Living on the “edge”: Bridging the gap between inside and outside experiences
As we walk through the forest, we stop every now and then to think about how we can continue to live deeply in our forest experiences when we are not physically there. In our minds and hearts, we search for meaningful experiences and materials that would satisfy our curiosities, nudge at our comforts a little, and maybe even pull at our heartstrings. Passions, connectedness, meaningful, exciting… all the words and concepts make their way into our discussions.
I think about what inspires me to come to work each day—what excites me, what drives my curiosities, where I find joy. Some days it’s easier than others to realize these things. Thankfully, today is one of those “easy” days.
The “Forest Five” (a simple handle I use to reference the small group of older toddlers) have been exploring flashlights, light, and shadows for the past few weeks. Could this be the bridge between inside and outside for us?
A bitterly cold winter day sets us up to test this idea with the group. The plan is to project images from our forest adventures on the wall and invite the “Forest Five” to engage with flashlights. My initial thought was to project images of the forest only—sans humans—and see how the group responded. However, we eventually projected images of the children in the forest, too.
Some interesting notes and observations…
*Seeing images of peers who were not physically there for the shadow exploration in effect invited them into the experience on a different plane. Makes me think about the liveliness of the forest when we are not present. (Just because you are not physically in a space doesn’t mean you haven’t left your mark with others—human and nonhuman—who remain there.)
*The toddler triplicate…or at times quadruplicate! Seeing a projected image of someone, then their shadow superimposed on the projection, layered with their physical presence…and sometimes another projected image cast on their body! Different layers of connectedness/ presence in a space or experience…something to think more about.
*Problem-solving strategies: At times a child walked in front of the projector, causing the image to go dark. One response that we noticed again and again was the attempt to “swipe away” the shadow to reveal the image. Is this a simple strategy to move something or does this speak to the influence of technology on even these very young children: swiping screens to reveal something else???
