Finger Painting Flower Love!

20130920_095134_resizedWhen I first started teaching I knew I wanted to have children make things that would be keep-able and not thrown away. At first, I would take nine weeks to do one project. Also, I was a little overwhelmed on how to accomplish my plan to have the children make beautiful work. I wondered if I would be able to come up with enough projects.

Well, with a lot prayer and gleaning from the input the children offered, teaching has become such a joy. I love investing in the lives of these precious little ones and learning from their honest responses. Many times, when I was not sure how to break something down to their level, a child would comment with the most helpful explanation. I realized if I allowed them to be involved in the teaching process, I would be able to know that they are learning something and become a better teacher in the process.

I am in my eighth year of teaching Art 1 with this local home school group and love it! I have not had to repeat any projects. Since there are several siblings that come through my classes, I am glad I can offer a variety of artwork to bless the walls of all the family homes represented in my classes.

We are able to work on 3 to 4 art designs in the 9-week time frame. Most recently, the student worked on a painting (Hedgerows (Kaleidoscopic) II) inspired by artist, Yvonne Coomber, www.yvonnecoomber.com).

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Also, during this project we were incorporating the element of shape called the “dot”. I gave each student an 11×14 canvas. They were able to decide on a background color of yellow or blue (while teaching I ask the students if they knew art terms (background, shape, etc).  This gave them an opportunity to share in class.  If no one answered, I would break it down for them to understand (background: What is the furtherest object in the painting that we would need to paint first?).

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With each new element added to the painting, I demonstrate and explain what I am doing and how to place the item onto the canvas. For this projects, the students were given the option to use a stencil brush or “one” finger to paint their flowers (emphasis on “ONE” or else the kids would have both hands covered in paint and paint on everything).

Most students wanted to use their finger so I am glad I adventured down that path…but with clear instructions!

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As you can see their work is so happy and just beautiful! Made to brighten any wall with a little cheer! Plus, they kids had fun learning and creating these masterpieces!

Michelle ♥

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