Some Aspects of a Volcano Walk.

Chris Berthelsen a-small-lab.com With

Mairangi Bay School Junior School December 2013 with-mbs.a-small-lab.com

The ways of children show us a certain way of living that is not stressed out or hurried, where everything clicks into place like slow lms or a slow poem[1] ... this new gentleness offers the possibility of creative proliferation and diversity[2]. A volcano walk along rocky and sandy shores brings us back to a time before the three related developments of footwear, paving and transport. Barefoot walking reveals the ground to be rich, complex and multifaceted and awakens us to the fact that our primary tactile contact with our environment is through the feet, not the hands, and is for the most part mediated by restricting manufactured goods [3] . This journey and the dexterous movements it entails enables the development of joyous sensory knowledge of the materials that make up the world. Children will play anywhere and with anything. Through play children unfold as individuals in the creative manipulation of their surroundings[4]. A long walk outside involves chance encounters with familiar, unfamiliar and unknown objects, materials and surfaces (see 0.1 A list of stuff, p35). In working loosely with materials and not just doing to them children develop experiential knowledge and skills[5] along a spectrum which includes dreamlike states of comfort, loose free association, ne-tuning of the environment, pragmatism and adaptive reuse, and the challenges and focus of problem solving and making (see 0.2 Sketch for spectrum of activities, p36). The most profound experiences of happiness and love are instantaneous, sparked in brief fractions of time[6]. I lay no claim to competency or special insight. Humbly, this pamphlet is one more small experiment which recognises that to move, to know and to describe are simultaneous aspects of the condition called being alive[7].
[1] Certeau (1984:101) [2] adapted from Xin Cheng in letter to Kah Bee (2013:34) [3] Ingold (2011:16-17) [4] Ward (1978:210) [5] Ingold (2011:10) [6] Neutra quoted by Xin Cheng (2013:27) [7] Ingold (2011:xii)

Introduction Collage based on readings-athand.

1-2pm 14 March 2014

Look at the photos in any way you like. Generate your own comments. There is nothing particularly special or sacred about the comments I have made. They are one of many possible worlds. In any case, I suggest you look rst at the photo before reading the words. That way you can see it your way without being persuaded to see it mine. You can always look at it a second time. (After de Bono, 1970:11)

Some Aspects of a Volcano Walk.

There are many more opportunities for (testing) bravery than we realize.
What aspects of our learning environments become salient when we prioritize for bravery?

a stone wall, a good height

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78810828485/there-are-many-more-opportunities-for-testing

Musical training is not one of the stated aims of a beach walk. Yet sticks lend themselves to improvisation. Smooth, uneven textures and varying hefts activate the hands and ngertips while offering diverse and subtle tonal challenges for the ears.
What might surprise us if we actively selected improbable or seemingly irrelevant learning goals for our school outings?

various driftwood

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77464657327/musical-training-is-not-one-of-the-stated-aims-of

I am interested in the contrast and connection between grimey beach detritus and cute, uffy accessories. The delight of discovery and the comfort of familiar possessions.
When our objective is discovery are the limits of gross more exible than they are in other settings?

seaweed , my schoolbag

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77464965899/i-am-interested-in-the-contrast-and-connection

Snack time can be a time for relaxation, reection and mental preparation. Food is about more than energy, avour and presentation. It is also about personal rituals, memories and anticipation.
What might we be losing when we remove seemingly unnecessary elements of our childrens meal times (like wrapping).

a packed lunch

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77465771177/snack-time-can-be-a-time-for-relaxation

Eating on the go can be a precarious activity for small and big hands alike. Unwrapping and consuming a long anticipated snack is sometimes an experiment in balance, reexes and problem-solving. And when a spill occurs we witness a battle between hunger and hygiene.
What valuable lessons and experiences could we give our children by preparing them lunches packaged as intractable problems or volatile objects?

a packed lunch, a precarious situation

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77466206208/eating-on-the-go-can-be-a-precarious-activity-for

