“ I’m going to add more”

The children who were familiar with the studio entered with wide eyes. The space felt transformed.

From the ceiling hung hula hoops, macramé hoops, chain links, shower curtain rings, and pipe cleaners, an immersive sculpture of circles suspended above them. In one corner, small and large dot stickers covered a white surface, a quiet nod to repetition and infinity inspired by Yayoi Kusama. On the table, metal sheet pans reflected light beside CDs, buttons, flat glass beads, bottle caps, magnetic round boxes, and color paddles. Every material echoed the same idea: circle after circle after circle.

CIRCLE-ISH Sculpture

Corner Inspired by Yayoi Kusama

Gigi picked up a large metal ring and immediately placed it around her neck, smiling proudly. “A necklace.” The circle became jewelry, identity, adornment. She then made her way to the Kusama-inspired corner where a balloon caught her attention. She felt its roundness, wiggled it, tested its bounce. When I gently directed her attention to the basket of stickers nearby, she began covering the balloon and the white paper with dots, small circles multiplying across a surface. One mark becoming many.

Savannah’s eyes went straight up. She noticed the hanging sculpture and instinctively added to it. First, pipe cleaners wrapped carefully around metal hoops. Then chain links, extended downward until they nearly touched the floor. The sculpture evolved in real time. Later, she transitioned to the easel, slowly layering paint with intention, building color over color in linear gestures.

Theo entered with purpose. He gathered wooden kaleidoscopes, translucent circular blocks, and foam pool noodle rings. He lined them up and declared he was building a train. Mateo immediately joined him, offering more foam pieces. The bowls became collection tools. The train extended. Then Theo began layering color paddles and bottle caps across the table, transforming them into a long “snake.”

The materials shifted identities constantly, wheels, trains, snakes, chains.

Mateo later returned to the hanging sculpture, challenging himself to make the chain Savannah was previously working on longer than before! “I’m going to add more,” he said.

When Theo finished his train, Mateo slid chain links through the foam rings, engineering a flexible structure.

With satisfaction, he lifted the end and connected it back to the sculpture, creating a loop, a full circle.

When I invited the children to draw on the paper taped to the wall, illuminated by projector light, the energy shifted into focused concentration. Gigi created large continuous yellow circles and dotted them with blue. Mateo used his whole body to form expansive green circles, rotating his shoulders and wrists in powerful arcs.

S. sat quietly, adding slow, intentional marks.

To close, we gathered at the table. Each child received a tray with glue, brushes, mini elastic bands, buttons, and recycled bottle caps. After demonstrating the glueing process, the children began arranging and layering their materials independently. Some spread outward. Some clustered tightly. Each composition was a study in balance and design.

We ended by reading a book brought by Gigi as relating to our exploration, Circle Rolls by Kanninen, a playful story that echoed what we had just experienced: circles move, transform, and surprise us.

As we continue our study of circles, we will next explore the work of Wassily Kandinsky, examining how he used circles, color relationships, and composition to express movement and emotion in abstract form.

What Were the Children Learning?

Through this Circle-ish exploration, children were developing:

• Early geometry and shape recognition (continuous lines, no corners)

• Patterning and repetition

• Spatial reasoning (inside, outside, around, overlap)

• Engineering and balance

• Cause-and-effect thinking

• Fine motor strength and wrist rotation (pre-writing foundations)

• Visual tracking and layering

• Collaboration and shared authorship

Most importantly, they were learning that small ideas, like a single circle, can expand into something immersive, connected, and meaningful.