Week of 2/6/22 - Kolams with kinder and 1st grade

 It was great to have kinders and 1st grade this week - I started Kolam lessons with both grades.

Kolam (pronounced (KOHL.UHM) is an ancient art form that originated in India 5,000 years ago. Kolam, which means “beauty”, is a floor drawing made from white rice flour, and is used for ornamental or ceremonial design during traditional Indian festivities. The drawing consists of dots and lines that together form a meaningful design which symbolize happiness and prosperity.

The 1st grade students remembered this lesson and the Kolam installation from last year when they were in Kindergarten!

 I started class with a "hook" of a photo of people from India working on a Kolam and had students respond to what they see - it was interesting to see how they notice that people are dressed differently so this is from a different part of the world, they are painting with white paint on the ground and that the designs have several lines and shapes!

 

Kinders created dots on a 10" square white paper plate and connected them with lines to create a Kolam while 1st graders received the same plate with 2x2 dots already created on them. They had the option to connect the dots in different ways using different lines to create shapes. Both grades filled their Kolams with lines and then added color. The visual supports I created have been useful for students to look at different ideas of lines they can use and I often noticed students patiently looking at them and deciding what lines to use.

 Kinders added a red border to their Kolams while 1st graders added an orange border. I can't wait to  display these awesome Kolams during our Celebration of art event on May 11th this year!