In Kindergarten students are being introduced to a variety of new materials. The lessons are designed to give students a chance to explore how these materials work and what their limits are while also introducing them to the basic elements such as line, shape, color and texture.

Pipe Cleaner Sculptures

Students are asked to describe the pipecleaners and list what they know about them. A pipe cleaner is like a straight line. How can you make it a zig zag? A spiral? A wavy line? How will you balance your sculpture? Where will you place the lines and will you add other thing like cardboard or styrofoam peanuts? Basic properties of a sculpture are discussed. (It takes up space, can be viewed from more than one side and must balance)

Paper Sculptures

How is the paper different than the pipecleaners? How can you get a zig zag or wavy line in paper? Will it stay in place like the pipecleaners? How will you secure the paper and get it to stand up? (glueing techniques are discussed) Sculpture properties are reviewed.

Lines and shapes- to music

Students discuss line. An inventory of different kinds of lines are brainstormed by the class. We then use our magic air writers to create colorful lines in the air as we listen to clips of classical music. Students are asked to think about how the music "moves" and makes them feel. What different lines are represented? Magic air writers are collected and students create lines with paint and brushes as they listen to the music. Students use hot colors to create their lines.

Shape: On day two, students discuss shapes. Shapes are made when lines intersect and touch at the ends. The edge of the paper acts as a straight line. Students are asked to find the shapes in their pictures and to fill them in. Students use cool colors to create shapes so that line and shape will be easily recognizable. The idea of hot and cold colors is introduced.

Leaf Rubbings

Each students gets a leaf. What do you feel? What are these? (veins) Why do you feel them? Demonstrate how to do a rubbing. What do you see? Why do you see that?

Texture rubbing collage

Using man made materials such as sandpaper, onion bags and rubber mats students make predictions and experiment with rubbing once again. They create 2 full sheets of texture then cut the sheets up into shapes. Where will you place the shapes? Will they overlap? Will they represent an object or just a design?

Texture picture rubbings

Students take a final look at rubbing and explore the idea of using texture to represent the surface of objects. Which material will make the best texture for the given object and how will you fill the shape?

Play with Clay

Students spend a class period experimenting with clay and getting acquainted with what the material can do. Students are asked to make a ball, coil, and cube out of the clay. Students make objects, rework them and make new objects in a search to understand the material. As they work we discuss critical understandings such as thickness of clay and blending objects together. Nothing is saved in order to free kids up to the experimentation.

Clay Pinch Pots

Students create these pinch pots focusing on consistancy in thickness and technique. They then use their fingers and other clay tools to create real texture into their pots. In our second class students are asked to paint their pots with tempera paints learning painting techniques and beginning to explore color mixing.

Clay special Places

How can you pinch, pull, or poke the clay to create different land forms like caves, mountains or trees? If you are going to attach how will you make things strong? How can you use texture to show the different parts of your place?

Clay Best Pets

If you could have any animal as a pet what would it be and why? An elephant would be great because on hot summer days he could sprinkle me with water. I could ride on his back and see for miles or just slide down his trunk! What animal would you choose? What parts do you need to make? Will you make them all from one piece or will you make the parts separately and then put them together?

Printing- Styrofoam

Students are introduced to the prinmaking process and learn to follow multiple steps in creating their final prints. They are introduced to the concepts of multiple images and reversal which are the important features of printmaking that separate it from other art forms.

Snowman Collage

Inspiration falls from the weather as students are asked to create their own snowmen out of paper. Circles are often one of the most challenging shapes to create for young children. This lesson gives students the opportunity to practice and understand the coordination necessary to cut and move paper at the same time. Embellishments are added with material, beads and colored sticks.

Torn Edge Collage

What is the difference in an edge that is cut and an edge that is torn. What kinds of things in the world have edges that are fuzzy or wavy? Which manner of creating shapes offers more control. How will you create the shapes you want and where will you put them?

Paper Mache Exploration

Students are introduced to paper mache in this purely experimental lesson.

Color Mixing- Painting

After discussing the color wheel, students are asked to create a painting using all the colors in the rainbow.

Brushstroke Painting

Students create these works after a discussion of different techniques for applying paint to paper. How many can you find?

Sponge Painting

Students explore sponges as a way to apply paint. How is different and similar to a brush? What happens when you dab the sponge or move the sponge across the surface? What happens when you overlap colors? Students swirl, dab and slide the sponge as they create these vibrant paintings.

Buildings

Students work as a group to create large buildings out of blocks. They are then asked to observe the building they have made and create a drawing by combining the simple shapes into a larger more complex figure.

Paper Weaving

Students are introduced to the process of weaving.