nurturing the individual child

Scissors and Glue’s most recent workshop focused on the double theme of comics and dots.  The students ranged from ages 2 to 8, so a wide variety of activities were available–all with a dots or comics focus.  With a quick lesson on Ben-Day dots (references for the lesson here and here), the students were then free to create a mini comic book, use dilly-dot style makers, arrange dot materials in a project of their choosing, with materials ranging from tissue boxes, other print on paper, washi tape, printed comics characters and dotted ribbon.  And of course a follow-up activity included decorating cookies with dots (for thorough sensory recall!)

Students were also given prototype mini comics to view, created by North Carolina artist Ben Towle.  Watch for more pictures this week from the Comics and Dots “party.”  All activities supported student learning through creativity and a connected theme.

Check it out!  Children were given a piece of upcycled card stock (from a local department store) with a blue craft fuzz ball hot glued onto it.  They were simply told to turn it into whatever they wanted.  Look at the fabulous results here

Florida teachers utilized old sheet music scrap as writing prompts for children.  The children then decorated a triptych scene by collaging with the sheet music scraps .  The music teacher also talked to each child about the sheet music their diorama included. . .reference in history, significance of symbols, and essence of the art.

“Above all things we must take care that the child, who is not yet old enough to love his studies, does not come to hate them and dread the bitterness which he once tasted, even when the years of infancy are left behind.  His studies must be made in amusement.”

-Marcus Fabius Quintilianus

-who invented cupcakes?  Where?  When?  Find that country or place of origin on a map.  What else was going on in history when the cupcake was invented?

-If you had a  cupcake store, what would you name it?  Why?

-create a budget for start-up cupcake business

-play bakery and have the students count out money for cupcake prices

-find books already written about cupcakes; do a book report

-find out how much cupcake businesses make each year; how much revenue does that generate for a city or municipality?

-write a song about cupcakes; create rhythm patterns to go with it

and on and on.   Put that in your Common Core cupcake and eat it!

Let’s keep the fun in learning and teaching.