Two For Blue

Tree Houses as Home(A Place to Roost)

2012-01-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten continued with their ideas of home and interesting
living spaces. We looked at the book"Treehouses of the World"
which really opened their minds up to alternative ways to have a home.
I asked them "How will you get into your home?". Well the ideas were
tremendous. Some had ropes , ladders and others had bridges. One had
a ladder going up and a waterslide going down. Hoping to get this into a
three dimensional piece of art.

Open Minds

2012-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Our youngest artists have been visiting the atelier the last couple of weeks. They came in with eyes wide open. The light table glowing on the floor attracted their attention first. Each one of them wandered the room touching and being in awe of their new space.
This week there was clay on the table to explore. Rolling, squishing, stacking and pinching
over and over again. It is such a wonderful thing to see these young artist explorers and I can't
wait to see what else they will create.

Plungers,Fly Swatters and Potato Mashers

2012-01-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

I found small plungers during my winter break and dragged them home, knowing that they would be useful for my art classes. The two year olds They guessed a circle. We also had a few other circle shaped printmaking tools and I had to use the fly swatters. What fun they had seeing the shapes being made as they dipped into paint and pushing onto the paper.

Printmaking with the Two's

2012-01-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Brayer and Bubble Wrap

2012-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

Printmaking is a wonderful experience for all who try it. Bubble wrap
printing is a simple process by which the child can learn about
printmaking. We looked at our tools for the day : brayer,
paint, bubble wrap and paper. The magic in their eyes when
they pull their print. They didn't have to paint all of those circles!
The brayer tool is of course very exciting since it rolls.

Tubes,Tape,Board

2012-01-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

Children have a purpose in mind when they are designing. They work quickly and efficiently.
I love the complex designs that they have made out of simple discarded items. Honing measuring
skills with the tape and cutting while designing is quite a feat.
Ask your child about their creation and you will be surprised to hear all of their ideas.

Dreaming of a Home by our Kindergarten students

2012-01-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

We read a story called

"Animal Homes"by

Brian Wildsmith.

Here the artists saw

many types of places

where various

animals live.

We talked about what a

home is. What does it

do? Some responses

were:
"It keeps us warm." "It holds a family."We then talked about

different ways a house

or dwelling could be

made. We created

dream homes where

your house could be

made of anything!

Rocket ships, candy,

toys , koala bear trees,

club house , kittens.

These drawings will

work into a printmaking

project.

2012-01-05T19:28:00.001-08:00

Artists

2012-01-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Back to Work

2012-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Learning the art of stippling. These artists learned a new use for
q-tips. We wondered why they are called q-tips since they don't
look like a letter Q. They were interested in layering the red and blue and
watching the color change to purple.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

Clay

2012-01-05T13:59:00.001-08:00

Clay Work

2012-01-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

2011-11-06T19:18:00.001-08:00

2011-11-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

Smudging Paint

2011-11-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

I placed a clear plexiglass easel in the middle of the Young Discoveries' room.
The light was streaming in and through the plexiglass. At first the young artists
were walking around it. You could see their curiosity was peaked. I put
out some cups of finger paint on the floor beneath the easel. The brave
picked it up and looked at it. Some time went by and someone put their
finger in the paint. Meanwhile, others were looking in between the easels'
open space. The light was creating shadows on the paper that I had placed on the plexi.
Children were working on both sides of the easel. I took off the paper and the
children could see each other though the smudged paint. They laughed at being able
to see one another while not being able to touch each other. Soon, someone
climbed in between the easel sides and got to see everything.

2011-10-22T07:05:00.001-07:00

2011-10-22T07:04:00.001-07:00

Nature Collage

2011-10-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sketchbooks & Black, White and Gray

2011-10-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sketchbooks are a wonderful place for young students to practice anything. In this case it is
drawing. The children will be able to draw in the sketchbooks and explore specific things or
what they feel like doing. Basically they can feel free to make mistakes and become more confident with their skills. I am linking to a website discussing this. http://www.accessart.org.uk/sketchbook/
and http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

Painting with black takes lets the child focus on line and shape. Color can be distracting
at times. The children painted with black and then added white . They experienced that it made gray.

