Brainstorm, Plan, Create!

The days leading to Valentine week was filled with excitement. Parents, teachers and children were focused on getting the valentine treats (all 36!) sorted, taped, glued, and distributed. Aside from sharing sweet treats, the primary objective of the activity was to help the children practice writing their names multiple times.

Thank you to Kari G, Charlie, Maria, Julia for celebrating the valentine week engaging the students with different activities. If you have not signed up to be our featured reader or Chef of the Week, please consider volunteering. It makes a lasting impression on your child when you come in and be the "teacher".

This week the Utopians learned the process behind creating a piece of art. The objective was for the children to notice the eye and its different parts. Most of the time, we see dots or circles as eyes in children's art. We hope to move past that and make them come up with a realistic representation.

The fist step was a brainstorming session. The children talked about the different parts (eyelashes, eyeballs, eyelids, and eyebrows). Once they were aware that there is more to an eye than a ball, the next step was to plan. They were asked to create a picture in their head on how to draw it on paper. When they were ready, they got a pencil and drew. Some chose to work with a partner drawing his/her eyes, while others chose to look at a mirror and draw their own eyes. This step is called creation.

We value positive feedback so we asked our friends what they noticed about the drawing. We focused on the actual drawing and not on whether they liked it or not. After the feedback, it was back to the table to improve on the drawing by including the suggestions of friends.

Come visit our classroom to see our art. We will eventually do a self-portrait.

More Sensory Learning Technique:

"Pretend Hotdog: Have the child lie between two cushions (pretend bread). Ask the child what goes on the hotdog (mustard, ketchup, onions, pickles). Use your hands to put condiments. Pretend to eat.
(Copyright 1988 by Alana Freeman)

Pete's a Pizza by William Steig is also a good book to read and act out.