Making the transition from product to process focused art By Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed of Teach Preschool

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Debbie Clement recently wrote a terrific article on the topic of Product versus Process art where she creatively and clearly clarifies the difference between the two approaches and then goes on to describe the value of process-focused art in the preschool classroom...

The transition to move from product-focused to process-focused art isn't an easy task for many, if not most, teachers in the preschool classroom and there are many reasons why. Let's take a look at those reasons and see what can be done to help smooth the transition from product-focused to process-focused art...

A lack of experience with process-focused art

For those who lack experience with process-focused art, it can seem overwhelming and non-productive at first. To provide quality process-focused art experiences for young children, you have to start at the beginning and invite the children to simply explore the materials you provide. As the children are given the freedom and time to explore the materials, their skills and abilities to constructively manage and creatively use those materials will build over time.

You also have to understand where your children are developmentally so you can plan processes that they will want to try. In order to keep young children engaged in the process, you have to come up with ideas that are age appropriate, inviting, and interesting. Coming up with successful process-focused art experiences takes commitment, effort, time, and lots of trial and error along the way.

The inability to justify the process

Another reason teachers struggle with transitioning from product to process-focused art is the inability to justify the process. Trying to explain to parents why most of the artwork coming home looks like one big blob after another can be difficult. One tip that will help with this is to start with the planning phase. When planning an art activity, answer the question; "what will the children do?" instead of "what will the children make?" This will help you focus on the process and then talk about the process with others.

The next time an adult walks in the classroom and says, "What did the children make today?" You will be prepared to say, "The children figured out that..." or "We are making great progress on..." or "We explored the use of..." Describing the process will naturally lead to a discussion on what the children learned or gained from the process and keeps the conversations open ended and focused on growth and development. Answering the question with "We made a tree today" pretty much wraps up any real potential for an exciting conversation about growth and development...

The internal struggle

Another part of transitioning is recognizing and managing the internal struggle to control the art experience. Perhaps you like the artwork on your wall to look a certain way. Perhaps you have certain expectations about how the children should use the materials you set out. Perhaps you love something you saw on Pinterest so much that you want to reproduce the exact same artwork.

In order to transition from product to process-focused art, you have to start by reflecting on your own attitudes about the role of art in your classroom. Is the art experience in your classroom about what you need or is it about what the children need? Is the art experience in your classroom about what you love or is it about what the children love? Is the art experience in your classroom guided by what you find easy to clean up and manage or is it guided by what will keep the children engaged, challenged, and interested....

My personal experience in the transition to process-focused art

Implementing process-focused art has been a fairly new experience for me this school year and I learn something new every day. There are days when I don't get it exactly right, but my students are so processed-oriented now that they quickly remind me of what really matters to them.

I have watched my students go from sampling the materials to embracing the materials. I have watched my students go from using too much glue on everything to self-regulating the amount of glue they need to complete a process. I have watched my students go from mixing every color of paint on the table to selectively mixing the colors to produce a desired result.

We have higher level conversations about about our artwork than I have ever had or even thought of having before in a preschool classroom. One of my students said it best last week while we were exploring a new kind of easel painting. She said, "Wow, we are like real artists" and as I watched them paint, I had to agree - they were truly were like real artists.

If you would like to see more about what our classroom is exploring, I invite you to join me over at Teach Preschool.

By the way, I highly recommend these plastic bottles (pictured below) for painting with your students. I have been using them all year long and absolutely love them. I purchased mine from Walmart in the kitchen utensil isle....

Marble painting with preschoolers by Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. on January 23, 2012

As you might have guessed, we have been exploring marbles and you just can’t explore marbles without including a little marble painting in your planning…

Every time I introduce marble painting to a group of preschoolers, I change the process a bit. I adjust the process based on the age of the children, the size or kind of box we will use, the kind of paint we use, how many children will paint at one time, and anything else I think will need adjusted to make the process fun and age appropriate for the children in my class…

For my PreK class, I let them squeeze out some tempera paint on a sheet of paper and then they were good to go. You will notice in the photo above that I also set out some plastic wrap. We would have wrapped the box with the plastic wrap if needed to help keep the marbles from falling out of the box but we decided it wasn’t needed. By adding the plastic wrap, the children can still see inside the box while they roll the marbles through the paint with out worrying about the marbles falling out…

But since these children were older, they were able to manage the marbles and the box without needing to add the plastic wrap. It was actually good eye-hand coordination and a little practice in multi-tasking for them to tilt the box, keep an eye on the marbles so they don’t fall out of the box, and direct the marbles through the paint all at the same time…

Once the marbles get a little too much paint on them, it is a good idea to rinse some of the paint off in between each child’s turn. This helps keep the marbles rolling through the paint better. Otherwise, the marbles can get all goopy and not roll very well at all…

Some of the children had a little trouble getting the coordination of moving the large box from side to side. If they preferred, they could have a partner hold one end of the box to help them tilt the box back and forth. Working with a partner is also a challenge because the children have to tilt the box the same way at the same time – not an easy thing to do…

Regardless of the challenges involved in marble painting, the children stayed engaged in the process. Simplifying the process does not always make the project more fun – those little challenges along the way can actually be an important part of the process…

Our marble painting turned out bright, colorful, and beautiful…

All that paint, movement, concentration, and freedom in the process and almost no mess – now how do you like that?

