Week 4-1: If you could ....

This week, it was time to take that concept even further and ask the children to think about how they would style their hair etc.  We looked at pictures of people with different hairstyles and talked about what that says about them.  For example, a picture of a person with a mohawk says that they are "brave and scary."  So, if you could do anything you wanted,  what would you look like and why?  We started out with a blank slate, and this is what they created:

Alexis has long hair because she is a big girl, it's okay to have hair over her eyes, she can still see.

Jeffery says he has hair all over,  he is tall and has fire power inside .

Lysander liked bright green colour and has big hair all over.  His mother would not let him have hair like this.

Orin is an older boy with a mustache- he wants to be taken "seriously" so his picture is black and white.

Pauline portrayed a smart boy with glasses and a mustache who has a lot of ideas for games.

Pippa has pink hair and lots of makeup because it is fun.

Tai has a red peacock on his head, glasses for magic, and a funny smile to make people laugh.

I did not anticipate the children portraying themselves as someone who is older with presumably more power and ability.   The children seem to think that having the ability to wear makeup, special glasses, and facial hair means freedom and freedom means power.   Perhaps they feel as though they have to wait until they are old enough to "wear makeup" or have a mustache to be taken seriously.  This is such a reminder for me to acknowledge children as my legitimate and equal other who have an inherent right  to be heard and seen.