A light turned on this year. I have always tried to make the art be more provocation based, full of opportunity for the children to own the process, rather than planning gorgeous projects that reflect my thinking process rather than theirs. A new understanding grew in these last few months of the school year, and I thank the children for taking me there..
This year we had 10 weeks of “You Plan it You Make It” with the 1st grade artists. They loved it. The concept behind this project is that children keep a folder of their ideas and list the materials necessary to make them. When they arrive at class the materials are out on the tables, and the children set to work. Every other class, I take a moment at meeting to show another possibility, just in case a child wants to learn something new or is stuck, which is rare. I might introduce a new material, like clay, or show a new technique, like slab building. I keep the lessons very short to respect the children’s time in the studio. In the “You Plan It, You Make It” unit, children have created chess sets, dresses, pillows, paintings, salsa and chip bowls, Altoid box dioramas, hockey games—just to name a few things.
The children talk about how hard the unit is because they have to “figure out what to do and use,” but it’s their favorite time. This spring they returned to the art room at recess and after school to continue working. So many wanted to come back, I had to set a maximum of 20 students!