Kindergarten Art Work at Tecumseh Elementary School
All I really need to know, I learned in Kindergarten and one of those things is to clean up your own mess. But first you need to know that it is okay to make that mess, something that my young students are often worried to do. They are told not to play in the sand, in the mud, and in the paint. So I wanted my students to experience the fun of getting messy and dirty, and to create beautiful theme art along the way.
To create these fall paintings, the students first practiced blowing through a straw. This is harder than you would think for young children. After some practice, we used this fun blow art technique to “paint” our tree trunks and branches with India ink.
Next came the messy part!
The students dipped toothbrushes in various fall paint colours, and splattered away to create the fall leaves on their masterpieces.
What did we learn?
We learned that leaves change colour in the fall, we learned about warm vs. cool colours, we learned about new painting techniques, and most importantly we learned that it is great to get messy!
I’ve learned something too. I’ve learned that our imaginations can fill in whatever is missing, and this can sometimes be better than the real thing we are so familiar with, leading to complacency about it. I’ve learned that what looks like death, is really the seeds of new life splashing forth. And I’ve learned that there are many ways to approach artistic inspiration besides realism. Thanks for the lesson teach! Not only impressed, I’m inspired! I have Masterpieces of my own to consider… I knew I should have went on to grade 1! Maybe next time I visit your fascinating blog :O)
Spartacus, you are way too smart for me. I learn so much from your comments filed with wisdom.
The best lesson we learn as kids heh!
Still as adults. 🙂
Some of the best things in life are messy, such as eating watermelon and finger painting. I applaud you for helping kids experience this around adults, and without reproach. So many kids get reminders that end up stifling their creativity.
Life isn’t neat, and learning how to make and deal with messes is a true life lesson.
Vincent
Did you say watermelon, Vincent? Oh yah, let the kids eat with no shirts on sitting on old newspapers. After eating, they can spit the seeds and leave skin on the newspaper. Role this up (without the kids) and throw it in the garbage. No mess, no fuss.
Excellent!
Thank you.
This is very pretty!
Time to use the process with your boys, Imelda.
I let them use kiddie paint, but oh! the clean-up! the clean-up!
I am afraid though that my boys are not as artistic as your kids. I am really impressed by the picture you showed.
There is no comparison when they are your own. They are just as talented. Yes, very messy!
Beautiful painting! Yea, it is part of the creative process…
The students enjoy doing this process. Thank you.
Way to go Miss P, gettin’ down and messy – love it – we all need to remember that sometimes things of beauty can come from the most unlikely of places, lol! 🙂
Mud bath????
Oh yes please, I remember the ultimate mud-bath at the Dead Sea, nice! 🙂
I knew you are into that. Laughing hard!