Personal items provide opportunities for sharing, collaborative exploration, negotiation, responsibility, care, and trust. Breakages, loss and theft create space for learning to deal with grief, anger, and suspicion.
Will letting our children mold their environments by bringing anything and everything to school enable richer and more challenging social and physical interactions?

my own binoculars, a few friends

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77466887858/personal-items-provide-opportunities-for-sharing

The things around us are ripe for repurpose and improvisation, especially when trying to carry out familiar activities in unfamiliar environments. A lunchbox plays a new role as a familiar, comfortable, and multifunctional seat.
If we celebrate the irregular and sometimes destructive improvisations of our children how will this contribute to their development as inventors and researchers?

a sturdy lunchbox, an unfriendly surface

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77468211344/the-things-around-us-are-ripe-for-repurpose-and

An inconvenience is an invitation tor exploration. In such pursuits anything can be an assistive technology.
How do we create inconvenient learning experiences? What are the child-created assistive technologies that exist in your classroom?

my schoolbag, a wall just a little too high

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77468641363/an-inconvenience-is-an-invitation-tor

Even with an abundance of space it is possible to create your own close quarters in the search for physical intimacy.
How do we ne-tune ourselves and our environment to create closeness or distance in our daily interactions?

a wall, a companion

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77473991024/even-with-an-abundance-of-space-it-is-possible-to

Nooks, crannies, walls and barriers. Obstacles and interstices inspire curiosity equally.
Where are the interstices in your curriculum? And are there enough secrets in your schools built environment?

a wall, a fence, an opening, something on the other side?

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77474090459/nooks-crannies-walls-and-barriers-obstacles

There is something comforting about the ground at eye level. Hands and straight surfaces often go well together.
What is happening at the interface of hand and brick? Surfaces are where most of the action is (Gibson, quoted in Ingold, 2011:22).

a wall, a hand

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77474917145/there-is-something-comforting-about-the-ground-at

A must follow condition. I am inspired and surprised by how traces and residues of past activities in our environments can guide action and provoke new ideas.
What do we forgo when our repairs return to new? What might we gain if our learning spaces were patchwork environments that are permanently on the mend?

a patched up crack

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77521844748/repairs-to-the-walkway-create-a-must-follow

A oorscape of sand affords diverse possibilities for subtly different engagement and feedback that more common surfaces do not.
What happens to our perceptual motor skills when everyday surfaces are slightly malleable?

sand, shoes

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77475202728/a-oorscape-of-sand-affords-diverse-possibilities

In transit, the stance of the child is that of a collector rather than a maker.
What does the school-in-transit look like?

my hand, an unfamiliar object

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77516510012/in-transit-the-stance-of-the-child-is-that-of-a

In bare feet you are always experiementing with texture. Sand and rock pools turn into resources full of diverse textures and subtle changes in shape. Taking off your shoes exposes your body to an ever-changing oorscape.
We often prioritize sight and (a distant second) texture. How can we activate smell, hearing and taste as integral and casual parts of our everyday learning environments?

my bare feet, a rockpool

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78638123483/in-bare-feet-you-are-always-experiementing-with

Exuberence and exploration is tempered by care for belongings, rote behaviour and concern for future personal comfort.

water, my shorts

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78639423340/exuberence-and-exploration-is-tempered-by-care-for

Sand affords the chance to mold our oorscape for comfort and pleasure that grass, concrete or wood do not.
Is this unconscious ddling or part of a hard to perceive but deep set of experiential skills?

soft sand, my hands and feet

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78639265504/sand-affords-the-chance-to-mold-our-oorscape-for

Large, unwieldy and arbitrary elements in the environment invite interaction. Taking on a challenge by yourself leads to cooperation, mutual acheivement or failure, and friendship.

a large log, a friend

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78639231283/large-unwieldy-and-arbitrary-elements-in-the

Bare sand can be fascinating and meditative. The simple malleability of ne grained materials lends itself to contemplative play.
How can we develop similar experiences for our technology curriculum?

