Drawing With Paint

MY FIVE FAVORITE THEMES TO DRAW WITH PAINT

Drawing with paint and paintbrush creates less dependence on erasers.  Some kids will erase more than they draw. Having no choice but to think about what you are painting is good practice.  We can draw the foundation with paint and then when dry go back to the project and fill in or add more with tempera or some other media.

Usually I will pass out only one color of paint for drawing. If I have a lot of purple, then that’s the color we use! Using one color to draw also eliminates brush washing between color changes. When the drawing is dry, next class, we will add more paint, use oil pastel, pastel, crayons or markers to fill in the spaces and add details.

1. FIGURES: Paint people shapes with peach and brown tempera. Add clothing with papers and construction paper, details with markers.
2. ANIMALS: Using one color, paint animals part by part. Body, head, neck, legs, tail and ears. I have used the dot paint markers to fill in the body.
3. PORTRAITS: Paint a face, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, neck.
4. SNAKES:  Paint the snake shape and then use other colors for patterns or stripes. Usually for this we would use tempera cakes or watercolor pans.
5. NUMBERS AND LETTERS: Using tempera cakes, choose a letter or number, choose a color and paint. Students also practice washing brush to change color. I will usually have a child give me the letter or number to paint, and will let the kids choose the color they want to use.

Where are the Soybean Crayons Now?

Quite a few years ago, Prang introduced the ProSoy Crayon to art teachers. A new idea, more natural and ALL that. I got some samples at the annual art conference vendor area and tried them out. LOVED them! They were soft, but loaded with pigment. The colors blended  together beautifully. Beautiful to use. Even though they cost more, these crayons were worth it to me.
So I have used the Prang crayons for over 15 years now. When the ProSoy Crayon went out of production, I was miserable! What will I buy to use in my art classes now? Those were the best crayons...
I bought up all of the ProSoy crayons I could find in a local art supply company warehouse and also on ebay. I was soon forced to use the Prang regular line of crayons. They are good, and they tell me that they have the soybean oil in them. I don't really know if that is true, but they work OK.
You are probably wondering, why not Crayola crayons? The staple from my youth and early teaching days.
I don't like them. I hate the way the wax flakes off when you color. There a little pieces of wax in the crayon container, on the table, flaked all over art projects. The colors probably blend, but then there are so many you could probably find the color you want if you look in the box. This is my little bothersome problem. I hate when that stuff happens.
I like the softer crayon and the way they blend. I like the clean crayon box, no wax flakes.I like that there are so much pigment in the crayons.  I like the short little pieces because they break easily. Better to use those pieces for rubbing and for the pinch grasp in fine motor development. I don't have to break the crayons in half when they are new!
I will continue to buy the Prang crayons for the years I have left teaching. I will always reccommend them to others. When you find something you like, you use it as long as you can.

Do I Need an iPad?

Doesn't everyone have an iPad these days? I just got my new iPad. My husband has had one for two years. Everyone seemed to have an iPad at the NAEA Conference in Fort Worth this month. Well, I guess I figured I was missing something and better find out what it was. Art rooms around the country have them for their students and classrooms everywhere are using them. Now I hope to learn what it will do for me and my teaching.

This month is March Reading Month in my school. I thought I would try out my new toy and at the same time reward those wonderful students that always finish required reading logs. Today we made claymation style videos. Kindergarten, first and second graders made little clay figures and we photographed in stop motion some kind of movement or action. I had my digital camera and second graders shot their own photos, while I worked with kindergarteners and first graders on the iPad. Instant videos from iMotion. I will have to download the digital photos in iMovie. Have to say that we all had a great time making the videos! Let's make MORE!

Scissors are Not Just for Cutting

Do you have the right type of scissors for your elementary children? For many years I didn't realize that there was such a thing as WRONG scissors! It was a revelation from the occupational therapist in my building. She congratulated me on having the right scissors for hand development in my art room! I had (and still have) Snippy brand scissors. Well, I bought them because they were CHEAP! Nice inexpensive scissors that cut pretty well got my vote. It seems those little scissors make the hand muscles work in the correct form for proper development. Imagine my surprise! I know a lot of the elementary teachers use the ones with the oval shaped finger handle. They change the shape on the hand when cutting and were not particularly good for development. The O.T. told me that if I had them, I should teach kids to turn them over with thumb in the large oval hole, middle finger in the round hole. I have had the same kind of scissors in my art room for over 15 years. I don't think I have spent as much in replacement scissors as I would have if buying those expensive scissors just one time. Now there are LEFTY scissors by Snippy! I know that the regular ones are supposed to cut for both hands, but imagine having scissors you can use, no matter which is your dominant hand!

Standards Based Assessments

Last week I was at the National Art Education Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. I went to as many sessions as I could about standards based assessment. There are many art teachers out there using standards for their assessments, and the goal is to document growth. In early childhood everything we do with children is about growth. Oh the places we go and the things they are learning! It is amazing what these little people  learn.  Everything I teach is based on the art standards.  Those are important, but more important  are the experiences in art class, working on skills and problem solving. I have been having discussions with my administrator on giving a grade for student work in first and second grade based on standards. I am afraid it will take me a lot of convincing to accept this whole graded report card concept for little kids.

Teaching the Parents!

Developing skills in kindergarten is a lot of work. Parents really can do these things with their kids at home, but often just don't spend time with them on writing, cutting or even coloring. Part of my goal with the assessment for kindergarten students is in art class is to inform parents what their child should be able to do at the end of kindergarten and things they can work on at home to improve skills.
I give students their tasks, which usually has a tracing and cutting job, and then when I use the checklist attached, parents can easily see what skills are secure and what needs more practice. Also included is a list of activities that they can work on at home. I hope that parents will make greater effort to work with their children if they know what things they can do that will help.

What to do with those Kindergarteners?!

For some art teachers, kindergarten classes can be amazing, scary, frustrating, messy and more! I just love my kindergarten classes and enjoy sharing the magic of art with the. Little do they know we are developing skills that will help them through the most important years of school - Elementary School!
So what do you do with the kindergarten kids? I have worked closely with the occupational therapists in my school over the years because their room is in the back of the art room. They would pass through and I would ask questions. Why is this kid holding the pencil in a crazy way? What  can we do to work on the fine motor development? Many things I did not know about, and was never taught or trained. The important developmental skills that children need for work in school can be practiced by making art!
Carolyn