Our First Pre-school Classes (Part 4)

Coloring (Part 4 of 4)

In Young Rembrandts, the coloring portion of the lesson is just as significant as the drawing. We take great care in actually teaching children how to color. While never controlling color choices, we teach children to see and anticipate color placement. Children learn to focus their attention on the main object, and on the smallest details of that object first. Once the smallest details are colored in, the children are instructed to complete the larger areas.

During the coloring portion of a Young Rembrandts class, students learn to see the individual shapes that are part of the larger whole. They learn to anticipate, to plan, and to complete one cycle of action before moving on to the next. With time spent carefully coloring, young children develop the patience, attention to detail, process, perseverance and fine motor skills that will reward them in art and prepare them as learners. When the completed drawings is colored and mounted often parents are so impressed with the coloring work their children have done, they can hardly comprehend their young artist also did the original drawing.

Our First Pre-school Classes (Part 3)

Drawing (Part 3 of 4)

Visual, mental and physical operations must be developed in order for a young student to draw. For some children, the process begins with learning to holding a pencil. For others their bodies may not be quite ready to perform all they can see and comprehend. However, all students can be successful with the Young Rembrandts method, because we meet each one at their individual readiness level. As we draw our pictures, the trained Young Rembrandts instructor explains and demonstrates each step, and students draw on their own paper. The children are focused on listening, following directions, completing one cycle of action before moving on to the next, and getting the circle they imagine and see to actually be that circle on their paper. Once all the basic shapes are in the drawings, students add varying levels of detail to complete and individualize their drawings. Through this process, the young students feel enormous satisfaction and the joy of accomplishment regardless of their level of readiness and skill.

To learn more about Young Rembrandts, go to: www.youngrembrandts.com.

To be continued . . . .

Check back Wednesday, January 30, 2008 for Part 4.

Our First Pre-school Classes (Part 2)

The Classes (Part 2 of 4)

Preschoolers are naturally hungry to assimilate information about the world around them. A child-friendly analysis of our subject matter included a discussion on how the object was fit in their world and served several purposes. Every week I came to class with a simple prop and my prepared lesson. For example, to draw a birdhouse, first we looked at a real birdhouse. While learning about why we feed birds, where we put the food, where the birds sit, we also learned to see the basic shapes that made up the house. Once our discussion prepared us, we moved on to draw our own birdhouse. As I showed students my drawings of the birdhouse, they made the mental connection between the three-dimensional object and the two-dimensional representation. Recalling the shapes we had analyzed earlier, they now saw them in relation to each other and to the paper in front of them.

To be continued . . . .

Check back Monday, January 28, 2008 for Part 3.

Our First Pre-school Classes (Part 1)

The Setting (Part 1 of 4)

I began teaching drawing classes to preschool students at a wonderful Montessori School on Monday afternoons. The facility ran preschool classes as well as day care programs. We were able to use the preschool classroom after those children had gone for the day. This particular school delivered a high quality classroom experience and their students were well prepared and ready to learn. This blessing allowed my focus to be on process and development of the teaching method, while encouraging each student to work to their highest level. Our classes began as Bette’s Art classes and 20 sweet young faces were there every week, ready to learn. (2 classes @ 10 students). After my method was clearly defined and refined, Bette’s Art Class was renamed Young Rembrandts.

I taught at other facilities with a wider range of children’s classroom experience and overall readiness levels. With some simple adjustments to classroom technique, these students were also able to achieve great success with the teaching method I had developed.

To be continued . . . .

Check back Friday, January 25, 2008 for Part 2.

My Misconceptions

My Misconceptions

During this process of discovering how to teach drawing to elementary children, several of my own misconceptions were changed.

Misconception: Creating art is a solitary pursuit.

Truth: Making art may be enjoyed with others in a group.

Children enjoy drawing with their peers. While there are times to produce art independently, there is also pleasure in being part of a group that shares your interest, creativity and passion.

Misconception: Art cannot be taught because a person is born with artistic talent and creativity.

Truth: It is completely reasonable to teach the specifics of drawing. Giving information and direction does not “damage” the creative process.

There is a deeply rooted belief in our culture that to be artistically creative you must create without the aid of instruction. Yet this is not the way we approach any other area of learning. Ballet dancers practice graceful movements and positions, writers learn sentence structure and vocabulary, mathematicians memorize formulas and test theorems. With a solid understanding of fundamentals, individuals are able to advance to higher levels of application. Drawing, like other artistic endeavors, can be learned.

Misconception: The ability to draw halts at a young age.

Truth: The more information students are given, the more they enjoy drawing. The more they draw, the more their level of ability and self-awareness increases.

Young children are content making sunshine and rainbow shapes. As they mature, however, they become more aware of the sophisticated images around them. Without instruction on how to advance their own abilities, they may assume that they are “not artistic.” On the other hand, when children are given fundamental art instruction their ability, enjoyment of the process and self-confidence increase. This has a ripple effect in other areas of their lives.