Nature Inspired

2011-10-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

Our atelier is filled with goodies from my walks around town

and a recent trip to Connecticut. Pine cones of all sizes, bark from trees , acorns,dried flowers, wood stumps.
It's amazing how many interesting natural objects can be found in a large metropolitan city. One just has to go out to walk and look. The Pre-k artists did "observational drawings". Some wanted to trace. But, we encouraged them to look at their nature item and try to draw what they see. This takes practice but the more they do it the better they will get. I tell them that just like learning to whistle or blow a bubble, they must do in order to learn.

Fig Leave Printing

2011-10-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

Printmaking is a magical process for young artists( and old). The fig leave was painted with white paint and flipped over onto a natural brown paper. The printmakers
put a cover sheet over the leaf and knuckle-rubbed it.
The magic happens when they pull the print. Lifting up the leaf they see a print of the leaf.

2011-10-02T13:12:00.001-07:00

Circles

2011-10-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Circles are abundent if your eyes are wide open.

The children explored ciclres on the light table and

tape on round plated. Their desire is to be able to cut the

tape on their own. As they practice their skills will build.

Each time they come to the atelier they are able to

move about choosing different areas to work. But, at two years old

they like sticking together.

Bobbles into a Face

2011-10-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

A variety of items placed on the light table. All of the artists

squeezed around holding one thing. We went around the circle

as I asked the children to place their bobble down representing

a facial feature. Eyes,nose(two nostrils), ears, neck,

mouth ,head were the facial features. They added earrings, a hat,

hair and a necklace to it.

They then went and drew a picture and watercolored their

face. Just the beginning of explorations in seeing.

2011-09-24T14:02:00.001-07:00

"It's a Spider."

2011-09-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

These last two weeks have been a great introduction to
the atelier(studio). The children have worked in all the
different areas that are in the room.

As the artists work we listen and learn from them as much as they
do from me.

Kindergarten Comes

2011-09-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Kindergarteners have matured so much over the summer. They have been creating some very
interesting sculptures. They have the ability to choose their materials, cut tape and piece them together
or glue them. I have encouraged them to leave their work and add to it before they take it home.
They worked on the cover of their sketchbook . They will use it for the entire year. It will be a place for exploration most days that they come in.

Views from the windows looking out of the Atelier

2011-09-18T16:52:00.001-07:00

Busy Atelier

2011-09-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Atleier: at-el-ier (at-l-yey)noun

A workshop or studio,especially of an artist,artisan,or designer.

In the sprit of Reggio Emelia, we will be calling our artstudio the "atelier".

The atelier was busy this week with the young artists

who came back to school. What a wonderful time we all had!

New students as well as returning ones explored the different

areas of the studio.

We have a new room which desperately needs to

be broken in! We are high up now! We can see the sky as well as the tops

of the buildings surrounding us. We will be having a wonderful year filled with creativity

and age appropriate art experiences.

Atelier

2011-09-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Reggio Emilia Approach

2011-08-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is a short video about the Reggio Emilia Approach from the
Italian media. It offers a great insight on the philosophy as well as
intimate video showing many aspects of the day in a Reggio classroom/school.
Enjoy the Italian!

2011-07-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Summer camp with the young ones kept us so busy.

We had a lot of fun painting outside and creating

fun self portraits in the style of Andy Warhol.

Summer Vacation : NYC

2011-07-10T13:29:00.001-07:00

Paper Making Tools

2011-05-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

2011-05-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

Miss Jennie and I really wanted to incorporate both of our areas

of expertise in making paper. Art and science are inevitably intertwined
as the materials an
artist uses come from the natural world. This project incorporated

the idea of recycling( we had saved paper scraps all year) and

the artists learning that most paper comes from trees.

We asked them"Does the paper just grow on the tree?" "No!" They

were told about chopping down trees and a bit about the manufacturing

aspect of papermaking.We had a bin full of soggy

paper that was placed in the blender and

swirled into a "paper smoothy". We then dumped the pulp into a

bin of water that the children could see through the bottom of. We showed them

screen on a frame that had been made especially for this project. They each got

to "dive" their screen into the pulp-filled water and scoop up pulp to make

a piece of paper. They walked it to our drying area where they could add bits

of flowers or colored tissie paper to it. The weather was bitter for an Atlanta spring.

