Aman's complex sign

In Amsterdam, Aman played in the sand outside

her nursery class. Drawing with a stick, she

combined two visual signs signifying ‘boat’ and

‘water’, thereby creating a hybrid symbol that

effectively communicated her meaning. 

    Combining and transforming symbols allows

children to create unique signs and communicate

complex meanings.

Sterre's zigzags

Also in the Netherlands, Sterre drew zigzags as

flags (top left), drawing several 'm' shapes

(zigzags) to represent birds in flight, beneath

the flags. She also used zigzags as beach shoes

(on feet), to signify water/waves (below feet),

and as a decorative edge cut with pinking 

shears, explaining that this was "the shadow

of the flags".

   Understanding that a single sign can be

employed to 'mean' different things, is an

important aspect of semiotics.

Finn: 'night-time'

Having made a range of scribble-marks on his

paper, Finn announced this was "night-time".

     It is important to emphasise that in none of

the children's graphics did an adult ask the

child what hey had drawn or represented. The

meanings they attached to their marks and signs

were offered freely and spontaneously to either

adults or their peers, whilst they were engaged

in their drawing, so were not based on any

expectation that their marks should 'about'

something specific.

Romy's staircases

Romy explored her idea of a staircase leading

down from a great height. In her explanation

she identified the windows and door from the

outside, their layout suggesting a house with

more than one story and the stairs (which were

inside her real house) appear to be on the

exterior of the house. Romy appears to be

exploring her concept of lots of stairs or perhaps

of climbing many stairs, or even stairs going up

(or down) a long way on her tall house.

     Romy drew what appeared to be central to

her thinking at this moment.

Nathan's "caterpillar cake"

Using horizontal lines and numerous zigzag,

writing-like lines, Nathan explained that he had

'drawn' the birthday cake his mum had made for

his fourth birthday: it had been in the shape of

a caterpillar.

    Turning his paper over, Nathan drew the same

lines and zigzags, now explaining them as

"writing".

    Perhaps at first the zigzags suggested the shape

of a caterpillar? Young children also often

use with wavy, or zigzag, writing-like lines to

denote 'writing'.

Daniel made a "shop closed" sign

Daniel had been playing shops and decided to

make a sign to show when the shop was 'open'

and another to show it was 'closed'. His teacher

noticed what he was doing, and Daniel

explained: "It's closed now, the cafe is closed". 

   His teacher asked how she could know that

the shop was closed? Pointing to cross over

his drawing of the face on the chalk board he

explained, "Look here, see? Closed. That

means it's closed".

   Next he rubbed his drawing out, and drew

another face, but without a cross, "Open.

That means it's open now ... Oh dear!

[And drawing a cross over his new drawing

he confirmed, "It's closed".

Shereen's drawing

Shereen drew a house (at the foot of her paper)

and explained that it was surrounded by many

things. "I was climbing up the stairs and I 

Looked out of the window. I saw a butterfly,

ladybird, snails, flowers and a dog eating its

food".

    In addition to the letters she wrote at the

top her her paper (not explained) - in the

various pictures she drew - Shereen employed

a wide variety of graphical signs, shapes and

lines, including spirals, arcs, a cross, horizontal

and vertical lines, a triangle, dots and circles.

These shapes - and others - underpin

alphanumerical symbols.

    Shereen's various pictures also suggest an

inventory.