sand

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78372535577/bare-sand-can-be-fascinating-and-meditative-the

Parents are also mobile storage units that give children the freedom to explore.
How do interactions change when we start to use humans to fulll roles that things usually play (rather than our usual adult stance of outsource trival functions to technology)?

someones parent

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78811498067/parents-are-also-mobile-storage-units-that-give

What my wife sees as a recipe for ruining a polo shirt I applaud as an exercise in coziness. Adaptive use of functional garments for frugal pleasure is a key element of a childs interaction with her second skin.

my shirt

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78084600657/what-my-wife-sees-as-a-recipe-for-ruining-a-polo

Many hands and roughhousing make for valuable skinship* time.

*physical intimacy

many bodies

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78079482665/many-hands-and-roughhousing-make-for-valuable

Construction for restraining oneself.

my legs, three-legged race ties

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/79503200787/construction-for-restraining-oneself

Not taking turns offers lessons in negotiation, coordination and dealing with pain.

skipping rope, companions

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78638993626/not-taking-turns-offers-lessons-in-negotiation

There are pensive and mesmorising aspects to dynamic moments.

myself, skipping ropes

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78828362300/there-are-pensive-and-mesmorising-aspects-to

Opportunities for skinship* often align with down time, shade and refreshment.
*Physical intimacy

my father, a drink, sunlight through trees, time

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/78828584805/opportunities-for-skinship-often-align-with-down

Repurposing resources at hand for comfort is a key aspect of the everyday experience of a child.

my schoolbag, grass, sleepyness, shade, dappled sunlight

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/79136510411/repurposing-resources-at-hand-for-comfort-is-a-key

Food is everpresent in the DIY play of children.

bowl, spoon, plastic egg

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77898461218/food-is-everpresent-in-the-diy-play-of-children

The collaborative process of making a trap, collaged out of sticks and sand is an endeavour I am envious of.

collaborators, sticks, sand

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/79135674692/the-collaborative-process-of-making-a-trap

Parents are also tools.

parent

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/77898046745/parents-are-also-tools

The transient record of an idea, scrawled in sand, leaves traces of its freshness.
(After artist Xin Cheng, 2013:28)

a stick, sand, my message

View more photos, and comment online: http://with-mbs.a-small-lab.com/post/79135509429/the-transient-record-of-an-idea-scrawled-in-sand

a stone wall a good height various driftwood seaweed my schoolbag a packed lunch a precarious situation my own binoculars a few friends a sturdy lunchbox an unfriendly surface a wall just a little too high a wall a companion a fence an opening something on the other side? a patched up crack sand shoes my hand an unfamiliar object my bare feet a rock pool water my shorts soft sand my hands and feet a large log a friend someones parent my shirt many bodies my legs three-legged race ties skipping rope companions myself my father a drink sunlight through trees time grass

sleepyness shade dappled sunlight bowl spoon plastic egg collaborators sticks parent my message

0.1 A list of stuff

[Everything] stores and releases energy like nuts and seeds.
(After artist Xin Cheng, 2013:33)

0.2 Sketch for spectrum of activities

References de Bono, E. 1970. The Dog Exercising Machine: A Study of Children as Inventors. Middlesex: Penguin Books. Certeau, M. 1984. The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkley/Los Angeles/London: University of California Press. Cheng, X. and Smith A. 2013. Distracted Reader #1. Mixtures: Xin Cheng and Allan Smith. Auckland: split/fountain publishing. Ingold, T. 2011. Being Alive: Essays on Movement, Knowledge and Description. London/New York: Routledge.

Chris Berthelsen chris@a-small-lab.com a-small-lab.com a-small-lab is a weird research, making and photography unit based in Mairangi Bay and Tokyo with a focus on creativity, simple materials, knowledge transformation, frugality of needs and the everyday pleasures of the senses.
Collaborators include architects, spaces for collaboration, think tanks, independent publishers, educational institutions, artists and researchers. Diverse output includes university courses, publications, presentations, digital projects, public art, exhibitions, and physical structures.