lottie child

[dorking, england]

intro’d to Lottie via Dougald’s fb share:

All you folks whose hearts and minds and bodies burn for a better way of doing the thing we call “education”, watch this from the wonderful Lottie Child.

I learned so much from the times we spent together when we lived nearer to each other. Very inspiring to catch up on the journey you’ve been on in the years since, Lottie, and to be reminded that there’s important stuff going on right here on my doorstep in Sweden with the Reggio Emilia Institute.

(And the final point – that this way of doing education was born out of the experience of fascism in Italy and the determination to find other ways of bringing children up than teaching them to “conform” – feels more urgent than ever.)

7 min – we want to pin down what children are learning.. but it’s more complex than that

8 min – creating a shared space.. where not consensus… new ideas together

enorm energy to get kids on track..what if we just went with it

9 min – wired for relationship..

do we have to ask them to stop feeling ..so we can start making meaning..? and start thinking..?

10 min – mom called about brother..

w h a t   i s   l i f e   f o r

begs we discover that everyday..a story about people grokking what matters…

i had to cut myself off from feelings to survive.. but then too ..cut self off from good feelings

11 min – i was looking for joy and connection and i actually found it.. (in children finding joy trying to not walk on cracks et al).. so .. i’m not willing to compromise when advocating for *children’s right to joy and wonder

7 yrs of participatory art ensued.. i’d go to diff cities.. meet diff children.. they would teach me and we would improvise.. playful use of public space

12 min – teaching.. ie: architects.. that quite apart from being naughty in streets.. were creating connection.. giving it something they had lost..

teaching police.. diff between anti-social behavior and play

how children make meaning.. learn.. how desperate they are to continually seek learning..

13 min – how can we go with this energy..

go on with what is already in us.. what we’re already wired for….energy\ness

let’s do this first: free art-ists…for (blank)’s sake…

14 min – being in this way (describing reggio) is quite unsettling for adults.. because

we’re used to dividing things up and measuring each other..

of math and men.. we’ve got to stop that

listening means you can’t try to make the other into the same.. we need difference

15 min – how to make environment that is so fascinating for children that they want to stay curious.. deeply deeply curious.. alongside us..

not talking about return on investment.. talking about people..

16 min – inspired by this.. we’ve started.. wooden house.. in dorking.. reggio inspired

he said (mayor of reggio emilia)..

the spirit of fascism has taught us that people who conform are dangerous

(on building schools after ww2).. and we want children who can think for themselves.. started new form of ed from the rubble.. so… what are we waiting for

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find/follow Lottie:

Artist developing a micro primary school, inspired by Reggio Emila and forest school

her site:

https://lottiechild.wordpress.com/

I’m an artist, with a ten year participatory performance practice for 10 years, that takes people on adventures to play in the streets of many cities worldwide, using skills learned from children and young people. StreetTraining. My next step, along with my husband and 5 year old son, is to begin a small  Reggio inspired garden and forest school here in Dorking where we can journey alongside children as they develop and deepen our enquiries.

resonating with be you house days..

wooden house site:

http://www.woodenhousenursery.com/

resonating with be you house days

http://events.arts.ac.uk/event/2015/5/29/LATEWI-Workshop-Lottie-Child/