Interview done with Leanne's father
Question
Answer
Did Leanne enjoy completing her pipe cleaner crafts?
The father thinks so. His wife said it was successful based on what she heard from Ariana [Observer], but the child didn’t mention it again afterwards.
Did Leanne keep her creations after Ariana and Charissa left?
The father thinks it’s been around the house but doesn’t know where it is right now.
Does Leanne usually enjoy art?
Leanne likes to paint and, at preschool, she enjoys painting and making paper crafts and other things like that.
How does your child typically showcase her creativity?
Art is one of the ways of her creativity. Leanne sings songs she learned from preschool. Another way they play at home is letting her predict book stories during bedtime or give options for what to do next in the day. It gives Leanne the freedom to think about the choices and the outcomes of it. She sometimes comes up with interesting, unexpecting things. Leanne also likes to talk a lot as she is learning English as second language (Korean is her first). So, verbal activities is the other way she likes to show creativity. Leanne also dances (sometimes in funny ways). Creativity is combining what we’re familiar with in different ways that aren't expected.
We noticed that your child decided to shape her pipe cleaners into letters. Does she enjoy learning to write? Has she made other connections between art and learning in the past?
Leanne is learning writing (both English and Korean), so she’s learning to grab pens correctly. Connections she makes between art and learning is she paints animals and she likes to see animals in Davis while walking/driving around. The family goes to zoos and she definitely has an interest in animals. This exposure helps Leanne associate words with life outside.
Do you have any other comments about this observation or the crafts that we did?
Leanne is an active and intellectually curious child.
Summary
Based on what the father said, Leanne is a very creative child and likes to express her creativity in many ways, such as through dance and storytelling. The pipe cleaner crafts were just a single manifestation of this creativity. Furthermore, Leanne's connection between writing and art is typical for her. Her father added that Leanne is currently learning to write, and part of this learning is making associations between words and what those words mean in the world. For instance, she enjoys painting animals at school. Therefore, Leanne making letters out of her crafting materials shows how she is making a connection between letters and real-life objects (the pipe cleaners). Without even realizing it, Leanne has showcased the efficacy of crafting in education. Crafts allow students not just to sharpen their fine motor skills and enjoy themselves but enable them to make connections to the world around them and the concepts that they are learning in school. Pipe cleaners and clay are especially useful in crafting in schools due to their versatility. With pipe cleaners and clay, a child can make just about anything and learn about just about everything.
Child Interview
Question
Answer
How did you choose what to make?
Initially, she shrugged her shoulders. Based on our observations, it appeared that she decided what to make based on moving the items around and seeing what she could create. She began making letters after looking at her magnet book, which aims to teach children how to write.
Did you have fun making the crafts?
Nodded her head yes when we asked if it was fun. Observers asked if she enjoyed adding the clay onto the pipe cleaners "yes I did".