Jackson Pollock

For my mini-unit in art, I chose to focus on abstract expressionism and the artist Jackson Pollock.  Last week I introduced the artist to the chidlren during line time.  I had printed out several pictures of the artist working in his studio to pass around.  I told a story about Jackson Pollock and how he discovered his special type of action painting.  Then we looked at several of his famous paintings in a large book I checked out from the library.  After that, I showed the children several canvases of abstract action paintings that I have made over the years with other students and my own children.  I asked the children to describes what they saw and there were some interesting answers.  Most of the children described the colors they saw, some children described lines versus squiggles.  The most interesting answer was from MG who said the paintings all looked dirty!

 

Today, we introduced the first Jackson Pollock style project in our series.  By rolling a marble dipped into paint over a paper, the children were able to create abstract patterns that are similar Pollock’s style.  We placed five small plates with paint and one marble in each next to their work space.  The children were able to go at their own pace and choose the colors in any order and amount that they chose.  The children were very deliberate in their color choices and calm in their motions.  It seemed to be almost meditative to some of the children!

 

    

 

    

 

Passover Preparations

  This month we will be spending a good deal of time getting ready for Passover!  Each day, we have a different aspect of the hoilday to learn about or a project to work on in the afternoon.  It is a very exciting time for the children!

We are learning to sing the 4 questions and today we sang the first question which involves matzoh.  We have a follow up activity on the shelf to make a paper matzoh by rubbing a crayon on paper over an exposed piece of corrugated cardboard.  The paper looks amazingly similar to a piece of matzoh!

Yesterday we introduced the foods that appear on the Seder Plate.  We took turns tasting some of the bitter herbs too!  Today the children colored templates that will be sent to the Makit company to be made into real plates the children can take home!

      

Map Mania!

The past few weeks have seen an incredible increase in map making.  I always enjoy seeing an idea take hold of someone and then ignite interest in others!  The positive side of competition is when children push themselves to create or do something meaningful that they have seen someone else doing.

 

YMB (3yrs) and EH (4yrs) are working side by side punching out continents.  EH worked much more quickly and went on to paint the oceans later that day:

 

SP (4 1/2yrs) had never tried to make a map, but after seeing the other (younger) children doing it, he decided to try it.  He completed hi entire map in one day!

 

RM (6 yrs) had not worked in geography for quite a while.  Seeing the increased activity sparked something in her and she decided to make a map of North America, complete with labels:

YS (3 1/2 yrs) also noticed all of the map work this past week and decided he wanted to make a punch map of North America:

Color Wheel Lesson

This week we added a color wheel lesson that was very popular!  Using a laminated template as a guide, the children drop a series of colored water dots onto their appropriate places.  Each circle has a place for four drops of water.  Then using a stir stick, they combine the four dots.

 

Next, the child can make a print of their work using an absorbent paper towel to cover the water drops like this:

The result is color wheel of primary and secondary colors!

Classroom Makeover

Our classroom is on the (very) small size at just over 500 square feet.  When we created the addition to our home to include a preschool classroom, I had not even heard of Montessori!  Over the years, I have tried a variety of things to maximize the space, but I always need to rotate materials which is not the best.  Now that I have received training in all of the core curriculum areas, I see just how small our little classroom is!  Although we have all been managing, I had “that moment” last week when YS was attempting to remove the North America puzzle map from the shelf and had to contort his little body in a variety of ways just to get it from the shelf to his mat!  Poor thing!  I decided to enlist my family’s help, and my son agreed to move out of his bedroom which is directly across from our classroom!  Now, we leave our classroom door open and I removed the door from my son’s bedroom to create a larger classroom.  This has allowed me to move math and language into that room, and in the larger room I was able to expand PL and sensorial, add the bells, a botany shelf, the landforms, an animal study shelf, and a cultural shelf!!  The transformation has been amazing and I want to share the new setup with you!

Peeking through the cubby area into the new area:

Entering the new space:

 

A look at the langauge shelves (english and hebrew):

 

A look into the math shelves:

A look into the main classroom:

 

Here is a look into the newly improved main classroom space:

The view from the front door:                    Sensorial:

       

Sensorial continued:

 

A look into the Practical Life area:

Art shelf:

Looking over the art shelf into the Geography area:

 

Our North America shelf, ready for the new materials that are being laminated and gathered!

Landforms:                                           Metal inset shelf:                     Library area:

Botany Shelf (our bunny is resting on the bottom shelf because I let him out to hop around after school):

Looking across the room standing at the botany shelf:

Looking across the room toward the library from the front entrance:

Making a bird craft set up on a table, with the hamster cage on the shelf above (bells are in the background):

The bells (major scale only at this point) with the rabbit cage:

The shelf of tools is under the hamster cage and the hammering log is visible in the lower left:

 

The animal study shelf, which is just building up.  We have started with birds, but amphibians and fish are coming soon!

 

All in all, I am so pleased with the set up!  The children have responded so positively, and it feels like a much larger space.  Right now the class is made up of young threes and fours which is why I chose to place math and language in the smaller room.  I anticipate that we might have a different set up in the future as the needs of the children shift.  Can’t wait to hear your feedback!