Figure 3.5Aaron’s spiral ‘map’Spiral marks and representations
Spirals and spiral-like marks appeared on paper, in painting and drawings. They
embellished drawings as hair, fingers, sun and flowers; one shape within another; as
patterns and as explorations of shapes (Figure 3.5). This last example is of interest
since these older children were also trying to relate other aspects of their play to their
dominant schema, though it was not clear to adults what a ‘spiral play’ or ‘spiral
aliens’ (Figure 3.6) were.
At one stage in his writing, Mitchell used tiny spirals to represent meaning (see
Chapter 4, p. 59).Adults supporting and extending children’s spiral schemas
Adults need to support children’s play, although this is not to imply that with 25
children there will be 25 individual schemas. As these examples of children explor-
ing spiral schemas show, their schemas often cluster together.
For Zoë and her friends we provided further opportunities and resources for the
children to explore both rotation and spirals including the following:Aaron, 5:0. Spirals were one of Aaron’s dominant schemas. One day he decided to
make a ‘spiral map’ (see Figure 3.5). Starting with a small square of paper, he
added successive strips joining them with paper clips and brass fasteners to
create his map. Finally he drew a ‘spiral road’ on it, with arrows that included
some with right-angled turns. In traditional American patchwork this arrangement
is known as ‘log cabin’ but at that time Aaron’s mother thought it unlikely that he
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