Monday and Tuesday were very cold , but by Thursday we had de-thawed and were

happy to be working outside with water.

I have found that children love a process. Making paper, printmaking, working

with clay, building with wood. It gives them confindence and creativity all in one.

We even had our youngest artists who have just turned two make paper.

Crafty Crow

2011-05-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

Our preschool blog had a nice place on the artsy blog called"Crafty Crow". Check it out and enjoy some wonderful ideas from many creative folks.
/http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/

The listing was the papier mache pieces that our Three Year old artists created.

Art in the Garden: Papermaking

2011-05-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Miss Julie and Miss Jennie combined efforts to assist the

children in making paper from recycled scraps.

The artists were able to help blend the saturated paper with

our blender. They saw the pulp floating in the water and learned

how to dip their screened framed into water and pull up a piece of paper.

After watching it be pressed off of the frame, they added flower petals,

leaves and spots of colored paper. We endured 54 degree weather while doing it!

Mark of the Maker from Ravenswood Media on Vimeo.

Kindergarten Self Portraits

2011-05-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the self portraits that

the Kindergartners worked on. They were

worked on in a few phases. The background was

painted with a couple of layers of color. The face,

body and neck were added. The artists cut fabric for

their bodies. Finally, three dimensional objects were offered

for usage. As you can see, they all chose to use these various

objects in their own way.

2011-05-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

Clay Exploration

2011-05-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

More pushing, pounding, pinching and rolling.

What is it that keeps these young artists captivated

by the clay? Perhaps the newness of the

material? They love touching it. The clay is

cool, hard and smooth. They can rub a moist sponge

on it and see how the texture changes. Adults don't

have to intervene which causes a long term uninterupted

exploration of the material. Each age group responds

to the clay in a deep and engaged way.

Mortar,Marbles and Magic

2011-05-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Pre-K students worked on a wonderful

project for their promotion from our school.

It was a fast paced and magical day of

using objects from home,collected and donated

items. All were placed in space designed by the

artists. They will be revealed in a few weeks.

YD Explores Clay

2011-05-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

The young artists in the school are very open

to so many new materials. They were given

authentic clay (not a dough) and loved

touching it, pulling it and pushing it. The

day always ends too soon for them. I'd love to have

a time when they would be uninterrupted to see how long

they would explore a material. They are just wonderful.

2011-05-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Working on papier mache.

Papier Mache

2011-05-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

These are some of the results of the 3 year olds papier

mache project. They created the shape with paper,

flour and water. This is a project that can bring out a lot

of converstion in a child. Some love to dip their hands

in the gooey liquid. Others look frightened. I always push a

little bit to get them to touch something new. They were fascinated at

the solid form that came of all of their hard work after

they had dried for a week. They painted

with acrylic using bold colors. The fianl touch was a bit of

metalic dots or not. We used q-tips on the final layer. I encouraged

dot making, but some put a beautiful sheen over their primary layer.

YD in the studio

2011-04-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

                                   Yd visited the studio and will come for the remainder of
                                   the year. They explored building with tubes,circles and
                                   other cardboard shapes. We also read a short book called
                                  "Little Blue and Little Yellow" by Leo Leonni. Their visit
                                    introduced the studio to them. They were fascinated with
                                   all of the things to see. I look forward to their visits.

2011-04-03T05:25:00.001-07:00

Serendipity

2011-04-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes children come to the studio and actually do not want

to paint. This particular young artist found his

creative outlet with the box of tubes. Each day that he comes

to work , he always goes to the basket full of tubes and makes

something. Telescopes and binoculars are the favorite.

This last week he painted with enthusiasm and then went

to the basket. He carefully chose his tubes,lining them

up so that they touched. He finally made an oval. He

said that it was some kind of train. He lay down next to it

and we saw how long he was. The others came over,too see

their length. It was a short period of time that this all happened in.

I wanted to save what he had created, but realized that it was the process

and not the product that mattered.

