different materials and techniques, e.g. gluing, taping, threading, stapling, Provide illustrations of decorations as well as real examples for children to handle (commercial products and homemade ones). Start a design journal and support children to collect sketches of interesting designs and construction ideas. See sample template in Appendix A: Investigating (this is a suggested outline only may find it easier to use large sheets of paper or scrap book pages). Provide a diverse collection of tools and materials and encourage experimentation, e.g. “What can you do with these materials that you have never done before?” Show children how to use their design journal to collect drawings and samples of interesting techniques and materials they discovered, e.g. a page of “fancy cutting”, a page of “tricky joining”. Section 2. Ideation 1 hour Reflect on what was learnt about decorations. Identify the purpose for a decoration: “What is the celebration?” “What will the decoration do?” “How does it suit the purpose?” Talk about the properties to include in the Talk about the difference between “ideas sketches” and final designs. Model how to make labelled design drawings. These might include measurements, identify which materials are to be used, highlight any special