Can you see the name hidden behind all that paint?

STAGES OF BLOCK PLAY

Stage 1- Tote and Carry
Blocks are carried around to feel their smoothness, their weight
and to hear what kid of sounds they make when they fall. Children
like to fill containers, dump them out, and refill them. (2-3
yrs.)

Stage 2 - Building Begins
Children lay the blocks on the floor in rows, either horizontally
or vertically with much repetition. Children may play alone or
near other children, but rarely in a cooperative way (3yrs.)

Stage 3 - Trial and Error Bridging
Two blocks with a space between them, connected by a third
block. Children learn to bridge by trial and error. (3-4 yrs.)

Stage 4 - Enclosures:
Blocks are placed in such a way that they enclose a space.
Bridging and enclosing are among the earliest “technical” building
problems that children learn to solve. As children work at
building enclosures, they learn the spatial concept of inside and
outside. (4 yrs.)

Stage 5 - Representational Building
At this stage, 4 and 5 year olds add dramatic play to their block
building. They name their structures which relate to a function.
Before this, children may also have named they structures but
the names were not necessarily related to the function of the
building.

Stage 6—Building Sociodramas
By age 5, group cooperative play is common. Children decide
beforehand what they want to build, and they may reproduce
structures that are familiar to them. Children may ask to leave
their structure standing and may play with it again.

Source: Hirsch, Elisabeth (1984) The Block Book.
Washington, D.C.: NAEYC

Is my Child Kindergarten Ready? By: D. McGuire

A friend of mine, who's the mother of a 5 year old, recently asked me, "How do you know when your child is ready for kindergarten?" I have to say this is a valid question, and every parent of a young child wants and deserves an answer. However, it's not a simple answer. In fact, it has taken me several weeks to respond to this question because initially, I needed time to really think about my response, and then I became busy with the holidays and my daughters first birthday. Please forgive me for such a delayed response!

In my mind, there are three factors to consider when enrolling your child in Kindergarten. The first two, your child and the school's teaching philosophy, should not come as a surprise. No one knows your child better than you (the parent), so you should have a good idea of how long your child can sit and listen, what letters and numbers he/she recognizes, and if your child is introvert or extrovert with other children and adults. Girls tend to adjust to a school setting more easily than boys such as sitting at a desk, raising their hands to speak, and walking in a line, but that is not always the case. If you're worried your child will struggle with these tasks, you have options which I will address.

There is also ample research on the different learning styles of boys versus girls. A boy’s optimal teaching environment includes cooler temperatures, large spaces for moving, and loud voices. Girls, on the other hand, perform better in warmer rooms and less noise. Does this mean boys always need to be separate from girls? Not always, but there are special circumstances. If your male child is very active and would truly benefit from an environment for boys, you might want to check out schools that separate sexes. Once again, girls adapt better to the typical classroom environment, so there is a good chance your daughter will perform well in a developmentally appropriate school.

Also, most schools are very vocal about their philosophy because they don't want the school’s expectations to come as a surprise. Believe it or not, teachers and administrators want school to be a positive experience for children. When students struggle, everyone struggles including teachers, so checkout your child's future school website and talk to several parents of currently enrolled students. I believe parents can give an accurate view of a school's classroom environment and expectations, but make sure you get multiple opinions from trustworthy adults. For example, one school might say they are a hands-on/center based school compared to another school that focuses mainly on academics. However, when you take the school tour and see young children sitting at individual desks filling out worksheets and not engaged in centers, then you know the school is not adhering to their philosophy. Personally, I believe children learn the most in environments that encourage lifelong learners through play and hands-on activities. For more information, please checkout: http://www.det.nt.gov.au and http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/.

The third factor to your child’s success in kindergarten is the teacher, and normally, parents are not notified of their child’s teacher until a few days before the new school year. I am a former early childhood educator, so I hope I don’t upset too many of my former teacher colleagues. Nevertheless, a teacher can make or break a child’s success in the classroom. I have to say, most kindergarten teachers are very patient, kind, and loving with young children. Early childhood teachers are usually well aware of the school district’s expectations and how hard they can push a young child before the point of frustration. However, some teachers are under-educated in early childhood development, short-tempered, or tired of unachievable expectations from districts and no longer have the patience to work with active young children. These are the type of teachers parents need to avoid!