2011-03-12T11:44:00.001-08:00

2011-03-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

Big Color,Small Color

2011-03-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

Painting a large mural with warm colors on one end and

cool colors on the other. The artists loved the freedom of painting

large.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was experimenting

with color. This tray started out as two pools of yellow

and two pools of blue. The rest were just water. The

artist learned to use a dropper and saw how many

colors of green they could make.

Kindergarten Begins...

2011-03-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

..self portraits.

The Kindergarteners were learning about the difference between a

portrait and a self-portrait. The artists we looked at to show samples

of strong self-portraits were Frieda Kahlo and

Vincent Van Gogh. They both painted many

self-portraits that were very distinctive. They also painted portraits of

friends and family who lived around them.

The artist looked at themselves in the mirror trying to

see characteristics of their faces. We talked about the neck and

part of their t-shirts or blouses to be included in the painting.

They sketched in charcoal pencil(they love to smudge the lines)

in their sketchbooks. We will continue this project for a few

weeks as paintings.

weeks.

Third Teacher

2011-02-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

Please take a look at this site, as it is very informative to the nature of the Reggio Emilia way of teaching.
You and I are teachers as well as your child's peers. The third is the environment they learn in.
The thought put into placing materials, furniture and lighting are all teachers. When and what is put out. Enjoy this site and perhaps keep in mind how the design of your own home effects your child.
http://www.thethirdteacher.com

Heart of Art

2011-02-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

Jim Dine Heart Painting is an inspiration for our artists.

2011-02-11T12:58:00.001-08:00

Working with Red

2011-02-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

YD so eagerly comes to work each time I go to their room.

They explore without hesitation. Glueing and placing pieces

of red paper where they choose. This is where it all begins. Touching

new textures that stimulate the senses. Worry free about a little

mess. This will help them continuing explorations in life.

They are wonderful and sweet .

Joyful

2011-02-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

I loved this smiling face while in the art studio. The children bring so much

joy to me and I hope I do to them as well. Each day brings sincere efforts

and wonderful exploration. We all learn from each other.

Finger Painting with Light (music)

2011-01-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

Finger Painting with Light

2011-01-31T16:37:00.000-08:00

2011-01-30T14:35:00.001-08:00

The Bird Cage

2011-01-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

The Pre-K students drew with black pen in their

sketchbooks while observing a bird house.

The were intrigued with the eggs and feathers inside

and wanted to draw them,too. There was a real quail

egg, a natural bird nest and a few greenish felted

wool eggs. One artist asked about the green eggs. She was

wondering if they were "real". I said that they were

made out of sheep wool . She asked me if the sheep

were green. She then drew a green sheep.

2011-01-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

Enjoy

2011-01-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Threes Paint

2011-01-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

The three year olds paint with so much freedom. They verbalize what
they are feeling and seeing but they don't worry about it looking"real".

I think that this is what Picasso was getting at in his famous quote:

All children are artists. The problem, is how to remain an artist

once he grows up.

Black Line

2011-01-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

The artists started their day by discussing what they new about"line".
Some of the terms they new were:straight,curvy ,
short,long, wiggly. These are the same terms
they are using in learning their letters.We also saw how
lines can intersect to create objects that interest each artist.
The artists painted with their own jar of black paint. This helps
them focus on line only. I loved what they came up with.
Each of them did very different pieces of art.

Painting,Cutting,Drawing

2011-01-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Each child chooses his or her favorite place to work.
The easel was very active this week. The colors
reminded us that spring will return.

Variety of Mediums

2011-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

The children really enjoyed exploring our different
areas of work. It is always amazing to see how
much self control they have while in the studio. It's a
very free space and they use it such maturity
and depth. They are such an inspiration.

Loving the Young Ones

2011-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

After a long break we were
all happy to get back to painting.
Yd was busy painting a winter totem .
They painted with enthusiasm. First white then a
pinch of blue.

Stirring Up Love

2011-01-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

YD perfected the art of stirring up birdseed

as a treat for our friends who are enduring

some cold weather!

2010-12-12T17:46:00.001-08:00

Covered in White

2010-12-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Painting is number one for the young twos. Working as a group is comforting for them.

If they can get a little paint on themselves and be comfortable with it, then they can actually

learn more since they can focus on creating ,rather than being bothered by a bit of

paint on their hands.

