5 Introduction
4 457 457 um Part Four Learning Experiences for Children
Using the lists of themes from U
18-12 2, survey area early childhood 1
educa ators to determine which e
of the themes they have used with the of the th
children in th heir care. Which themes
provided opportunities p for interesting
activities and d good participation by
the children? ? What challenges, if any,
did using any y of the themes present to
the teachers? ? What themes have they
personally fo ound successful and would
they recomm mend adding to the lists?
Share your fi ndings in class.
Workplace Connections Workplace Connections
Four- and fi ve-year-old fi
children enjoy themes related to
a wider variety of topics. Themes
can be grouped into a few broad
categories. For instance, broad
themes might include My World,
Things I Like to Do, Things That Move,
and Transportation.
These categories could be broken
down to contain a few subthemes.
My School, My Home, My Feelings,
and My Family are just a few
examples of subthemes in My World.
Holiday Themes
Use caution when planning
holiday themes for children. Think
about the children in your group.
Is the theme appropriate to every
family in the group? Some families
can be offended by the celebration
of some holidays. Only holidays that
are celebrate
the s
The a
holiday
quite stim
this excite
behavior
More gui
Some tea
holidays
may include Thanksgiving in a
celebration theme, Valentine’s Day
in a friends theme, or Halloween in
a costumes theme.
A theme can last any amount of
time. Some themes may last a couple
of days or a week. Other themes
can be carried out for a month or
longer. A community helpers theme
could go on for months by featuring
many different community helpers.
Children’s attention spans, needs,
interests, experiences, and available
resources are major factors affecting
theme length.
Developing Themes
Using Webbing
An effective method for
developing themes is to use
resource books. To make this
possible, many centers have a set of
encyclopedias to use as references
for background information. After
using this resource a web can be
18-13
vocabulary, movement, types, stages,
materials, and characterization.
After drawing up a web,
writing objectives is the next step.
Study the web for objectives that
can be developed. For instance,
based on the web in Figure 18-13,
children might be expected to
identify the types of puppets
develop skill in moving
puppets with rods, wires,
strings, and hands
enjoy a puppet show
learn new vocabulary words:
marionette, shadow, and dummy
construct puppets from a
variety of materials
express their own thoughts and
feelings using puppets
practice using a puppet behind
a puppet stage
Because preschool children lack a clear
concept of time, caution must be exercised
when celebrating holidays at the center.
If a holiday theme is introduced too early,
children may become too excited. For
instance, if Halloween is introduced the
fi rst week of October but does not actually
happen until four weeks later, children will
become confused. They will not know when
to expect Halloween.
Learn
More About
Celebrating Holidays
area preschool teachers Interview
and otther early childhood education a
professsionals to discover how often p
holiday es are used in the classroom. holiday ttheme
What holidays s are celebrated? Are the
themes appropriate o to everyone in the
group? How fa ar in advance is the holiday
theme introdu uced? Write a brief report of your
fi ndings. Shar re your report with the class. fi
Workplace ConnectionsConnections Workplace
Themes for Four- and Five-Year-Olds
My Body
Good Health
Exercise
Nutrition
Communication
Speaking
Listening
Reading
Puppets
Acting
Writing
Radio
Television
Computers
Fairy Tales
Myy World
Pets
Plants
Flowers
Insects and Spiders
Seeds
Sa afety
Tra ansportation
Air
Land
Water
Too ols at Work
Gardening
Carpentry
Mechanics
Cosmetology
Dentistry
Art
(C (Conti (C (C ) nued.) ( 18-12
4 476
477 477
Chapter 19
Guiding Art, Blockbuilding, and Sensory Experiences
Part Four
Learning Experiences for Children
Scribble Stage
The fi
rst stage is called the
scribble stage
. This usually occurs
between 18 months and three years
of age. Children’s motor control
and hand-eye coordination are not
well developed yet. However, they
can make dots, lines, multiple lines,
and zigzags. Often they hold the
drawing tool with their fi
They fist. may also appear to be drawing
with every moving part of their
body. In the scribble stage, children
do not connect the marks on the
paper with their movements. Their
scribbles are by-products of the
experience. They enjoy the physical
sensation of moving a marking tool
across the page.
To help children in this
stage, make them aware of their
movements. Comment on how
hard they press their pencils, how
fast they move their arms back
and forth, or how large they make
their movements. Such remarks
help children make the connection
between their actions and the art
they create.
Comments about the look of
children’s artwork are also helpful.
For example, you may say “This
is a long line” or “This line has a
curve.” As you speak, trace some
of the lines with your finger.
