"Texture is like a bump"

 Texture is a fun element of art because it incorporates movement and sensory play. It’s a dynamic, messy way of making art.

 

 As the children explored the tools, they observed and talked about what they were making. They made connections in their own work and to the world around them. 

Some children are still working on self-regulation, and learning when to stop. Many kindergarteners like to keep going until colours are muddled and the textures are lost. We repeated our texture exploration several times to help reinforce the idea of “less is more”. We talked about negative space: the white space where the eye can rest as it admires art. Internalizing this concept is an ongoing process.

Look, I made grass! - Payton

We decided to try exploring texture in playdough in order to focus on process rather than product. We used potato mashers, a whisk, bubble wrap, onion bags, non-slip mats, seashells, and anything else the children could think of to play with texture. The children had some great observations:

“A texture is like a bump” –Patrick

“It’s like snake skin.” –Owen

“You have to put it bubbly side down.” – Keegan

“The non-slip mat makes shapes.” – Lily

“Know what you could use to make textures? My shells!”  -Ayden

 The children used rich oral language to engage each other and to share their thinking. They narrated their work to each other and talked about the process of creating various textures. We observed a great deal of sharing and positive social behaviour. Art can lead to so much learning!