The kindergarten thread about "projects" got me thinking about some lessons
with which my kindergarten artists have been successful. As I've said
before, I'm really a frustrated high school art teacher (LOL) who virtually
takes many lessons for older students and adapts them for younger ones. IMO,
it's not as much the subject matter, as it is the presentation- how ones
breaks it down so the lesson becomes age appropriate. This might seem too
sophisticated, but honest, 4-5 year olds can do this and understand the
concept!
Centered Around Cezanne
Materials: manilla tagboard, wallpaper samples or pieces of fabric,
construction paper in shades of brown and gold for the baskets and assorted
large pieces for the background, glue, Craypas, or other oil pastels, REAL
pieces of fruit.
Time: 3-4 40 min. sessions
Session 1 &2:
I begin by showing my students a typical Cezanne still life with fruit.
Discuss the subject matter by having them identify what they see in the
picture. Elicit from them that not only is the fruit in the basket, but some
has spilled onto the table. Note: This is Composition 101..LOL.. They are
learning that an artist can place things in his paintings anyway he/she wants
and not always the way it "should" look, as in "neatly in the basket". I
explain what a still life is and it becomes the vocab word of the day.
Next, (and this is sooo much fun when the little ones discover) hide an apple
behind your back. Find one that is more than just red. Ask what color the
apple is. I've never had one child NOT say red. But, lo and behold, and I'm
so animated with this, I could be up for an Academy Award, I present a red
apple for them to examine and they discover many colors in the skin!
Continue with other fruit and allow them to SEE. I explain that an artist
must really see and not just look. Go back to the fruit in the painting and
let them discover how Cezanne saw all the colors of the fruit and painted
them that way.
Cut out shapes of fruit from manilla tagboard, or give them stencils to cut
their own. They will need to use oil pastels to color and blend. Older
grades can draw and cut their own shapes. Next, place a piece of fruit in
the middle of each table. I rotate the fruit as they finish. The goal is to
allow them to really study the colors and to color in the tagboard shapes
accordingly. I demo first how to blend the oil pastels with a tissue.
Session 3-4: I make stencils of all shapes of baskets. The kinders trace and
cut these out. I give the more advanced kids the more difficult cutting
(handles on the baskets). Older grades can draw and cut out their own.
Next, I show examples of real baskets and they note the weaving. We discuss
how the reeds of the basket are vertical, horizonal, or diagonal (great
vocab) and how they cross over-under. With craypas, they draw a pattern on
their baskets. Distribute pieces of wallpaper or fabric for the tablecloth,
which the children glue down. On that they glue down the basket. Stress that
the basket should only be glued on the bottom, so that the fruit can be glued
down inside the top of the basket. I also remind them that as artists they
can decide how and where the fruit will be arranged and many include fruit on
the "tablecloth".
Painting a background, or drawing a pattern for the background in craypas, is
another option. Do this before you glue everything down.
Hope someone can use this lesson.
Susan on Long Island
