Painting with little ones...are you crazy?

OK, I'm going to say something.

Painting. With Acrylics. With Kindergarten.

Didcha shudder? Smirk and say, YEAH RIGHT.

This used to fill me with dread. But lately, this has been a source of constant joy.

Her first day of a new school, and she gets to paint a gorgeous painting. EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

I think a few things have fallen into place that help:

• I see kinder for 50 minutes once or twice a week, so no rush jobs
• We have time to get smocks on, roll sleeves up

A Button Line. How stinkin cute is this?

• I have  4th and 5th grade Art Helpers who are able to come in during Recess (Kinder Art time) to assist

Here's Meghan, middle right, helping at the "snowy sky" table

• I use Kraft paper to cover the tables. Clean up is fast.
• I use paper plates as palettes, they can be saved for next day or tossed.

Yes. He is singing.

Paper plates, Q-Tips, small amounts of water, big brushes, paper towels, Kraft paper gets used over and over. Clean up takes 8 minutes.

I tie the painting into an integrated lesson, if possible. Like, how do artists paint weather? How would you create a landscape at night? How do artists mix colors to create new? (remember, they are 5)...Sometimes, I don't: paint a snowman, a giant pumpkin, etc!

This is the stormy sky table. They were influenced by El Greco's, "View of Toledo"

• We stand at the tables, chairs are pushed away
• Keep color palettes together. For example: all the kids who wanted to paint a rainy or stormy sky were grouped together as they used similar colors.

It might look like a loud, chaotic mess, but LET ME TELL YOU!!! It is happy, quiet, fun.

Check out this discovery. How can we use shape and color to express weather?  Oh yes, this is a kinder science lesson too.

I am the only one who can walk around: they have loaded paint brushes and wet paintings. It's a disaster to have the kiddoes walk around.

Only I deal with this. 

Great way to use old dictionaries: Painting flatteners.

These weather paintings will be the background for landscape collages. Stay tuned!