Sand on Mirrors
Week of September 23, 2013
Since their encounters with the triangle mirror
in the classroom began, the children have been interested in mirrors. Based on
my observations of the children during a variety of activities using mirrors, I
am curious to understand their thinking about reflections. Do they see their
reflections as extensions of their own bodies, or just as a ‘picture’ on
another surface?
This week I provided the children with a long
mirror laid flat on the ground and covered with black sand. I was interested to
see how having another material on the mirror would affect their current views
of reflections. The children were hesitant at first, but quickly began
uncovering the surface of the mirror. They spent time both observing the
texture of the sand and the mirror, as well as noticing their reflections when
the sand was moved. The children didn’t seem to
notice their reflections until after a large portion of their face was visible.
Currently,
the children seem to think what they see in the mirror is the same as reality
(sand on their face in their reflection means sand must be on their face). We
will continue to explore mirrors and other materials to gain an understanding
of the children’s ideas about mirrors.
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