We are continuing our exploration of L this week by making Line Art!  Before we began the project, we discussed as a group what we knew about lines.  We walk in lines when we go to the park.  We wait in lines for our turn to wash our hands.  We use markers to draw lines on a piece of paper.  The group agreed that a line is essentially a long, skinny shape that starts in one place and ends in another, unlike a rectangle or oval, which is a closed and complete shape.

Each child was given a piece of sticky contact paper, which we taped to the table with the sticky side facing up.  At each table, we placed a tray filled with strips of colored construction paper cut to about half an inch wide.  The children selected strips of paper and arranged them on their own contact paper to create free form art.  Once they had finished, they could create another free form piece, or, for an extra challenge, they could follow a recipe card with a number indicating how many of each color they should use.  The placement of colors from the recipe card was entirely their choice.  They created such beautiful works of art!

Whenever we do art projects, I am always amazed at how differently the children interpret and express the project.  Given the same materials, they each took their work in a different direction.  Many children arranged their strips of paper into parallel lines, while others crisscrossed their paper.  A few children even generated their own squared designs, creating a look not unlike plaid!  Projects like this one help them to develop their fine motor skills as they select and remove the paper as they choose what color to use and where to place it.  They also cultivate their own voices as artists when they express their individualized ideas of how the project should turn out.  Seeing each others’ interpretations of the project also helps demonstrate the idea that there is no “right answer” in art and that creativity comes in many forms!