Cloud art!
When it comes to art, I believe in giving children the materials and letting them do their thing. This is especially true if an art project also happens to be related to the project that we’ve been working on because I want them to have the opportunity to express their own understanding of the topic.
I try to anticipate the materials that they will want, and I will often ask them to help me create a list a couple of days before we do the project so that I can make sure I have the items that they want or need. Here are some of the things that I collected for cloud creations:
- Multiple colors of blue card stock
- Photos of different types of clouds (for the children to reference) – you could use the photos that the children took, like I talked about in yesterday’s post.
- Kleenex
- Toilet paper
- Gauze
- Netting
- Tissue paper
- Cotton batting
You could also include:
- Cotton balls
- Cotton rounds
- White paint
- White crayons or colored pencils
- Packing peanuts
- White plastic grocery bags
It is always interesting to watch the children engage in projects like this because their processes are so different. Some will look at the photos and go through the materials as they plan their artwork, while others will dig right in, creating the images that they see in their mind and adding additional details as they remember them. I can guarantee that each child’s project will look different, and this is valuable because then they can share them with each other and learn from each other’s perspectives.
Have you done similar invitations to create with your students? What works well for you?
