Making Art Happen: Artwork in Progress!
Dear Monkey Class Families,
The Monkey Class has been buzzing with creativity lately. As we continue to immerse ourselves in the world of art and self-expression, it's been inspiring to witness the students' growing enthusiasm and developing talents. Many exciting projects are now well underway, and we eagerly anticipate sharing the results of their creativity with you soon.
In visual arts, our students have been busy developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Our collaborative artwork, inspired by Piet Mondrian, is really taking shape. We began by tracing shapes, a great exercise for hand muscles. Then came the fun of using tape to define shapes before colouring them. We had a small issue with the chalk rubbing off, a good problem-solving opportunity! We adapted and switched to paint, which is now bringing our Mondrian-esque piece to life. We expect to finish this artwork soon and are excited to display it in our classroom.
We've also been revisiting artwork that brought the most joy during our painting exploration. The clear favourite? René Magritte's "The Son of Man," which the children affectionately call "Apple Man." Each child will create their own version of this intriguing piece. While individual creativity is encouraged, we'll focus on careful observation and using various tools and techniques. Adding a fun element, we'll even incorporate photography by having the children feature in their own artwork! I'm truly excited to see these imaginative creations come together in the coming week.
The exploration of music has also been a great experience. We've been listening to sounds around us and exploring boomwhackers. For those unfamiliar, boomwhackers are lightweight, hollow, colour-coded tubes that produce different musical notes when tapped or struck. Each tube's length determines its pitch.
We started by listening to each boomwhacker, and the children quickly recognised the different sounds each colour made. Initially, we used them to copy simple rhythms and tap along to music, developing their timing and beat. We then grouped the children by colour and sound, creating our own little boomwhacker orchestra! The children also noticed the letters on the tubes, connecting them to the letters in songs. This led us to explore playing familiar tunes like 'Incy Wincy Spider', 'Baa Baa Black Sheep', and 'B-I-N-G-O'. It was lovely to see their excitement as they played simple melodies together.
Looking ahead, we're planning to transform our reading corner into a stage! To enrich our musical explorations, we would love for you to share your child's favourite music from home. Any songs they enjoy are welcome – they don't need to be specifically children's songs. Please add the song titles and links (if possible) to the following document:
Monkey AM - Favourite Songs | Monkey PM - Favourite Songs
Once we have a collection, I'll create a class Spotify playlist to share with you all, bringing a little piece of home into our classroom.
Performing arts have also captured the students' interest. As mentioned last week, we've been working in small groups, and some fantastic dramas are emerging. Here are a few popular themes: Jungle Adventures featuring both animals and people, Traveling to Space on an Alien Adventure, and Pirate Ships and Treasure Hunts. This week, we'll focus on bringing these characters and stories to life through acting and imaginative play. The children have also enjoyed putting on puppet shows and have shown more intention in their play area, moving beyond just using it as a shop.
The artistic adventures continue this week! Children will choose their favourite famous artwork, and we'll then work together to create their own versions. We'll also explore sculpture, experimenting with recycled boxes and learning to make simple clay pots while discovering how a turntable works. And of course, we eagerly anticipate the unfolding performances as we delve further into performing arts, including more dance exploration.
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