Section 4: The Early Childhood Art Program

This section of your text covers the practical aspects of setting up an art area for children. It also includes basic information on two- and three-dimensional activities. The following Web Activities will allow you access to a myriad of two- and three-dimensional activities as well as equipment and supplies for these activities. Opportunities to apply your knowledge on the developmental appropriateness of these activities are also provided in these Web Activities.

Web Activities

Visit the Educators Network at http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/back2school/setup.htm for ideas on various classroom setups. Review the various set-up ideas presented.

·  Are these ideas consistent with the information presented in Section 4?

·  How useful did you find this site?

·  Would you recommend this site to other students or teachers? Why or why not?

Visit Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station at http://www.draw3d.com/mainframe.html. Try out a three-dimensional drawing yourself.

·  Was it a fun experience? Why or why not?

·  What age group/grade level is this site most appropriate for?

·  Is the approach to the two-dimensional media of drawing consistent with that in your text? Why or why not?

There are many Web sites containing art activities for children. Using the information in your text, evaluate the Web site, The Perpetual Preschool—Art Area at http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/. Click on the Art Area under Learning Center Ideas and choose a two-dimensional activity.

·  Test the activity for its ease of use and appropriate level of difficulty for the suggested age group.

·  Is this activity consistent with the information on two-dimensional activities presented in your text?

·  What are the similarities and differences?

·  What would you do to improve this particular activity?

Choose a three-dimensional activity from the same Art Area of the Perpetual Preschool at http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/.

·  Answer the same questions posed for two-dimensional activities, this time for the chosen three-dimensional activity.

On the World Wide Web, you will find many Web sites designed for children’s use. Conduct an Internet search, locating at least four reliable sites that include art activities for children. Review, compare, and contrast the information provided on each site.

·  Does the information appear to be accurate?

·  Is it developmentally appropriate?

·  Does any of the information appear to be potentially harmful to young children?

Many national professional organizations, publishers, and publications have Web sites that provide resources for teachers. Visit Arts and Activities at http://www.artsandactivities.com/, which is presented by Arts & Activities, one of the nation’s leading art education magazines. Go to the Arts and Activities Online Section.

·  Read and review one of the listings in the Articles Section.

·  Summarize the contents of the article. Be sure to include your own ideas and opinions in the summary.

·  Does this article present information that is useful for teachers of young children? Why or why not?

·  Would you recommend this site to fellow students and teachers?

·  Conduct an Internet search for companies that sell art supplies.

·  Choose two that you feel you would use in the future.

·  Give your reasons for your choices.

The Web site, Live and Learn, http://www.liveandlearn.com/, is both a great source of articles and information for teachers and an Internet toy store. From the home page, click on Understanding the Problem, then click on What are the Types of Learning Disabilities? Read and compare the article to the information presented in your text. Did you find new information in the article? If so, what was it? Share your information with your classmates.

The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) is a great source of information on safe art materials and their use. Go to their Web site at http://www.acminet.org/. Click on the Safety Icon. From the list entitled “Safety—What you Need to Know” click on Safety Tips. Read the information presented in that section. Prepare a short presentation for the class on this information. Make enough copies so each of your classmates may have a copy for future use.

A good source of two- and three-dimensional art activities is the Web page sponsored by the Sanford Company at http://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/. There is a nice mixture of lesson ideas—many, many perspective lessons—as well as information for teachers and “just fun” ideas for students and parents. This site would be particularly helpful for regular classroom teachers who don’t have an art instruction background.

First click on the icon for Line Design and then follow the prompts, ending with a line drawing of your own. Return to the Playground page and click on Garden Design and then follow the directions.

http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/education/interactive.html

Follow the directions in Art Interactive to learn about four different kinds of sculpture and to design your own virtual artwork.

What is a mandala? Buddhist monks are able to express religious symbols and ideas in these intricate sand paintings. You can see some images at the following Web site:
http://www.artnetwork.com/Mandala/. Who are these artists and why are they doing this type of art? Why do they travel the world demonstrating their skills? What materials are needed to create a sand mandala? What are some of the symbols, pictures, and details you can find in these works?

Web activities sec4-5