I Think I Can

Those of you who have visited my room have most likely been victim to my pleads for kindergarten ideas. Yes, it's true, kindergarten is my littlest big challenge (a challenge from a biggest little city teacher ;) The list below is what we have completed thus far; some successful, some funny, and some left a lot of broken pencils.

1) Drawing Different Lines
2) Drawing a Self-portrait
2) Making Color Wheels
3) Making a Train in a scene

For many kindergartners, this is the first formal art class they have ever attended; for others, the first school environment they'll ever participated in which means there is a lot to learn regarding art materials and expectations. I learned this the hard way--but I'm a quick learner and adapted at warp speed--almost as fast as them.  I learned they LOVE to move more than to draw the lines like I initially suggested. Lines on paper = not so successful. Making lines with our bodies = SUCCESS! Ask your kindergartner to show you a zig zag line, a curvy line, a straight line, a dotted line (dotted lines like to bounce), and a wavy line with his/her body. Now, ask them to recreate on paper. This is the proper order. I did it backwards.

Self portraits turned into a discussion of the shapes on our faces. Have your little one trace the shapes of your face using an invisible pencil and then recite the shape names they are discovering. They LOVED this. On paper, their drawings were much more "abstract" and unidentifiable as people. However, this is an important part of art and the world. They learn so many daily life skills in an art class. They are learning to observe their world and apply those shapes and colors into their art, their writing, etc. They are learning to  respect the art materials and their art studio. They are learning how to share supplies and choosing which material will work best for what they are trying to accomplish. They are learning to be imaginative and creative within some guidelines. Most importantly, they are refining their motor skills. It's hard to color within the lines when one cannot maneuver a pencil well.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

I learned they LOVE to be read to. We have enjoyed the story of a wonderfully creative little baby named, Harold, who adventures into the world by drawing the plot along. They, too, wanted to be creative like Harold and really started pulling out the artist in them by week 3 with their color wheels.

They learned there are three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. They learned you can make the secondary colors by mixing them and that colors have opposites! Some children advanced their learning by labeling their wheels with the color names.  {english and science connection }

Now, we're really warming up.  Last week, we read, I Knew You Could by Craig Dorfman. It's a take on The Little Engine That Could.  We connected it to art by stressing that you must "Think You Can" in order to draw well. The students listened to the story and took special note of the backgrounds through which the train was traveling. They created their own trains out of construction paper squares and rectangles, practiced their cutting, and glued them onto a piece of paper. They drew their favorite scenes for their trains to run through. We had cities and deserts, big trains, small trains, steam trains.  I hope their art work is making it home--please ask your child to discuss his/her artwork with you. Here are a few that I managed to photograph in class before they ran off to the next great adventure.

I think I can...I think I can... I think I can...and we did!
SUCCESS :)