Kinder collage

      Seeing as students in Kindergarten often know the shape they want to make YET cannot make it yet, I always begin my collage unit using pre-cut shapes. Pre-cut shapes allows students to work with shapes, connect shapes and make "things" without the added frustration of making the shape you want but can't quite cut. Kindergarteners are notorious for having a meltdown if they can't cut a perfect circle. Not like experiencing frustration is all that bad, yet, when you have 35 minutes, 24 kindergarteners you have to plan strategically. Each table gets a tray of pre-cut shapes. Diamonds, squares, circles, long rectangles, triangles of all types, semi-circles....

Seeing as art tables are large for little bodies, I empty the tray onto the center and make sure all students have access to the materials. Yes, each child has a scissor and two kids each share a glue cup. 



By placing a glue cup, diagonally, one on each side all 4 kids get access. 

telling stories through collage

Fourth-grade planning their narrative paintings

Storytelling Class Update

For the afternoon storytelling class (Fridays for 20 K and 1st graders) we have been creating props for the story Three Little Pigs. Children practiced various emotions that each character felt at different parts of the story while sitting in a circle. Some kids made teeth for the wolf using rolled tape, some kids rolled paper for the 'hair' and glued them on. This coming Friday kids will take turns playing each part and being the audience.

Note: I will also be ordering some finger puppets and table puppet theaters for future classes.

Storytelling using drawings

Children in prek have been learning about using drawing to tell stories. I demonstrated a story through pictures on my Elmo projector, the kids then chose a familiar story to illustrate to illustrate. Each work was just as rich and full of detail as the one you see below. Can you guess who is the troll in this image?

First Day of Storytelling Class

The first day of storytelling class was wonderful. Kids got a chance to get to know each other's names after snack with a quick movement activity. Ms. Cutelis told a lively story of the 3 little pigs. For the activity, children got to paint the giant box masks and red bricks we will be using in the next few weeks as props and to play out the parts.

If you have questions about the fee for the class, or pickup please click here. A reminder to all parents, if class fee is not paid in full by March 4th the space goes to a child on the waiting list by week 3, so please do not forget to send in the 30$ snack and supplies fee for the 10-week class.

Storytelling class-Details

I have had several parents email me with questions about the after school storytelling class, here is some more detail.

* I will be picking up all kids from their classes at 3:15-3:25pm

* Children will be offered healthy snacks to eat before the class begins. Kids are welcome to bring their own snacks, as long as no peanuts are brought to the art room.
* Children will be expected to pay a fee of $30/per child for the whole class in the form of cash or check (Miriam Cutelis). You may also have the option of dropping off the check at pick up time or placing it in my box in the office. If the class has not been paid in full by March 4th your space will be given to a child on our waiting list for the following week.
* Xday kids will be picked up by xday as they were in the last session, at 4:30 from the main building steps by Ms. Kelly.
* Ms. Cutelis will wait for parents until 4:40pm and whoever is leftover will be taken back to the art room as I clean up the room and get ready to go home. If late, you must text me at 516-225-3403 and come up to the art room to pick up your child.
* If someone else beside you is picking up your child please email me/text me with this information before pickup.
* The dates for the class are:

n1. Feb 25

n2. march 4th

n3. march 11th

n4. april 1st

n5. april 8

n6. april 29

n7. may 6

n8. may 13

n9 may 20

n10 may 27

The Gift of Storytelling and Puppetry

Puppets allow children to tell and retell a story and while doing it allowing them to essentially 'play' with pieces of the story. Here are pictures of the kids in 3rd grade telling the myth of Persephone. The main story remained unchanged, yet I taught the kids ways to get creative in their retelling by adding humor, and changing some basic aspects of the way the story was originally presented.

Storytelling, drama and acting allow children to experience the emotions. In retelling the story in their own way, their own words children learn about composition and how each aspect of a story is a 'moving' part that could be manipulated at the creator's will. Doing more storytelling, drama and acting allow kids to improve their own storytelling abilities for they see the huge part emotions and gestures play in the telling of the story.
Children who are normally shy amongst their peers suddenly come alive. In their mind, the puppet is speaking; not themselves. Acting and playing another person's role unleashes us from the bounds we normally place on ourselves when shy.
In order to create a play, one must first envision it in the mind. Here Zeus and Hermes float in a 'cloud' above 'frozen' Earth.
Here the characters are in the 'Underworld'
One of the 3rd grade classes is on their way to writing a modernized version of this story to tell their younger peers. We will begin this week. Keep checking for updates.

I must thank fellow blogger and now far away friend, Sally Haughey from Fairy Dust Teaching for making me believe in the power of stories and narrative for teaching. Every parent of a young child should check out this blog......Amazing work!

Update on After School Art Series

The next art series which will NOT begin until Mid-March of 2011 (not January as posted in the newsletter) will be all about storytelling and making simple stories come alive through acting and puppetry and general play-based-performances (Open to Kindergarten and 1^st graders). Registration for that will not be available until about mid-February and it will be online registration only. In order to be fair to all families who have not yet had a chance to participate in the after school art program it will again be purely through a system of 'first-come-first-served' basis. So please sign up (look to your left) to get e-mail reminders whenever I post on the art blog so that you get the news the minute it’s posted in February. I wish I could close myself and serve the entire community, but 20 slots per session, once a week for the whole year is all I can offer right now while my kiddies are young.

A note to all parents who want their kids in the next after school art session that begins Mid-March 2011. I have been receiving dozens of requests for space reservations for the next afterschool art program in March 2011. Although I feel incredibly humbled and deeply honored to see such interest in me and my programs, I am not able to reserve any spots at this time. I would like to keep this program open to as many families as possible and I believe that keeping it a truly democratic process is the only way to approach the process. I am working on coming up with some 1-time unique workshops for the near future as well as setting up possible for-profit art intensives for this summer. The best way to be informed of such opportunities is to sign up through my blog to get e-mail updates everytime I post.