2. Kindergarteners
• Engage in the creative process with
freedom, enthusiasm, exhilaration
and amazement.
• Among the most creative and
independent groups of students.
• Interested in EVERYTHING
3. But, establishing routines….
• They don’t understand intrinsically
yet that they are on a schedule.
• Announcements, rules, requests,
and expectations about behavior all
apply to their classmates, but never
to themselves.
4. Keep it simple
• Everything is
new, and too
many routines
can lead to
confusion.
5. Keep expectations and routines clear
Kindergarteners
always go to the
rug
They are
instructed to sit on
the black edge of
the carpet.
– Boys sit next to girls and
girls sit next to boys.
6. Announcements
• Give them something to do
– 1-2-3 eyes on me…..
●
1-2 eyes on you
– Touch your nose so I know you are listening
– In a minute….
●
but not yet….
– We will move our artwork so it doesn’t get ruined while we clean up.
– If you are still working… clip your picture to your work and put it safely in your color
unfinished work box.
– If you are finished, put your work on the take home table and put your placemat in the
placemat box, so that we can clean up.
– See if you can sit back at your seats with your table box nice and neat before the clean
up song ends. Go.
7. Art show
I do not collect artist statements from Kindergarteners
Sometimes I do a “Have-to” for their art show pieces
8. I needed to assign seats to eliminate behavior issues…but how to keep choice?
9. Kindergarten Boxes
Boxes all had the same supplies and spots were marked to let them know where to put things and what was still coming.
13. They worked for longer on individual pieces because they did not
feel as though they had to hurry to get to the next table.
14. Color Boxes = Color Groups
A dot on the placemat
let them know their
home table.
Groups can be modified
as needed.
Students can request to
work with a friend on a
project and be
temporarily moved as
well.
15. Using Placemats, storing work
• Saving seats
• A second empty box will be put out just before clean up time for unfinished work.
• Students clip their picture to their work.
z
25. Show them EVERYTHING and STICK to it!
How to clean up
How to put work away
How to stay seated until their table is cleaned up
How to come to the rug for share time
How to share
How to line up
How to Enter
How to sit on the rug
How to find their work
How to take out materials and tools and share them
How to wait patiently by my side to ask a question
How to listen to announcements
26. The clearer the routines and rules are, the more
time you will see the delightful side of these kids.
27. The more time you will have to appreciate the
wonders that they can produce.
28. So that they can spend their time testing the boundaries of their
artwork rather than the boundaries of your art room.
My name is Anne Bedrick, I teach K-4 in NY
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Determination
Afraid of nothing!
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Self absorbed
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For some kids this is their first school experience.
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I do demos on the rug on a small step stool
sit boy girl to reduce chatting and sillyness
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Done as a call back
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They want to take everything home all the time, so it is easier on them if EVERYONE leaves their work on the same day.
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I didn't want to limit their amazing artistic ability and creativity, just their impulsive, unsafe behavior.
The birth of the table boxes.
Kept it simple…small pieces of collage paper, water color paints, some markers and colored pencils, scissors, glue, rulers and circle makers.
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Some kids didn't like that they had to stay at their seats, some felt relieved at the calm that descended. But the most remarkable part was that the work was better than ever.
Some days I added model magic to the boxes
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By November or December when they become very comfortable with the table boxes, I introduce the special projects table. A place to try something new.
Come to the Special projects table instead of their home table. If they finish the special project and want to return to their home table, they can do so after they clean up their spot.
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