My Montessori Journey: Little Apple Art Project

New on the art shelf this week is an activity I've put out every year for the past three years. This is a project that could best be described as a craft. I realize that some people have strong feelings about excluding this type of activity in early childhood settings. Likewise, some people would advocate for including many craft activities. I fall in the middle. Instead of rewriting all my thoughts on this topic, I'll refer you to a post I wrote a while back that summarizes my opinions about art projects versus versus the art process. CLICK HERE to read that post.

Although I've posted about this project in the past, I set it up a little differently on the art shelf this year so I'm going to show that here. You can see from the photo below that I've devoted the entire bottom of my art shelf to this project. I put it out on Wednesday (we didn't have school Monday or Tuesday) and will keep it out all of next week before taking it off the shelf. From left to right are: 2 white plastic baskets for carrying the materials to a table, a basket of small (cheapo) paper plates, a basket of red construction paper strips, a bowl of pre-cut green leaves, a basket of pre-cut brown stems, a basket of Tap-N-Glue bottles, and a tray with 2 gluing mats.

Close-ups of paper plates and red paper strips........

.........and green leaves, brown stems, and glue bottles.

I give the entire class a group lesson on how to complete this project. Then the children can choose to do it during work time if they want. During the presentation, I model how to take a white basket and place into it: 2 red strips, 1 leaf, 1 stem, and 1 glue bottle. I also remind them to get a gluing mat. Then I model carrying everything to a table as well as modeling the project from start to finish. The hardest part of this project for young children is tearing the red strips of paper into pieces. This is a REALLY hard fine motor task for preschoolers. I show them how to grasp it near the end of a strip with "thumbs together" and the other fingers sticking up above the strip. Then I show them how to pull towards their body with one hand and push away with the other. It's still really hard sometimes and I often have to help them hand over hand until they get the hang of it. With that said, it is a REALLY good activity for using and strengthening those little finger muscles.

While the outcome of this project is admittedly not the most original or most beautiful piece of art that a child will ever create, it is something that they can complete by themselves. For many of my new students, this is the first time they've ever made something from start to finish totally on their own including gathering all the needed materials and returning them to the shelf. And that is HUGE!! What a great boost to their self-confidence! That's why I love including these simple little projects. It is wonderful to see the smile on their face when they finish something on their own. Especially when they have told us at the outset that they don't think they can do it!

Here are several apples that were created this week..........

6 Comments

Thanks, Diane! I love gettingcomments from people Iknow in real life. That doesnt actually happen very often, surprisingly! So........it was a wonderful surprise to hear from you. Thanks SO much for taking time to comment. I truly appreciate it!

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Posted by: Laura | September 30, 2010 at 07:23 PM