How do you steer clear of this situation? Talk to other parents and ask for the names of well respected teachers. Then, write your school a letter requesting the kindergarten teacher you feel best matches your child’s needs. Even though many schools say they don’t take requests, most schools will take them into consideration. This also gives the parent peace of mind knowing his/her voice was at least heard. Parents can also request their child not to be placed in a classroom with another specific child, which is always better than requesting your child to be placed in a classroom with his/her friend.

Finally, it is up to the parents to decide if their child is ready for kindergarten. Most parents have a gut feeling telling them how their child will preform in kindergarten based on their child's personality, school environment, and possible teachers. I suggest weighing the pros and cons to make the best decision. I’m also leaving all my future parents of kindergarteners with a list of recommended kindergarten skills to help ease their minds. I believe these skills will boost young children's success in school, but please don’t feel your child needs to have full mastery in order to start kindergarten. They’re just recommendations from a former public school kindergartener teacher.

1. Writes first name. (All capital letters is fine)

2. Can tell you last name.

3. Can cut with scissors, tear tape, and put caps on markers.

4. Begins to hold a pencil firmly. Sometimes holds pencil loosely.

5. Recognizes 10-15 capital letters of the alphabet.

6. Knows the sounds of 5-10 letters.

7. Recognizes numbers 1-10.

8. Tells a story with a beginning and end to students and/or teacher.

9. Can listen to a short story without losing his/her attention.

10. Runs, hops, and skips. Climbs, slides, and rolls.

11. Can share or take a turn. (Some of the time)

12. Has an imagination. Imagination is seen through play, drawing, or building, and can take place in or outdoors.

13. Takes care of most restroom needs on own. Ex. Wiping, flushing, and washing hands.

14. Can dress him/ herself. (Most of the time)

15. Drinks out of a cup.

16. Good table habits. (Most of the time)

17. Can clean up and put things back where they belong!

Photographer mom is proud of her post-preg body Posted by Kia@Mom365 on February 15, 2011 at 12:30pm

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Our admiration has to go out to mommy blogger Erin over at Starving Artist Ink, who published some strikingly honest and beautiful pictures of her post-pregnancy body in a post simply titled "the shape of a mother."

Strong mom-baby relationships may protect against later obesity Posted by The Baby News on December 28, 2011 at 11:30am

It's probably happened to you at least a few times in your life: You're stressed or sad or lonely, and to help yourself feel better, you head to the kitchen and grab another bowl of ice cream/candy bar/bag of chips. It's called self-soothing, and starting during late childhood, it's something some of us do a lot. People who habitually self-soothe with food risk ending up obese.

A longterm study to be published in the January issue of Pediatrics links adolescent obesity with the relationships moms form with their toddlers. The study followed almost a thousand kids, checking in with them when they were 15, 24 and 36 months old, and then again when they turned 15. During the first 3 years, researchers studied the interactions between the toddlers and their mothers, focusing on how secure the children were that their moms were there for them during times of stress and how sensitive their moms were to their feelings; then they looked at their notes to see if there was any connection between the quality of the mom-toddler relationships and the adolescents' weight.

The results: Children who were least secure and had the least responsive mothers during their toddler years were more than two times likely to be obese at age 15. The reason: According to lead study author Sarah Anderson, a toddler whose mother doesn't or can't help her children handle stress is more likely to learn to use food as a way of self-soothing. Quoted in a news release, Anderson said:

Sensitive parenting increases the likelihood that a child will have a secure pattern of attachment and develop a healthy response to stress. A well-regulated stress response could in turn influence how well children sleep and whether they eat in response to emotional distress -- just two factors that affect the likelihood for obesity.

We're guessing that as moms, our own patterns of self-soothing probably influence our children's, too. And the more stressed we are, the harder it is to respond to our babies' stress.

How do you control your stress?

Ribbon weaving and painting in preschool by Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. on December 18, 2011 in Centers,Creative Art,Ribbon Painting,Ribbon Weaving an

Yesterday, I shared how we made ribbon trees in our prek class but we have also been exploring ribbons with our threes too. This doesn’t have to be a holiday activity. In fact, these ideas are great ways to use up some of that left over ribbon from the holidays…

I set out these dish or sink mats (from the Dollar Store) along with several skeins of ribbon at one table for a little ribbon weaving and tying…

The key to making this fun, is letting the children choose ribbon to cut and weave rather than having the ribbon already cut up…

Some of the children preferred to weave the ribbon in and out of the holes…

And some of the children preferred to tie knots with the ribbon…

Very open ended process that invites great use of fine motor skills!

We also explored a little ribbon painting!

We set out some colorful paint, scissors, and different colors of ribbon for the children to paint with. The children cut a length of ribbon, dipped it in the paint, and dragged it across the paper any way they wish…

We covered the entire table with paper and let the children freely paint with the ribbon anywhere they wanted. When the paint dried, we cut up the large ribbon painted paper into individual squares for each child to take home…

The children enjoyed ribbon painting together…

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