Expressive Arts Newsletter for January 2000.

ArtExpress

All Around the Sites

Volume 4

Issue 5

January 2000

Classroom Activities

Displaying Children's Artwork

It's time for the weather to snow and blow Hope everyone is staying warm and healthy during the cold weather.

Try one of many different snow related art activities. Children can draw a snow scene on a piece of dark construction paper with a light colored crayon. Then they can paint on snow by using a brush and water mixed with Epsom Salt. When the Epsom Salt dries it gives a frosty look to the pictures.

If the temperature ever gets warm enough for taking children outside to experience all this snow, try taking along small containers of water, colored with food coloring, and eye droppers to make beautiful pictures in the snow.

An idea tried in several classrooms is to bring the snow inside in plastic trays or tubs. One classroom filled their sensory/sand table with snow. Children can create snow people and snow creatures. Hide small plastic animals under the snow for the children to find.

Add small shovels and pails or plastic butter tubs and children can dig and mold shapes.

Remember that childrenís hands may get cold pretty fast. Invite them to put on their mittens while they continue to play.

The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats is a wonderful book to read this time of year.

Bring in white styrofoam balls for children to stack and manipulate. Rub the balls together and created "snow". Spread some glue on dark construction paper and rub the balls together, creating an interesting piece of artwork. Children can also paint their paper and while the paint is still wet, rub the "snow" to cover the paint. When the paint dries the styrofoam should stick in the paint.

How teachers handle children's art when it is finished says much about how they value children's efforts. Children experience pride, joy, and satisfaction when they see their work displayed. Children's art displays can be a meaningful experience aiding development and aesthetic values.

Ideally, all children's work should be displayed at all times. Informal balance is usually more interesting than a formal arrangement. Balance light and dark, bright and dull areas, as well as sizes and shapes. This adds to the quality of the art display.

Display areas, no matter how small, should not be over-crowded and a display should not be left up long enough to become stale and faded.

Place a painting or drawing on a large piece of colored construction paper with pieces of rolled masking tape, pins, staples, or thumbtacks. This creates an easy and inexpensive way of producing a reusable frame. Even the most simple drawing or painting takes on a lively personality with a little color around it. Use bright colors that repeat a color in the drawing or painting. The picture should stand out, not the frame.

Children's art displays should be planned with the children in mind even though adults will be enjoying them too. A great deal of teaching and learning can take place in front of a well-planned display. Keep in mind that the purpose in displaying childrenís work is to let all enjoy what children are thinking and doing.

Often teachers assume responsibility for deciding which artwork to display by the children in the classroom. A better alternative is to ask the children to make the choice. Giving children the opportunity to decide which painting or drawing they want displayed conveys a sense of respect for their judgment. Also the childrenís opinions may be quite different from the teacher's! Children can help in planning art displays. They can select their best work for display. A display area that is at the child's eye level can be managed by the children in the classroom. Masking tape can be substituted for pins, staples, and tacks. Provide space, such as a shelf at the child's eye level, to display 3-D projects like block, clay, or Lego constructions. Photograph the 3-D projects and display these on the wall in the block construction area.

Classroom Activities

A written description next to children's art displays give teachers a way of documenting how the work was created, what materials were used, what problem solving processes the children experienced, and how the artwork represents children's knowledge and feelings about a topic. Not all children's art work has to be about something. Some children may just enjoy exploring and experimenting with the materials. Children may also include emergent writing in their drawings and paintings.

More tips when displaying childrenís artwork:

Remember that the child's eye level is much lower than that of an adult. Place displays low, where children can approach, touch, feel, and even smell them if they feel like it.
Display children's work unimproved. This applies to any finished work as well as work that is to be used as part of a larger display. For example, do not cut a child's painting to form leaves, flowers, or other decorative designs. If a teacher wants leaves for a display, the child should be presented with paper this shape before drawing, painting, or making a collage on it.
Display reproductions of famous paintings or original art by professional artists.
Leave some undecorated wall space to allow children to rest their eyes and avoid over stimulation.
When displays are changed, always leave some areas unchanged so children won't feel uncomfortable in what might appear to be new surroundings.

After observing the growing interest and skills of one of the children in her class, Shannon Kellogg (Northwestern ECE Program) makes sure that many collage materials are available during free choice time each day. This is the second year the child has been in her program and Shannon has documented his growth while engaged in self initiated art activities over time. With small bits of paper and glue he has made many wonderful creations, including the images seen on this page.

Classroom Activities

Amy Fullerton and Jodie Grinstead (Union Stars Preschool) and their children focused on the study of "Color" this fall using children's literature, music and movement, and visual art activities. After listening to the book, Elmer the Elephant, who is made of many colored squares, the children made elephant masks and 'Elmers' by gluing small squares of colored paper to a teacher-cut elephant shape.

Next the teachers continued to encourage looking at colors by reading The Quilt by Ann Jonas and The Quilt Story by Tomie dePaola. They made a paper class quilt. After each child created designs and drew them on their paper , the teachers put them together in a quilt shape with colored tape. Next the children listened to the story, A Coat of Many Colors, by Dolly Parton. The teachers also brought in a CD with Dolly's song of the same name. Using real fabric squares and glue, the children made a 'coat of many colors' on pretend coats.

Don't Throw
Old Calendars Away! Don't throw away that 1999 art calendar, recycle it. Cut the images from the spiral binding, glue to colored construction paper or laminate to use in the classroom in a variety of ways including story-telling and decoration to enhance a unit, theme, or project. Group some images by theme (art work of children, animals, or gardens) and invite children to select their favorite. Ask each child to look closely, then tell a story about what is happening in the picture. Write the story as the child tells it. This will help the child make connections between the many ways to communicate, through visual language, spoken language, and written language. Place the story and the accompanying image together and display in the classroom. Children can take turns telling each other their stories. Many art calendars are large and ideal for use at circle time discussions and can be passed around for a closer look. Children can share their ideas about the art works as a group and can tell a classroom story about what they see. Art calendars can also be used as classroom decorations and even for collage making. Art postcards and art cut from magazines can also be used. Ask family members to donate their old calendars and see what creative ideas you can come up with.