Art Studio Connections

Now the roads had meaning in both classrooms. Because we were always talking we recognized this overlapping theme emerging in the studio work that was being produced. We decided to add roads to the available materials in the studio. We also highlighted round objects for use as possible parts for vehicles.

"This is a car that goes really, really fast. Any time it crashes it stops going." Gregory (age 5)

"I made a street with cars. The cars are going to their houses. There is a traffic light at the end of the road. Sometimes the light is green, sometimes it's red." Yoona (age 5)

Our goal was to support and encourage the ideas of the children, rather than have them follow along with something we imposed. We moved slowly and carefully offering materials to see if this idea of vehicles and roads held enough interest to become a focus for the group. The children's response was evident to us when their work became more complicated. The artwork of the children reflects their understanding of common interests and ideas. In Yoona's work there is a lot about design and composition. The road provided a place for her story to happen. Gregory's story was about speeding and crashing. The children were constructing knowledge and understanding as they traveled with their individual vehicles along the roads.