When I block the light, the light disappears.
As the children entered the atelier, there was a noticeable pause, a moment of observation. They moved cautiously at first, scanning the room, taking in the soft glow, the reflections, and the unfamiliar arrangement of materials. This beginning mattered. In Reggio-inspired environments, children are given time to read the space, to decide how they want to enter the experience.
Slowly, curiosity replaced hesitation.
Aksel, Dylan, and Noah were immediately drawn to the lights they could control themselves. The simple act of pressing a button became powerful, I can make something happen. That sense of agency opened the door to deeper exploration.
Aksel gravitated toward the color paddles, holding them up and peering through each one. As the colors shifted across the room, his face lit up with a wide smile. He lingered, noticing how the environment transformed around him. Moments later, he became interested in the sound of the materials as they hit the floor, listening closely, smiling again, discovering that materials speak in more than one way.
Nearby, Noah became fascinated with his own reflection in the mirror paper. He stared intently, then burst into laughter as he stuck out his tongue, watching his reflection respond. This was more than play, it was self-recognition, relationship, and joy unfolding in real time.
Dylan approached the materials with the curiosity of a scientist. Holding a flashlight, he tested how light behaved, shining it on the wall, through different materials, and onto the dinosaurs scattered across the space. He moved thoughtfully to the light table, passing the beam over each object and observing how the light changed their appearance. When he noticed how the pebbles shifted color on and off the light table, he paused, visibly amazed, watching transformation happen right before his eyes.
Why These Materials?
Each material in the space was intentionally chosen to invite open-ended exploration. Mirrors, translucent objects, reflective paper, pebbles, and light sources offer children opportunities to investigate:
• Cause and effect
• Transformation
• Reflection and perspective
• Light, color, and shadow
Rather than directing children toward a single outcome, these materials allow them to build their own theories, testing, revising, and discovering through hands-on engagement.
Deepening the Exploration: Introducing the Projector
Once the children became familiar with the materials, I introduced an overhead projector to extend their thinking and offer a new way to manipulate light.
Gigi was immediately captivated. She brought different objects to the projector, watching closely as the colors shifted and stretched across the wall. Her eyes moved back and forth, material to light, light to wall, tracking the changes she was creating.
At one point, she placed a shiny object over the light source. The wall went dark. She paused. Then tried again.
Each time she covered the light, darkness appeared.
She repeated this experiment again and again, building an understanding through repetition: When I block the light, the light disappears. Later, she moved on to exploring CDs, carefully lining them up on the rug. She stepped back, looking proudly at her work. When I offered more, she continued arranging them with intention, fully immersed in her process.
In this work, the goal is not answers, but attention, curiosity, and the joy of discovery.