Touching Glue

2010-12-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Quite frequently the artists are surprised that they must

get a little messy. The Pre-K (40 some)students immersed their

hands in a pan filled with sticky glue and swished a long piece of yarn through it.

Some just saturated their yarn into a smooshey wad. Others had

to be reminded that everything comes off with soap and water.

It is not always easy for them to explore in this manner. But, after

seeing my hands covered with glue, they new that they could

do it ,too. I can't wait for them to see what all of their work will become.

Working with White

2010-12-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

This is an on going project with the three year olds. I placed different items in front of them (that were white)and asked"What color is this?" "White" was the overwhelming answer. They proceeded to cut first then glue onto their board. They will add on to them a few more times with different mediums. One more thing that your child knows. After they finish their work they always walk their work to the drying rack on their own.

Sticks and Stones

2010-12-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving break I was wondering on my inlaws property in Connecticut finding many
types of pine cones. I brought a bagful back for the children to use in a nature sculpture. My
question to them was"What might you find on a walk in the woods?" Some new
right away: rabbits, a fox, snakes, trees,birds, the big bad wolf. So, I asked if you would find a large building(skyscraper)."No!" they said. They then created a piece on board with plaster, beans,twigs
and the pine cones from Connecticut. As they worked and were finishing the last thing they were given
was a rock. This seemed to get them to work a little longer. I find that in a our society of t.v.,commercials,
video games the children can rush through their work. In an effort to build up their stamina I withhold
an interesting item that will keep them focused just a bit more. This usually works.
Their works of art were sweet and full of wonder.

Frances England

2010-11-28T05:08:00.000-08:00

I happened upon this sweet music originally created by a preschool teacher in England!

Drawing And Design

2010-11-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

The week before Thanksgiving was busy with practice for Thankful Thursday and photos . Many missed the studio so we took the time with those who came to build and sketch from life. We have these very interesting blocks called"Dado" that the children built with. They had to make something that stood on its own. They then drew what they had designed. Their drawings were very linear and modern. They really responded to drawing what they had moments before created. I love the one where someone had made a marker holder out of the blocks.Le Corbusier would be so proud!

"The Studio"

2010-11-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

This is the stamp that you will see if your child's work

comes from the studio.

YD Paints

2010-11-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

The Young Discoveries are growing and changing. They eagerly
come to paint whatever I bring in. We have been painting boxes.
One large ,one small. The large one has three holes cut into it.
Many times I will wonder where all the brushes are. After lifting the
boxes up I find them. The children peek at each other through the holes,
giggling at their surprise of seeing each other.
I assembled it and it will be at Thankful Thursday also as a little surprise for
Mom and Dad.

Two's Watercolor Big!!

2010-11-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

The twos painted large! They painted one backdrop for the Thankful Thursday production.
Sometimes a child just does not want to paint. This causes exploration in other parts of the room.
A basketful of tubes was found and became many things. The favorite being
binoculars. It's amazing how something so simple can be so many things.

Color,Sharpener,Color

2010-11-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

Some teachers come in to me and ask"Where did you get those paints?"

They are the very colors that we all use , just mixed in a different way.

The artists favorite thing to do is mix paint (after watercoloring).

Their task is to rinse brushes in between painting. This of course is

hard to do. So we create many interesting colors.

Then there is still the curiosity of what the pencil sharpener is and how it works. I had

it opened one day as someone had tried to sharpen I don't know what. Someone

said "Oh that's how it works" . They are incredibly curious about mechanics.

I still say a great gift would be a tape dispenser and an old fashioned pencil sharpener.

Brush and Paint

2010-11-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

I tried something new this week. A few artists came to the printmaking area where
they were learning new concepts. At the painting table they could choose paint colors
as they wanted. We also used wooden beads on pipe cleaners at another area.
I think that this was very successful and they got a lot out of their visit to the studio.
My joy is when one little girl quietly said"Miss Julie I love coming to your room"
That really makes me feel wonderful!

