It is important for children to be able to identify with some of the more famous artists such as Renoir, Rembrandt and Picasso as well as some of their works. This year we will be focusing on recognizing a few of the most popular of art works. Because of the tendency for many of these same artists to have led questionable lives we will not be studying them as a person at this time.

In addition to art appreciation we will also focus quite a bit of our time on free art time as well as a few well placed suggested art activities. It is my opinion that children need the time and space to develop their own style of art even at this young age. This is why I will often give them the materials and let them create what they wish. From time to time we will also create “boxed” art, that is those with a specific look and purpose, but those will be few and far between. Following is a list of materials that you should have in your home for creative free art play. Of course this is by no means an exhaustive list. Use your imagination and almost anything can become art worthy.

· Paper – all different types, sizes and weights, finger paint paper, construction paper, computer paper, lined paper, index cards, butcher paper, freezer paper etc.

· Markers

· Crayons

· Colored pencils

· Play-doh (either purchased or homemade. Visit Homemade Art Supplies for a list of recipes.)

· Chalk – small for a chalk board and larger for outdoor use on asphalt

· Finger paints in at least the primary colors plus black and white

· Watercolors

· Paint brushes and sponges of all different sizes

· Stickers – pre-made stickers with cartoon characters, animals and such as well as plain white sticker labels and round dot sticker labels to make your own stickers

· Popsicle sticks

· Cotton balls and/or colored pom poms

· Beads, beans, dry macaroni, sand, salt, marbles, buttons etc.

· Old magazines for collages

· Glue, paste, glue sticks and rubber cement

· Child safe scissors (try Fiskars as they are sharp enough to adequately cut with yet not enough to cut fingers, the old plastic scissors frustrate children)

· Yarn

· Foam sheets

· Felt sheets

· Chalk board

· Felt board (see below for instructions on making one at home)

· Paper plates

· Odds and ends from around the house: egg cartons, milk jugs, clean eggshells, oatmeal cans, cereal boxes etc.

How to Make a Felt Board

Nearly anything can be made into a felt board. Simply take a piece of plywood, ceiling tile or something that is flat and cover it with a diluted solution of glue and water. Place a large sheet of felt (sky blue and/or green work well) over the glue solution and weight it down overnight with large, heavy books. Be sure not to saturate the felt, as it will become hard and un-usable. In addition to this I’ve also made a free hanging one to go on our double-sided chalkboard. For this all you need to do is cut a piece of felt as large as your chalkboard and sew on loops to go over the rod at the top. I also sewed on felt pockets at the bottom to store small felt pieces for the board. Enjoy!

Picture Study Resources

General Art Appreciation Resources

Mary Cassatt

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Claude Monet