Preschool Lesson: Art 2:2

Notes:

Wow, we were busy today. 

I began class by implementing a new rule. Children would get one verbal warning for not listening, moving off their circle or touching a friend, a verbal warning would be followed by a red card. A third offense would mean time-out away from the group for one minute. I actually placed a chair in a far corner and showed them where they would sit. Maybe due to these new rules, the children were very focused today. I had to warn students a few times for talking when I was and/or looking at or touching a friend. Only River got a red card for refusing to sit back at the table when warned. No one had to go in time-out.

They have become so good at raising their hands, except it is so hard for them to stop sharing when we need to move on. I tried to provide a few instances where everyone got to share but still had to tell them that this was listening time and not talking time on a few occasions. It's hard for them. Their little minds are bright and quick as birds. Their thoughts are all over and they have grown so much in their ability to express those thoughts. They can't help but blurt them out sometimes!

One child brought up a hurt finger (totally off topic). Another child then wondered out loud how his friend hurt his finger. My favorite is when I ask them if they have any questions and all the little hands shoot up. Yet, when I call a name--the child either doesn't remember what he was going to ask or never had a question at all! I have to say, "Let me come back to you. Maybe you will remember your question in a bit." This happened all the time in kindergarten and first grade classrooms. It's still adorable. 

The children's favorite art project was the abstract art. I suppose because of the freedom. They spent a lot of time on this project discussing what they were doing and chatting peacefully around the table. I sometimes wish I could just pull up a chair and join in!

Whenever I write lessons I have to ask myself what I want students to walk away having learned and experienced. My goal was that they would gain confidence in creating and learn that their was no wrong way to create art. So I really stressed that art could be weird, that it was only made of lines and colors (which they were all sure they could make very well) and that anything at all could be art. When students never once complained that "I can't" or "I don't know how", it felt great. When at the end a few repeated my main goals for their sentence strips of what they learned--I almost gave a fist pump. 

I can only hope that I helped to nurture their creativity and aided them in gaining confidence that, yes they can do it! 

Art, Lesson Two

Wednesday, February 8th

1. Circle Time

-Hello Song

-Calendar

·         Does anyone know what month it is?

·         Does anyone know what day of the week it is?

·         Count Days (Job)

·         Season (Job)

·         Weather (Job)

-Count days of preschool (Job)

-Review schedule for the day--talk about art show and art museum visit.

-Review letter A and Topic

·         Look at color wheel and discuss. Review primary and secondary colors.

·         Read: Artist Cat--art show

·         Read: Art

·         Read: I Spy Shapes in Art

2. Song

·    Itsy Bitsy Spider

·    Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar

3. Pointillism

·         Read: Katie's Sunday Afternoon

·         Make miniature pointillism paintings using permanent markers.

4. Snack

• Puzzle while wait for snack

5. Read and Math (No time for math, had to cut it)

·    Read: Art and Max

• Math: Review Numbers
• Counting Sheet

6. Still Life    (Instead of still life, I had them make contemporary art arrangements with their three objects since I knew we'd be short on time. They also had to title it. I'm afraid I don't have a picture of these things because I forgot to put my memory card back in my camera and the children took their toys before they left. Titles were, "A things and a C", "Hanging Upside-down", "Gym" and "Tools.")

·         What is it? What does it look like? (examples)

·         Have students take out three things and arrange them in front of them on the table. Then have them draw them and title it.

7. Read

·    Read: Look! Look! Look!

8. Dali

• Who was he? What did he draw? (look)
• Have students cut out silly things from magazines to make their own weird collages.
• Have student dictate sentence as they work for sentence strip of what they learned this week.

8. Summary/Conclusion                         

·    Set up for art show. Talk about art museum visit.

·    Homework handout--patterns

·         Goodbye Song!

·         Art show when moms arrive. 

Preschool Art Show!

(cardboard art display was set up on the table for viewing and one students was absent from Monday's class)

Sideways buildings floating in the sky, giant watches towering over a panda bear, trains and cars on the same track, and a giant hand attacking a building.