Making Something Beautiful
For weeks now I have been doing some of my favorite things, namely: cutting out felt, tracing papers, sorting feathers and organizing a slew of art supplies.
All of this is being done in preparation for the Read-Aloud Programs which started on October 10th and continue through November 14th on Thursday mornings. I got to see the program in action the other day and I am so excited for the upcoming weeks and art projects!
The program begins with a story, last week it was The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola, a childhood favorite of mine.
After the story, a different part of the museum is explored with time for the children to interact with the guide and the various paintings. We discussed colors, shape, and lines last week. The children eagerly called out answers to the questions the guide posed, excitedly pointing to various parts of paintings.
After we went through a couple galleries we gathered in the classroom of the museum and began our project. In the story we read, young Tomie desperately wants to be an artist and use his 64 count crayons to create his art work. To go along with this idea, each child was given their own box of 64 count crayons to use to create their own pieces of art.
As I wandered the room watching the children draw, I was amazed and inspired by what I saw. The youngest child, excitedly made dots all over her paper, laughing with joy each time her crayon made a mark. Another child proudly announced she was: “making something beautiful” as she practiced perfecting lightning bolts across her page.
By the end of the time in the classroom there were drawings of marching robots, birthday cakes complete with glowing candles on top, self portraits and so much more. It was a great day and I encourage anyone with a young child to come to the museum on Thursdays for the Read- Aloud Program!
