Art Appreciation in
the Early Childhood
Classroom
Natalie M. Kane
Professional Development
February 10, 2010
NOTE: The following pages are from a presentation by Natalie Kane at the 4/12/2010 REACH
PTO Meeting.
Material here is by Natalie Kane, thanks to Natalie for providing these slides. You may use for
personal use. Please contact the author with questions or for permission to use.
Outline for Presentation
„ Review of Curriculum Objectives and
Stages of Art Development
„ Art Appreciation by Discovering
Famous Artists
„ Art Appreciation by Discovering
Famous Illustrators
„ Cross-Curricular Information
„ Time to Explore Materials
Stages of Art Development
Taken Directly from the Rockwood Early Childhood Curriculum
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Manipulation Stage
– Explores and manipulates using a variety of media
– Creates scribble drawings and models
Symbolization stage
– Assigns meaning to drawings and models
Experimentation stage
– Combines self selected shapes, materials, colors, textures, to
expand and elaborate drawings and models
Representation stage
– Plans and creates drawings/models with purpose
– Uses self-selected materials to create own models
– Responds to others when asked to tell about an art project
Art Appreciation by Discovering
Famous Artists
All lesson plans adapted from Discovering Great Artists by MaryAnn Kohl and Kim Solga
Art Appreciation Lesson Plans for the
Manipulation Stage
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Texture Paints
– In the Style of Berthe Morisot
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One Color Painting
– In the Style of Pablo Picasso
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Action Splatter
– In the Style of Jackson
Pollock
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Lie-Down Painting
– In the Style of Michelangelo
Texture Paints
In the style of Berthe Morisot
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Add texture materials like
salt, white flour, glitter,
sawdust or sand to tempra
paint.
Allow children to paint with
texture paints and talk
about the different
textures
For older children, discuss
which textures work better
for different pictures.
“What texture would you
use to paint the sky?”…as
opposed to the grass.
Action Splatter
In the Style ofJackson Pollock
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Place a large piece of
paper inside a box with
the opening facing the
artist.
Provide various colors of
tempra paint for the
artist to dip.
Have the artist put the
paint brush in the box
and shake and fling the
brush to create a splatter
affect.
One Color Painting
In the Style of Pablo Picasso
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Start with one color in
a few jars. Add tiny
bits of other colors to
change the shade of
the main color.
Once colors have
been mixed the children
can paint something
using different shades
of one color.
Lie-Down Painting
In the Style of Michelangelo
„ Put a large sheet of
bulletin board paper
on the underside of
the table.
„ Lay under the table
and “paint the
ceiling.”
Lie-Down Painting
Art Appreciation Lesson Plans for
the Symbolization Stage
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Standing Mobile
– In the Style of Alexander
Calder
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Painting Music
– In the Style of Wassily
Kandinsky
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Muse of Chance Collage
– In the Style of Hans Arp
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Carving Clay
– In the Style of Auguste
Rodin
Standing Mobile
In the Style of Alexander Calder
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Assist children in putting long
strings of wire into a styrofoam
packing block.
Children can then add beads,
tape, paper, and add other items
to the block.
Set by an open window for
observations.
Ask the children “why are you
adding this?” as they add things
to the foam.
Make sure to lay out materials
that will NOT work in the foam
as well. This helps children think
about what they will put in their
mobile.
Painting Music
In the Style of Wassily Kandinsky
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Choose familiar classical
music and just listen to it
for a few minutes.
After listening, ask the
children to “paint what they
hear”. You can also use
markers, crayons, or
colored pencils.
Discuss things like fast
and slow, loud and soft in
reference to the painting.
“Muse of Chance” Collage
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In the Style of Hans Arp
Have the children tear
construction paper into
chunks. (This can be done in
the sensory table prior the art
project).
Place a large piece of paper
on the floor.
Have the children stand
above or to the side of the
paper and drop construction
paper one piece at a time.
A friend (or the teacher)
glues the construction paper
down where it lands.
Continue until the artist is
satisfied with the outcome.
This is a great way to use
scrap paper, junk mail, and
newspaper.
Carving Clay
In the Style of Auguste Rodin
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Show children pictures
of sculptures by Rodin.
Give the children a lump
of clay and allow for
exploration.
Have the children tell
you what they will carve
and provide wire loop
carving tools
(instructions in attached
lesson plans).
This can be adapted
with model magic or
softer pottery clay.
Art Appreciation Lesson Plans for
the Experimentation Stage
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Lots of Me
– In the Style of Andy
Warhol
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ABC Photography
– In the Style of Margaret
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Bourke-White
Fractured Friend
– In the Style of Pablo
Picasso
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Mixed Media Lines
– In the Style of Joseph
Stella
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Straight Line Design
– In the Style of Piet
Mondrian
Lots of Me
In the style of Andy Warhol
Take picture of the kiddos,
print and copy on the copy
machine in BW.
„ Allow the children to use
various markers to color the
pictures. Encourage a more
non-conformist approach to
color. Purple faces are
welcome!!!
„ You can also put 4 or more of
the same picture on one page
and have the children color
each picture with different
colors.
„ Add a social aspect to this
and have the children color a
friend’s picture.
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ABC Photography
In the style of Margaret Bourke-White
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Read the story Alphabet City:
A story that identifies letters all
around us.