The fi
children’s attention will focus on the
form they have created.
Basic Forms Stage
The second stage in art skill
development of children is
basic
forms
. This often occurs between
ages three and four. In this stage
of development, children learn
and recognize basic forms such
as circles, rectangles, and squares.
They now have more control
over their movements and better
hand-eye coordination. As a result,
they can control the size and shape
of a line. During this stage, they are
beginning to enjoy their ability to
create forms by combining scribbles.
At this stage, children also
begin to see the connection
between their movements and
the marks they make. Before this
time, children’s scribbles were
the result of the sheer pleasure of
moving their arms and hands. Now
children connect those motions to
their artwork. Children may even
begin to name their drawings at
this stage. They also start to feel
pride in their work.
As in the scribble stage, you
can help the children understand
and talk about their work by
commenting on their movements.
For example, say “You are moving
your arm in big circles.” You might
Say “You
Pictorial Drawing Stage
The third stage of art development
occurs during the fourth and fififth
years,
19-6.
During the pictorial
drawing stage, childr
en are able to
draw marks that are representational
of pictures. They attempt to mimic
their view of the world. Using their
increasing skill with basic forms, they
begin to combine shapes to represent
objects or people. The drawings are
often large. Objects are randomly
placed. Color is unrealistic. First the
humans are drawn with a circle for
a head and lines for limbs. Then,
crudely drawn human fi
include figures
a torso with straight lines for arms
and limbs. Later, children often add
animals, trees, houses, cars, boats, and
airplanes to their artwork.
Art Supplies and
Tools
You have the option of buying
or making many of your own art
supplies and equipment. Most
teachers need to purchase the basic
tools: scissors, paintbrushes, cookie
cutters, easels, and paper punches.
Many of these items can be purchased
at school supply stores, catalogs, Web
sites, or large discount stores.
Tempera Paint
Tempera paint is used in many
child care centers. It has a slight odor
and tastes chalky. When dry, painted
surfaces tend to crack and peel.
Tempera can be purchased in both
liquid and powdered form
teachers prefer liquid
tempera because it does
to be mixed. Since liquid
is much more expensiveidve
Buying Nonhazardous Art
Supplies
The
Labeling
of
Hazardous Art
Materials
Act
requires
labeling
of all
art
t
materials that
pose
a chronic
hazard to children
and ot
The law
applies
to such
children’shers.
art supplies
as paint,
crayons, chalk,
modeling
clay, pencils,
and
other
art products.
When buying
art
for
children,
look for the
statementmaterials
“Conforms
to
ASTM
D-4236”
on the
product
label.
This ensures
that the products
meet the
American Society for
Testing
Materials
Standards
(ASTM).
For
more i
nformation about a
rt
er Product
supplies, consult
the Consumer
Produ
ct
ety Commission Web it
Safety Commi
ssi
W
B i
N
h
Safety
First
Safety First
Focus
on
Health
Focu
s
o o o o n n n
H H H
e e e a a a
l l t t t
h h h h
Art Therapy for Young Children
At times, young children—like
older children
and ad and ad
ults—can ults—c
experience an exp
erienc
events e even
and ts and
traum traum
a a
that make it
diffi
to cope. Life chal
lenges,
such
ficult
as experiencing na
tural
disasters, can cause emotional
st
ress. Art therapy is a creative process
that combines
art
and psychotherapy.
In this
process,
children
can use
various art medi
ums to
express their
thoughts and fee
lings. If parents
and
care providers note that a child is experiencing
emotional
challenges
after a
traumatic
event, they
should seek
the
advice
from
the child’s doctor and
a professional art
therapist.
These professionals
can
help determine if
the child will
benefifit
from
art
therapy.
F F F F First First
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represent gs rep
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a chi a chi
ld’s view lds v
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the w the w
orldbllue.is
orld.
Colors are often unrealistic. Notice that the sun C Colors
are often unreali
stic. Notice that the sun is b
F F
C
19-6
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a
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s s
a
tth h
m
W relate
text content to real life with t
research and interview activities
Attractive pictures and charts
bring chapter content to life and
clarify concepts
4 4 um
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Learn More About…motivates L
you to seek further information y
related to chapter content
p ,
y You are mov
your arm in big circles.” You
mi
Say “Y
er
Produ
ct
ety Commi
ssion
Web it
Safety First S emphases the
importance of safety in the i
child care setting
both
pee
n be purchased
in b
powdered
fer liquid
oovf
ause it doe
Si nce liqui
e expensiv
hased
in b
form
ov
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Focus on Health F relates child
care content to important c
health-related issues
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