Kindergarten students are exploring a little more in depth the Primary and Secondary Colors. Last week the students experimented with finger paints by mixing tche colors on their own. This week we started another project that uses both sets of these colors. First we did a little science project (pictured here in the gallery). I started with the primary colors in water. The students were then told to guess (or hopefully at this point know) which color would come of mixing 2 of the primaries. We started with yellow and red. I poured a little bit of yellow into another clear bowl and added some red water. We of course got orange! Then we poured some yellow into another clear bowl and added some blue! We of course got green and then last but not least we poured some red into a clear bowl and then added some blue and voila! We got purple! This was so intriguing to the students that they actually started cheering with "ooooohhh's" and "ahhhhh's" when each color was changed like magic. Then I had some students ask what would happen if we mixed all 3! And of course we experimented and got brown. The students were then given a white piece of paper and a black crayon. They were told to trace their hands with this black crayon as many times as it would fit on the paper. They then were given the primary colors to color in their handprints. Next the students filled their backgrounds with the secondary colors to create a finished piece of artwork made from their very own hands. Pun intended ;-) .

Learning objectives: Color theory, fine motor skills, listening to guided instruction. 

ART WORDS:
Primary Colors: red, yellow and blue.
Secondary Colors: purple, green and orange. 
Tracing: to copy or outline a line or image.

Kindergarteners have moved onto color in their exploration of the elements and principals of design. In class we read "White Rabbit's Color Book", by Alan Baker. In this book the furry white rabbit jumps into different buckets of colors and when he mixes 2 of them, he turns into another color. We also explored color mixing by using color paddles. We did an experiment and tried to guess which color would appear when mixing two of the primary colors. We learned that the primary colors are very important because we cannot make these colors, they must be store bought and of course that we can make any other color using just these 3. (red, yellow and blue) Then it was time to get messy! The students were given a handout with circles pre-drawn on them. This handout will eventually be a page in their art books that they take home at the end of the year. Using finger paints, we did some color math to get our secondary colors. We dipped one finger into the red and one finger into the yellow. We discovered that by mixing those 2 colors we got orange! red + yellow+ orange. Then we dipped our fingers into the red and blue and rubbed them together we got purple! red+blue=purple. Lastly we dipped our fingers into yellow and blue and got green! yellow+blue=green! The students had a great time using the messy finger paints and we even had some extra time to explore even more on a  big piece of paper. Using the rest of the paint we mixed all the colors on a piece of paper with both of our hands and got brown! 

Learning Objectives: Listening to guided instruction and color theory. 

ART WORDS:
Primary colors: Red, Yellow and Blue. These colors are very important because we cannot make them and need to buy them at the store. Using these 3 colors we can make any other color on the color wheel!
Secondary colors: Purple, Orange and Green. These are the colors we get when we mix 2 of the primary colors.  

One of the first lessons I always introduce to students is line. Line is one of the most important Elements of design because we ALWAYS use them. I think it is really important for students of this age to understand what types of marks they are using when drawing. In this lesson, students are first introduced to the 3 straight lines. (Vertical, Horizontal and Diagonal) We then play the line game and create these straight lines using our bodies! After the students understand the difference between these 3 lines we look for them around the room. (They were SO good at this! I was pleasantly surprised!) They found them in the lights, on the desks, chairs, floor and many other places that I honestly never really thought about myself. Then we got down to business!! Each student was given a paper that was divided into 8 different squares. In a guided drawing, the students drew multiple of the same lines in each box. This also helps me to see where each student is as far as ability to listen to guided instruction and fine motor skills. After the students drew with pencil all the different lines they were told (including curved lines), they traced these lines with different color oil pastels. By the next class, they will add paint to each square with a different color for each, over the lines they had drawn. The result is a colorful piece of abstract art!

Learning Objectives: the understanding of how to draw a line and the name of each. 
Fine motor skills (drawing different lines inside a confined box)
Techniques in using watercolor paints (water, paint , paper!) and oil pastels. 

ART WORDS:
Vertical Line: a straight line that goes up and down.
Horizontal Line: a straight line that goes across from side to side.
Diagonal: a straight line that is slanted. 

Kindergarten is now working on the covers of their "art books". The covers will display a drawing they have created of themselves or in art terms a self portrait. We began with just a large circle, added the neck and shoulders and the students were guided through the rest of the facial features. The students are reminded that they are drawing themselves and not the generic version of a face. Everyone has different features and here is where I try to get them to think about certain aspects of themselves like the shapes of their eyes or the color or style of their hair. This is such a great opening project because we get to see how each student perceives themselves without looking in a mirror. And of course they're the artists of their art books so why not see their faces on the cover instead of the inside back cover like most books? 

Inside the art books will be all sorts of great goodies that they will learn like line, shape, form, color, texture and space all in one place for them to refer to throughout the year and to be utilized to be ready for 1st grade! They will also use their art books during "free-draw" time, when a student has completed a project ahead of the class to draw in.

Learning objectives: proper use of materials, correct technique of a portrait, listening to guided instruction. 

CLICK ON THE GALLERY IMAGES TO SEE SOME OF THESE WORKS IN PROGRESS!