Kindergarten

At the beginning of the school year, kindergarten students learned how the art room functions. Paper sculptures were their first project. We learned that a sculpture is "art that stands up and pops out." It can also be made from a variety of materials. Students learned how to make paper come alive by rolling, bending, folding, and gluing it in various directions.

Students begin to learn that colors belong to different color families, and some colors even belong to more than one family. With our Rainbow Birds project, students created vibrant birds focused on the rainbow family and its order (ROYGBIV). We painted the rainbow order with paint sticks, and then the students started to learn directed drawing, creating a bird body that was cut out and glued to a background color. Then, we collaged the different parts of the bird onto the body.

Based on the book "Mouse Paint" by Ellen Stoll Walsh, students learn about the primary and secondary color families and how to mix the primary colors to make secondary colors. As the students discovered the magic of colors, fun details were added with paint, markers, and stickers.

Inspired by the book "Owl Babies" by Martin Waddell, students learn about texture, both real and implied. They experimented with crayon rubbings to create rough, bumpy textures and painted with pom-poms to bring their soft, fluffy owl babies to life.

Exploring the art of landscapes, our kindergarten students learned that "pictures of outside scenery" are about perspective and distance. "If something is far away, an artist will draw it small; if something is close by, they will draw it large." In our Winter Landscapes project, trees were made by collaging tissue paper with Mod Podge, then cutting them into triangular shapes and collaging them onto the background.

With Polar Bears, students embraced the tranquil hues of the cool color palette. Through guided drawing exercises, they discovered the serene beauty of these icy creatures. Additionally, students experimented with the technique of adding water to their marker strokes, observing how it enhanced their artwork with captivating watery effects.

The students embarked on a journey through art history with this captivating project. Before the age of cameras, people would hire skilled artists to paint pictures of themselves. Royalty would commission only the best. We learned how artists have shaped our understanding of the past through their creations. By channeling both our inner royalty and master artists, we created our very own self-portraits. The crowning glory? Adorning our self-representations with the most exquisite gems fit for a monarch's crown. As an added touch, we constructed a majestic castle brick wall using a captivating faux sponge painting technique, adding depth and texture to our royal surroundings.

 In our Springtime Bunnies project, we strengthened our understanding of line and shape through guided drawing. Students continued their exploration of using different mediums to bring their art to life, including markers, paint sticks, and paint dotters.

Continuing our discussion of art history, we entered the world of Monet and the impressionists. With the invention of the camera, a fresh perspective emerged in painting and observing the world. Another course-changing invention was paint in a tube, enabling artists to paint outdoors. The impressionists led the way in modern art, capturing familiar subjects under varying light and seasonal conditions. Kindergarten students engaged in hands-on experimentation, using brushstrokes, sponge-painting, and stamping techniques to recreate the enchanting waterlilies in the iconic style of Monet.