Weeks of 9/15/25 and 9/22/25 - First rotation with UTK, Kinders and 1st grade

 It was so wonderful to see the littles for art five weeks after school started! We typically wait for a few weeks to have them come for art, so they have the time to get settled at school. I like to take my time introducing myself, sharing class expectations and how to take turns/ sharing supplies provided.

I read the book Art by Patrick McDonnell - this is a great book to read to four-year-olds during the first class. It has vocabulary that introduces students to line names, what art looks like to a young child and how the mom validates the main character's art making process by hanging up works on the refrigerator.

Students used paint sticks to create marks on watercolor paper and added watercolor to complete their works.

I read the story Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman to kinders and 1st graders. We practiced naming and drawing several lines with pencil. Once done, kinders created lines on watercolor paper using pencil first, outlining them with a chisel tip black Sharpie marker and used watercolors in the background to complete their work.

1st graders also worked on a similar process as kinders but also focused on the thickness of lines. They repeated certain lines to make them thick and extra thick to learn how varying the thickness can make their work look unique and add interest.

During week 2, UTK students created works inspired by the book, I'm NOT just a scribble by Diane Albers. We practiced and created a variety of lines as a border, created a scribble and added eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth and ears to complete our work.

Inspired by the book, Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley, kinders practiced combining a variety of lines to create patterns and used them to create monsters.

1st graders created silly self-portraits by combining shapes in neon colors and adding line patterns. This was inspired by the book It's OK to be different by Todd Parr.