Bubble Wrap Prints

2010-11-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

We start with a blank canvas and eager artists. We then learned about
our tools. These were: a brayer ( a rolling tool), ink and bubble
wrap . We rolled our ink out then onto the bubble wrap( which was
hard not to want to pop) . We then had to flip it over and pat it with our
hands. Then ink again and do a print to take home.
The children always want to take something home to Mom and Dad.
They are very patient because they have to wait for their art to dry.
The three year olds had a wonderful time with the printmaking process.
Their work will be hanging behind them at Thankful Thursday as they sing.

Exploring with String

2010-11-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Young Twos worked enthusiastically with balls of string dipped into
black paint.This gave a high contrast print as the young artists dipped and
moved their arms up and down.

Watercolor and Wood

2010-11-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Twos learned how to use our watercolor area .
They saw that they could share their space and still paint
to their hearts content. Look at the grip on those paint-brushes!

After watercoloring they found our new area of work.
It is a bin of wooden beads with pipecleaners that
are easily strung and then hung on a wire tree.
This builds their fine motor skills in a fun way.
Also,standing to do this activity builds core body strength.

Mixing Color

2010-11-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

The artists painted with their color wheel lesson and
then broke off into what interested them. Sometimes
it is the light table, drawing, cutting stringing beads, or
the easel.

Color Wheels 101

2010-11-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

The 3s,Pre-K and Kindergarten all learned about the color wheel this week.

As the age progressed the color was in more detail.

The artist always use colors seeing them change from blue and yellow to green.

This exercise offered them a tool to return to time after time to know how to mix a color.

We started out with the primary colors:red,yellow and blue. Then mixed secondary

colors: green ,orange and purple. For the older students they learned about tertiary (third level)

colors. Of course they all were able to paint with their new found knowledge. Some painted small circles of

color keeping them separate. Some went back to painting layers of color to make the

brown that comes from mixing them all together.

Think About This

2010-10-31T12:02:00.001-07:00

2010-10-30T05:06:00.001-07:00

Creativity

2010-10-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Connecting the Dots

2010-10-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Pirate

2010-10-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Multi Media

2010-10-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

.
For two weeks the children were able to work freely on some
papier mache skulls. First there was paint,then glue,glitter,
and buttons. Then there was yarn and ric-rac. They had a great time
cutting , gluing and painting. This offered them an opportunity
to use there new skills without interruption from adults.
They will stay in the room if you want to stop by to see them.

Brave New World

2010-10-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

For those who were brave, hands were swirling through a gooey substance.
Getting into the moment of lifting it,watching it fall between fingers, starting again.
This is such a wonderful experience for the young set. Learning to explore
without worrying about a mess is so important for sensory growth.
Luckily it was a powdery mix and came off easily.

Connecting Shapes

2010-10-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

As the artists get older they can connect the idea that shapes come
together as objects. The kindergartners explored shapes as well.
Theirs were very different than the younger artists . There work
was more effortless and fluid. They all have their phases of growth.

Shape,Color.Line

2010-10-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Many times I hear the children say"I can't draw". This makes

some feel very inadequate. All drawings are made up of shapes.

We explored shapes on the light table seeing which shapes we

could put together to make a chosen subject. They also explored light

and what happened when the color mosaics overlapped each other.

We drew with marker first, trying to draw shapes without tracing

the actual shaped pieces. If they can draw from life, they are carrying

information and transfering it to paper. This is different than the skill

of tracing. We then painted with one color at a time. This slows the down

and focuses them in on their work. I am hoping that through exploring

shapes in different ways the children will be confident to take chances

on drawing and other mediums that might be presented.

Good Nutrition;Good Thinkers

2010-10-23T07:32:00.001-07:00

2010-10-21T12:30:00.001-07:00

What is a Box?

2010-10-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

A box can be many things. A peep hole, a house, a car, a cave.
So many possibilities. Red and yellow to orange.Mixing colors gives
the experience of understanding how colors change rather than just hearing
it being said.Standing and painting helps the artists build their core
body muscles and arm muscles.This will really help the artist with
their ability to control the brush or pen in writing or in art

2010-10-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Pre-K "Dias de los Muertos" sculptures

2010-10-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

After having learned about the Mexican holiday "Dias de
los Muertos" the children created beautiful colorful
sculptures. Some only did the head(skull) and some did
a whole body(skeleton).