Kindergarten - Week 3

This week I allowed the kindergarten students to paint freely with the watercolor paints. The lesson for the week was 'How to take care of paints'. This might seem like an overly simple lesson, especially if you are one of those blessed parents who allow your children access to art supplies at home.

However, there is a growing number of households who simply do not allow little children to get a hold of any markers or paint for fear of the mess that would be created. I have MANY kindergarten (and even older) students who have never touched a paintbrush before and don't know how to go about using it. It makes me sad to recall the little boy who asked me "What do I do with it?" when I handed him a paintbrush. Or the girl who wanted to know how to get the paint from the tray to the paper.

Because it is a first experience for so many, the only lesson was how to get the color onto the paper, and how to keep the colors in the trays from getting all 'yucky'. I encouraged them to use their imaginations to create the painting. I gave no suggestions, because I would end up with a classroom full of whatever I had said. Please note some of my favorite examples of kindergarten painting. There is a sunset, a soccer game, a pet(?), a tribute to the US Air Force, and a rainbow crowned campfire among others.