Ask the artist what word they
would like to find. Have them
identify the letters they will need.
Maybe make a list.
Take a walk with the digital
camera and take pictures of
letters. This is a great time to let
the children take the pictures and
integrate some technology.
The teacher can print the
pictures out and the artist can
arrange and glue onto poster
board or paper.
A variation on this is for the
teacher to take all the pictures,
print them out, and put out on the
table for the children to arrange.
Fractured Friend –
In the style of Pablo Picasso
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Print out pictures of the
children’s faces in BW.
The teacher or the children
can cut the pictures into
”puzzle pieces” or chunks.
Children can arrange and glue
the pieces to create Picassolike portraits.
Children can also take the
pictures of their friends
themselves.
For very advanced students,
have them sketch themselves
or a friend, and then fracture
the picture.
Mixed Media Lines
In the style of Joseph Stella
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Have the artist make a dot
anywhere on a white paper.
Give a straight-edge to
make lines from the dot to
the edge of the paper
creating “pie pieces.”
Start by having the artist
color each section in with a
different color.
Extend to include various
media in each section
including paint, watercolor,
chalk, marker, crayon.
Straight Line Design
In the style of Piet Mondrian
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Pre-cut black strips (or
have the children cut) that
will fit length ways and
cross-ways on a piece of
white paper.
Have the artist glue the
black strips down to create
a grid.
Allow the artist to use
various color media to fill in
some or all of the squares
created.
Art Appreciation Lesson Plans for
the Representational Stage
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Event Poster
– In the Style of ToulouseLautrec
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Artist’s Studio
– In the Style of Edouard
Vuillard
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Pointillist Color Cards
– In the Style of Georges
Seurat
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Special Self-Portrait
– In the Style of Frida Kahlo
Event Poster
In the style of Toulouse-Lautrec
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Have the children brainstorm a
special event to advertise (this
can coincide with a pretend unit).
Encourage the children to plan
what they would like to put on
their poster. Children could
create rough-drafts first on small
paper in Art.
Tape a large piece of butcher
paper to the wall or table.
Have the children paint/draw all
the things they would like to
include in their special event
poster.
Make sure to refer children to
Toulouse-Lautrec’s work and
their rough drafts to reiterate the
“planning” process.
Artist’s Studio
In the style of Edouard Vuillard
Set up an area in your
classroom with various paints,
aprons, easel, various papers,
and beret.
„ Set this up from a vantage
point to view the entire
classroom (if possible). Also
include a chair or small table
for painting still-lives.
„ Pre-teach at small group stilllives and creating portraits of
friends.
„ Encourage children to visit
the artist studio with friends
to paint portraits or change
out a still life every few days.
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Pointillist Color Cards
In the style of Georges Seurat
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Pointillism – painting with dots
Pour paints into muffin tins or
egg cartons.
Have the children plan what
they will paint. This can be
done verbally or have them
draw it first.
Offer q-tips to create dots
when painting.
Facilitate conversations
about the color mixing when
dots touch, what their picture
is of, and refer children back
to their original plan.
Special Self-Portrait
In the style of Frida Kahlo
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Set up a prop box
containing things that
children can hold or
wear while they are
getting the portrait
painted or drawn.
Encourage
sketching with pencil
and then coloring in
with crayons, chalk,
or colored pencils.
Art Appreciation by Discovering
Famous Illustrators
„ Crockett Johnson
„ Leo Lionni
„ Lois Ehlert
„ Jan Brett
Crockett Johnson
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Uses simple pencil
(crayon) drawings to
create illustrations.
This type of
illustration lends itself
well to the introduction
of play plans as you
are developing
representation
Uses 3 lines: straight,
curvy, and zigzag.
Leo Lionni
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Uses simple media to
create illustrations
(crayons, colored pencils,
watercolors, etc).
Great for beginning of the
year as you are slowly
introducing art materials
His stories have a social
skills angle for crosscurricular planning.
Leo Lionni Art
Lois Ehlert
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Uses simple shapes and a
variety of colors to create
illustrations.
Great for assessing colors
and shapes.
Simple illustrations to
mimic.
Stories are simple and
easily retell-able and lend
themselves well to
beginning buddy reading.
Jan Brett
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Uses borders and a
“frame” effect in her
illustrations.
Most stories have to do
with cold weather…great
time of the school year to
focus on this idea when
representation is getting
stronger and children are
ready to add details.
Cross-Curricular Links
Creating a Pretend Theme – Art Gallery
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Start building slowly by planning small groups with specific
art activities.
Have children begin selecting their “best work” to hang in
the gallery (self-assessment component).
Roles: Ticket clerk, tour guide, gallery visitor (customer),
etc.
Art Gallery
Extension to other centers
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Art: Artists to create art to put in the gallery and make
props for pretend
Library: Supplement Library with art picture books, a
place where children can go to “plan” before creating art
work. Can actually be turned into a working library.
(Incorporate lots of books from author studies for other
potential art models).
Discovery: Make art lotto games, matching games with
famous artwork you have been studying, link math objectives
with art themed games. Discovery could also become a
store to buy the art supplies that children need.
Blocks: Create a sculpture or structure gallery. Discuss
3-D art and display in blocks. Children can build 3-D
structures as well.
Thanks for listening…now go inspire
great artists!!!!