July 2012 Updates: Hahgoot’s creative and emotional growth

Hahgoot did an M. C. Escher inspired project: She used the method described on the right to make an initial odd shape to create her own Tessellation project.

The shape she created on paper she then transferred to foam and cut it out. Then she pressed the foam on a pad of ink and pressed it onto paper...

She continued printing shapes like a puzzle grid. As the print wasn’t very strong we did an outline and then Hahgoot added small details to make interesting and imaginative creatures.

We kept turning the page around to “find new shapes” and keep her imagination flowing. So here is another successful project of “Art meets Maths”!

I have started working with Hahgoot on a new workbook called: Helping Children to Cope with Change, Stress and Anxiety: A Photocopiable Activities Book by Deborah Plummer. Hahgoot was very interested and enthusiastically drew herself in a striking self portrait (she was trying to do all the shades around her eyes and nose so the image came out very dramatic).

The first chapter was about self awareness and acknowledging others have a different point of view. Top left: Hahgoot and I both wrote words to describe her and came up with different descriptions, to her surprise. Right: drawing items she thinks are important to her emotionally and discussing what these might mean to others or what others would draw there instead. Bottom left: writing about herself, as if she is her best friend describing her (not an easy task for anyone!)

Hahgoot made herself a challenge: she built a car using only a limited amount of blocks. The car was actually a boat on wheels, inspired by the odd looking “Captain Cook” boat she saw in the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony, that was a set of bicycles with boat masts.

Left: Hahgoot posing as the Greek mythical Atlas (with her “Carly ball”) Right: Hahgoot made this cool cat puppet mit all by herself! I was very impressed by the design and construction. Hahgoot invented and made this board game so she could play with Dorothea and Alma.

Hahgoot collected some flowers from our yard and made a flower petals collage. It depicted a group of fairies with one being different and her friend trying to cheer her up.

Hahgoot’s weird and wonderful drawings

Top: a series about the adventures of God (who looks like a Big Friendly Giant) and Hahgoot Bottom: Hahgoot invented a double pram with pockets to carry toys on the side. This is the ad to sell the product...

Hahgoot drew a lot of imaginary stories about Alma

Below: a computer game she designed (dressing up the fairy for school)

This was a series she worked on for a while: It’s a very sad story about a princess that was kicked out of the castle and cries bitterly as she sets up her tent. Luckily, her BFG God comes along and brings her magical jewellery to cheer her up. I guess that is her first original fairytale.

Hahgoot worked hard on letters this month: to Deena (left) and Elijana (bottom). Noam from Haifa sent her cool stickers she could colour in (right).

The letter to Noam (left) Laurie from California sent her Hebrew letters she could scratch out so she used them to write a letter to her friend Lotem from Israel (bottom).

With a little bit of help Hahgoot made a special paper cut letter for Elijana.

Emil Orange (Germany) School of LEGO (UK, child made) Shoelace (Australia) When the monsters go away (Portugal) As our tradition every year, Hahgoot and I went to the Opera House to see the kids film festival. Hahgoot loved the four movies above: “School of LEGO” was a hilarious kids project, and she was very interested in the girl who is worried about growing up and (literally) losing her childhood monsters (bottom right). “Emil Orange” was about a kid stuck on an obsession with the colour orange and how it hampered him from winning a top prize, which was a great movie for my little rigid thinker. I especially liked “Shoelace” as it was a “heroic movie” about a child that had to gain independence and self care, which is what I try to hammer into Hahgoot night and day...

In our next presentation: School Holidays Girl Power