Dot Day

It was Dot Day in Kindergarten today!

If you aren't familiar with books by Peter J. Reynolds, please be sure to check them out at the library.  I'm a huge fan of his work and the mission he has to help children. Here is a great video with Peter that we watched in class, which also helped inspire our Dot Day work.  Here is the You Tube video of the book. 

And now, onto our Dot Day work...

This was our first experience with tempera paints in the classroom.

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Peter Reynolds talks about mixing his colors, so we practiced mixing our colors as well.

For many kids, this might be a first experience with BIG messy projects like this.  The kids did a GREAT job!

I loved the different interpretations of what great "dot art" might be and we really focused on the way Peter Reynolds encouraged us and showed us that even a little dot can make beautiful art work.  All we have to do is give it a try!

The kids loved experimenting with paints and this was a great opportunity for me to introduce this art material in the class.  It also set the foundation that we all have unique types of art and one piece isn't better than another.

Here is the Dot Day song, if you are interested.  The official Dot Day is on September 15th, but Peter Reynolds says it's on September 15th-ish.  You'll just have to read his book called Ish to find out all about that idea!

Happy reading and painting!

Sky Color

Have you seen this book?  I love Sky Color, by Peter H. Reynolds.  All of his books are inspiring and speak to creativity.  We read this book in  kindergarten  last week and started really looking at the sky.

Winter, in the Pacific Northwest, does not always lend itself to a sky study.  We check the weather every day and, just about every day, it's gray with water falling from the sky.  It's a dreary place in the winter, so we turned to photographs for inspiration.

We talked about all of the different colors we see in the sky and then looked specifically at winter sky scenes.  Then we broke out the watercolors. 

Most kids stayed in the cool blues and purples, but a few wanted to add their own touch.  Who am I to say a sky can't be green?  I think Peter Reynolds would be proud.  In Seattle we call this Seahawks Sky Color.

Photos of the finished art project are coming soon!  Happy painting!

A Beautiful Mess

We had a painting kind of day on Friday and that is my favorite kind of day in kindergarten.  I love creating a beautiful mess.  I realize that many parents cringe at the idea of painting at home.  I know, it's messy, clean up is horrible, and it can create more stress than it's worth sometimes.  Well, I will happily create messes in my classroom and take on a bit of that chaos for you.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you shouldn't paint at home.  It was truly one of my favorite activities with my kids when they were younger.  Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks for painting at home with kids:

*Buy a vinyl table cloth at the dollar store and cover your table with it each time you paint.  It won't matter if the kids spill, makes clean up faster, and protects your table.  It will be the best dollar you have ever spent.

*Have a paint box and fill it with water color paints, finger paints, and washable tempra paints.  These are the three easiest to clean.

*Save small jars to store brushes in and use as a water jar.  Having a designated jar for washing brushes is a must.

*Always have baby wipes in your house.  Even if your kids are past the stage of needing wipes, they work perfectly for wiping paint off of hands and wiping a glob of paint off of the floor.

*Paint with your kids.  I always found that my kids focused longer on their piece of art if I was focusing on my piece of art at the same time.  (No, I don't really consider myself an artist, but I tell the kids that we are ALL artists and just need to keep practicing our different forms of art.)

In kindergarten, we create a beautiful mess each and every time we break the paints out.  The kids need this time to explore and let their creativity shine.  I would encourage you to try a few painting days out at home too.  I hope you will see what a beautiful mess you and your child can create together.

Happy painting!