What do children think about dreams? via Timbuktu
One year ago we visited one of the best schools of the world, “Al Centro Internazionale Loris Malaguzzi” in Reggio Emilia, Italy. This school is well known all over the world for being the international center of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education. One of the main sources of inspiration for all the activities and stories featured on our magazine, Timbuktu.
What’s the Reggio Emilia Approach?
It was founded by Loris Malaguzzi, a teacher and by the parents of a village near Reggio Emilia, at the end of World War II. It’s a philosophical and pedagogical philosophy focused on preschool and primary education that is based on respect of children as individuals, responsibility and sense of community. One of the most advanced issues of the Reggio Emilia Approach is the concept that each child learns and expresses him/herself in a different way. Most schools usually priviledge only one or two ways to learn and leave behind all the kids that learn in a different way. Through creativity, children can learn more about themselves and about the world around them, they can establish healthier relationships with the children and grown-ups with whom they live. The Hundred Languages of Children is a beautiful poem written by Loris Malaguzzi, and it’s considered a manifesto of the Reggio Emilia Approach.
The dreams project
The Timbuktu family worked for two weeks with the kids and the teachers of the Reggio Emilia Approach center, and we realized a series of short videos aimed at exploring dreams: what are dreams? How do we dream? Where do dreams come from? Do animals dream? These are all the questions that we explored with the kids, not only interviewing them, but actually shooting a video together. The children confronted themselves with the challenge of shooting a video that could “look like a dream”. So we tried to explore how dreams are different from reality, and many other aspects of dreams. We respect children, and we didn’t just want to place a camera in front of them expecting them to say something cute. This is why, we worked with them involving them in the filming process and explaining every bit of it. Kids learned how to use a microphone, how to shoot underwater images and produce sound effects. Also, they were in charge of managing the set. Take a look here at the first episode and at the making of! If you want to watch all the 5 amazing short videos, find them on Timbuktu!
First episode:
And here’s the making of!
Brought to you by Timbuktu.