Page 107 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 107
versatility of mosaics ...
children participated. These two projects differ in some manner in the structure of the cre-
ation process due to different developmental states of the participants.
Case presentation: Kindergarten mosaic construction
This project took place in the »Vrapčić« kindergarten (which means sparrow in English), in Tenja, Croatia, in 2014. It
was performed with preschool children aged from 3 to 6 years. The goal was to construct the kindergarten's logo, whi-
ch is a little sparrow with a cap, in order to improve the children’s identification with their kindergarten. The edges of the
mosaic were constructed previously in the home laboratory on the top surface of a small low-cost table. Furthermore, to
simplify the construction process the tiles were cut in advance and stored in separate containers. The table with the logo
was presented to the children as a new kind of colouring book. Children recognized the picture of the logo and easily
compared and chose the right colours for the mosaic. Some basic rules were initially presented to the children along with
the materials and tools. As expected, tools were extremely interesting for the boys, while girls paid more attention to the
colours of the tiles. A cement-based adhesive was used as glue and also as a grout. The adhesive was spread in phases, one
for each part of the mosaic. Small groups of 5 children were placing and matching tiles inside the predefined edges. The
groups rotated every 45 minutes, each group performing one phase. Every child had the opportunity to participate, even
the smallest three-years-old boy, who placed his tiles with the support of the preschool teacher. Parents were also invited
to participate in the creative play. Children proudly introduced to their parents the rules of making the mosaic and du-
ring the play some new ideas for home projects arose. The result of the four-hour workshop is presented on the right.
Figure 2: Mosaic construction as a children’s game (© MosaicsOfIntention, 2014, Photo:
Maja Frencl).
These two cases show that although the same materials and technique were used,
completely different approaches for leading the workshop were required due to the differ-
ence in the age of participants. Younger children were less preoccupied with potential mis-
takes and more curious even to the point of testing the boundaries and putting tiles on the
wrong side purposely. However, due to the inherent complexity of mosaic construction the
pre-school children required more attention both in the preparation and during the mo-
105
children participated. These two projects differ in some manner in the structure of the cre-
ation process due to different developmental states of the participants.
Case presentation: Kindergarten mosaic construction
This project took place in the »Vrapčić« kindergarten (which means sparrow in English), in Tenja, Croatia, in 2014. It
was performed with preschool children aged from 3 to 6 years. The goal was to construct the kindergarten's logo, whi-
ch is a little sparrow with a cap, in order to improve the children’s identification with their kindergarten. The edges of the
mosaic were constructed previously in the home laboratory on the top surface of a small low-cost table. Furthermore, to
simplify the construction process the tiles were cut in advance and stored in separate containers. The table with the logo
was presented to the children as a new kind of colouring book. Children recognized the picture of the logo and easily
compared and chose the right colours for the mosaic. Some basic rules were initially presented to the children along with
the materials and tools. As expected, tools were extremely interesting for the boys, while girls paid more attention to the
colours of the tiles. A cement-based adhesive was used as glue and also as a grout. The adhesive was spread in phases, one
for each part of the mosaic. Small groups of 5 children were placing and matching tiles inside the predefined edges. The
groups rotated every 45 minutes, each group performing one phase. Every child had the opportunity to participate, even
the smallest three-years-old boy, who placed his tiles with the support of the preschool teacher. Parents were also invited
to participate in the creative play. Children proudly introduced to their parents the rules of making the mosaic and du-
ring the play some new ideas for home projects arose. The result of the four-hour workshop is presented on the right.
Figure 2: Mosaic construction as a children’s game (© MosaicsOfIntention, 2014, Photo:
Maja Frencl).
These two cases show that although the same materials and technique were used,
completely different approaches for leading the workshop were required due to the differ-
ence in the age of participants. Younger children were less preoccupied with potential mis-
takes and more curious even to the point of testing the boundaries and putting tiles on the
wrong side purposely. However, due to the inherent complexity of mosaic construction the
pre-school children required more attention both in the preparation and during the mo-
105
