Early Childhood Resources- Art Center

Goals:

1. Use words to describe natural textures (language through art)

2. Express feelings about natural textures through art (social/emotional)

3. Smell different parts of a tree 4. Practice fine motor skills

Part 1 – Paint with tree-textured paint

• Add textures to your paint. Look for natural textures (dried, crumbled leaves, coffee grounds, sawdust, cinnamon) to add to the paint.

• Use the tempera paint you have in your classroom.

• For this workshop, I gathered the paints I had available at home.

• For the textures, I just started saving and gathering things around the house.

Part 2 – Write with cinnamon sticks

• Use cinnamon sticks to draw on sandpaper. (The sandpaper is the fine, black sandpaper found precut and stored in a plastic bag.)

• How does it smell? How does it feel?

• Think about motivating reluctant writers through this center.

Part 3 – Paint with evergreen brushes

• Dip small branches or needles tied in a bundle and taped into paint.

• Experiment using one pine needle, then a bunch.

• You can also press sprigs onto a paint pad (made with a folded paper towel in a plate and thinned paint on the towel) and make prints on paper. Have you ever noticed that children who exhibit challenging behaviors often have difficulty performing fine motor tasks?

Materials:

• Paint

• Paint brushes

• “Textures” (sawdust, dried leaves, coffee grounds, tea, etc.)

• Paper plates for paint trays

• Napkins or paper towels

• Art Paper

• Cinnamon sticks

• Sandpaper pieces

• Pine needles

• Tape

• String