This is “P” week in kindergarten. We have a new letter each week and we practice recognizing it, saying its sound, writing words with it, etc. So…for art I cut out the parts for a pink pig. Each child got a big (paper plate size) circle, a slightly smaller circle, an oval with nostrils, two ears, four legs, and a curly tail. Instructions: assemble a pink pig from the parts, draw eyes and a mouth, write your name on the back, and then color it any way you want.
And before you ask- no, I don’t always pre-cut art projects. Sometimes my students have to color-cut-glue (our mantra) something printed. Sometimes they have to draw something or paint something of their own. Sometimes they tear paper and make collages. I’m an art minor so don’t try to send any grief my way about pre-cut children’s art. Variety is the spice of life. Besides, in this case I also want to know if they know what a pig looks like and where all of its parts should be.
Okay, back to the project. If you think for one minute that ANY TWO of the pigs look remotely alike you have been away from elementary children way too long. LOL We have pigs that look like they are facing directly at you, some with heads turned to the left and some to the right. Some heads are behind the edge of the body and some are on top. Some have big eyes, some little ones. Some ears stick up and some flap down. Some have four legs jammed in the middle of their body, while others clearly have two in the front and two in the back. Some have purple polka-dots and others have brown splotches. Thankfully all have the head on one end and the tail on the other.
I love children’s art! It communicates the personality and skill of each child better than almost any other medium. Shown below are apple trees made by some of my students during another year. They made them from torn pieces of paper. I could write two pages on what these simple trees tell me, but I think you can probably conclude that each child has a very different understanding of the concept of “apple tree”.
We spend a lot of time on phonics, reading, math, science, social studies, and writing. However, each week we also squeeze in some art and music. The state requires that we teach a well-rounded curriculum and Mrs. Maurer requires that we have some fun! In addition to making our pink pigs this week we also read about a pig on a picnic, and a pig in a pen who loses a hen. We made paper pizzas and counted pennies. That’s my world-it’s a wonder I can carry on a conversation with anyone taller than four feet.