This little piggy...

In the two-day class this morning we had a lot of fun learning about pigs.

At the art table the children painted their pigs with "muddy" paint. This is easy to do. All you have to do is add coffee grounds to the paint. Not only does this add texture but smell. We often try to engage all of the senses to create a fun learning environment. This simple paint is a great way to engage at least four of the senses. I don't recommend that the taste sense be use. :) Other great smells and textures can be added to your paint. We have added a variety of flavors in the classroom such as lemon, cherry and mint. We also add sand during our beach theme. This makes for very heavy paint. Add shaving creme for a fluffy effect. It's fun to experiment. They are not all successes. One time I tried Karo Syrup because I was told it would add a sheen. Well, that is true but it took forever to dry and incredibly difficult to clean up. Even for me. :) It's a lot of fun to watch the children discover new things about their paint.

A note about art in the three and four year old class. Because of the brain development at this age research has shown that it is the "process not the product" that is important. Children at this age need time and permission to experiment with the different mediums and tools. Their scribbles are important. To get to the images that we as adults recognize there is a serious process that has to happen and this process is international. What this means is that through a variety of research world-wide it has been shown that children go through the same drawing stages at about the same ages. It's quite remarkable. So it's OK that you let your young child express themselves freely because there are many things happening in the order that they are to happen. Shortly I will post an excellent article regarding this topic. Enjoy your children's art. It is beautiful.