［School of Global Japanese Studies］Creating words, playing with words – The world of children’s expression through expanding with slime art [Kishi Seminar Arts-Based Research (ABR)]
Mar. 11, 2025
Kishi Seminar of School of Global Japanese Studies, conducts Arts-Based Research with the theme of “designing places” for learning and development together. In the seminar, students study theories related to the design of communication, media, place, problem-solving, and education/learning environment and deepen their expertise by practicing what they have learned while collaborating with the community. As part of such activities, the seminar has been conducting “children's play support activities” in collaboration with a non-profit organization, Aphor, in Adachi-ku, Tokyo. In November 2024, students of Kishi Seminar conducted an activity under the theme of “Let's make words, slime art”.
What is “Let's make words, slime art”?
As the workshop began, seminar students dressed up as kings appeared on stage and said, “I don't want to use ordinary expressions like “puni-puni,” (meaning squishy in Japanese onomatopoeia) that's not enough! I want new words!” The children worked on creating new words through their own experiences. This project was to create words from their own experiences, rather than just expressing what they had experienced with words they knew.
The children created their slime by mixing their favorite slime with various materials such as cloth, beads, glittery parts, yarn, and paper clay. The children then came up with new words based on the feel and look of the slime.
About 50 people, including preschoolers, participated in the event. We went over and over how to convey the concept of “creating words” to the children so that they would understand. The children, who were at first puzzled, quickly became focused as the group facilitators asked them about the feeling of slime and gave them hints for thinking. The children were so absorbed by the end of the session that they ran out of paper and created many new words.
Report 1: ONO Reo (3rd year student, Kishi seminar)
Looking back on my elementary school years, I think I had a habit of enjoying fantasies and often immersed myself in my world. I was also strongly obsessed with creating something and was obsessed with “Made in Me.” The idea for “The King” came from the image in my childhood, when I imagined what a country with such an interesting king would be like.
Witnessing this cycle of imagination, I felt compassion for others that lay deep within the children's honest hearts. I am very much looking forward to their future growth.
I also believe that I was able to cultivate the problem-solving and planning skills necessary for a project through many meetings, with safety and comfort as the top priorities.
Report 2: HANASAKI Hinata (3rd year student, Kishi seminar)
Children were fascinated by slime. They concentrated hard and created a variety of words during the word-making activity. At the final presentation, many children raised their hands and said, “I want to present my words!”
In the seminar, when I put my thoughts into words, someone always reacts, and this leads to dialogue. In such an environment, I can put my thoughts into words without hesitation, so I tried to create an environment where the children could easily express their thoughts as well. The children came up with many new ideas and enjoyed expressing them in their own words, which made me very happy.
Report 3: YAGI Honoka (3rd year student, Kishi seminar)
The key to this project was how to motivate children to create words. Watching the children try their best to explain to the “King” why they came up with the word while letting him touch their slime, I realized that the desire to “tell someone” is a great motivator for action.
As we grow older, we do more and more things for ourselves rather than for others. Watching the children, I wanted to emulate their motivation, which comes from their honest desire to do something for others.
≪Japanese version≫
What is “Let's make words, slime art”?
As the workshop began, seminar students dressed up as kings appeared on stage and said, “I don't want to use ordinary expressions like “puni-puni,” (meaning squishy in Japanese onomatopoeia) that's not enough! I want new words!” The children worked on creating new words through their own experiences. This project was to create words from their own experiences, rather than just expressing what they had experienced with words they knew.
The children created their slime by mixing their favorite slime with various materials such as cloth, beads, glittery parts, yarn, and paper clay. The children then came up with new words based on the feel and look of the slime.
About 50 people, including preschoolers, participated in the event. We went over and over how to convey the concept of “creating words” to the children so that they would understand. The children, who were at first puzzled, quickly became focused as the group facilitators asked them about the feeling of slime and gave them hints for thinking. The children were so absorbed by the end of the session that they ran out of paper and created many new words.
Report 1: ONO Reo (3rd year student, Kishi seminar)
Looking back on my elementary school years, I think I had a habit of enjoying fantasies and often immersed myself in my world. I was also strongly obsessed with creating something and was obsessed with “Made in Me.” The idea for “The King” came from the image in my childhood, when I imagined what a country with such an interesting king would be like.
Witnessing this cycle of imagination, I felt compassion for others that lay deep within the children's honest hearts. I am very much looking forward to their future growth.
I also believe that I was able to cultivate the problem-solving and planning skills necessary for a project through many meetings, with safety and comfort as the top priorities.
Report 2: HANASAKI Hinata (3rd year student, Kishi seminar)
Children were fascinated by slime. They concentrated hard and created a variety of words during the word-making activity. At the final presentation, many children raised their hands and said, “I want to present my words!”
In the seminar, when I put my thoughts into words, someone always reacts, and this leads to dialogue. In such an environment, I can put my thoughts into words without hesitation, so I tried to create an environment where the children could easily express their thoughts as well. The children came up with many new ideas and enjoyed expressing them in their own words, which made me very happy.
Report 3: YAGI Honoka (3rd year student, Kishi seminar)
The key to this project was how to motivate children to create words. Watching the children try their best to explain to the “King” why they came up with the word while letting him touch their slime, I realized that the desire to “tell someone” is a great motivator for action.
As we grow older, we do more and more things for ourselves rather than for others. Watching the children, I wanted to emulate their motivation, which comes from their honest desire to do something for others.
≪Japanese version≫