Like every area or department at Discovery School the Art Department activities are guided by a curriculum that identifies educational standards in Visual Arts.
A curriculum “map” is developed that helps assure that classroom activities and lessons support the goals and standards of the school’s curriculum. The map ties “skills to be developed” to standards. Lessons and Activities (what kids are doing in class) are linked directly to the skills to be developed. The following is a partial list of skills that we are working on developing in Art with Nursery and Pre-K students.
Skills to Be Developed – Students will:
Demonstrate developing fine motor skills in: drawing, cutting, folding, painting, modeling, pasting/gluing, printing and stamping/printing techniques. Progress through the 3 stages of scribbling to the pre-schematic and schematic stages of drawing. Create artworks that commemorate personal events. Create artworks that represent self and others.
Create, look at, describe and respond to works of art.
Identify people who make art as artists.
Use words that describe their work and the works of others.
Art Across the Curriculum
Our young students use art making materials and techniques across the curriculum. For example, cutting and pasting a craft project to reinforce cognitive learning in pre-reading activities or to support math concepts.
Art Activity - Lesson
In the first Art lesson, this week, students will measure flour, water, and cooking oil (math concepts) to make “cloud dough”. Then they will strengthen their little fingers and hands by squishing, pinching and patting (fine motor skills) the ingredients into stiff dough. The dough will rest overnight.
The next Art lesson they will look at pictures of abstract sculptures and be introduced to the concept of sculpture. Then they will make a nice thick “cookie” out of the dough they made yesterday.
Next they will insert a long piece of uncooked spaghetti in the dough. Now they will carefully thread colorful Fruit Loop cereal “O’s” onto the spaghetti (fine motor skills). They are free to choose any color pattern they would like. Maybe we will count our “O’s” as we put them onto the “tower” (math concepts). When that spaghetti “tower” is full they can start another one until their “cookie” of dough is full of colorful towers.
They have created a colorful, abstract, edible sculpture and so much more.
Cloud Dough
1 cup vegetable oil 6 cups flour 1 cup water food coloring
Add food coloring to water. Put the flour and oil into a large bowl. Slowly add the water, stirring as you pour. Continue mixing the ingredients until a soft dough forms. Add a little more water or flour if necessary. Knead until completely blended
