Activity Plan #1 - Imagination Week: Tuesday

Activity Plan #1

Imagination Week: Tuesday

Activity: CREATIVE ART based on There’s a Monster in the Tree by Rozanne Lanczak Williams. Monster collage – What do you think a monster looks like?

Why do this activity? To promote physical, intellectual, and artistic development by encouraging children to be independent and creative in the creation of their own collage after reading the story.

What can children learn?
Physical – Manipulate small objects; use tools for writing/drawing; coordinating hand/eye movement; control small muscles in the hands
Intellectual – Remembering art station rules; show persistence in approaching tasks; explore cause and effect; recognize and repeat patterns; observe objects and events with curiosity
Language – Write letters and words; participate in conversation; ask questions; express self using words and expanded sentences
Emotional/Social – Demonstrate self direction and independence; follow classroom rules; play well with other children

Vocabulary Words: collage, monster, individual, imagination, pretend

Materials: Large (9”x13”) pieces of multi-colored construction paper cut with attached patterns; Book: There’s a Monster in the Tree (get from school library on Monday); buttons, shells, paper shreds, glitter, markers/crayons, goggle-eyes, yarn, plastic grass, pom-poms, leaves, pipe cleaners, mixed dry beans for decoration; Tupperware containers of white glue; clean paintbrushes (for glue); tempera paint; brushes of various sizes (for paint); extra construction paper; safety scissors

Prepare for the Activity: Cut out large construction paper with attached patterns (1/child with some extras); prep art materials in small containers (Tupperware or glad ware) and set them out on the art table; set out paint brushes and markers on the art table; set out containers of paint and glue but leave the lids on until the children are ready to use them; lay out smocks on the chairs

Lead small groups: From choice time we will flick the lights and begin to sing the story-rug song. Children will put away the toys and go to their spots on the rug. Shaniqua is our helper today so she will grab the book for us from the easel (DAP because Shaniqua shows herself to be a natural leader in the observation video.) Children will sit on the rug while I read the book to them. After I have finished the story I will ask the children some questions (no wrong answers – totally open-ended) – Was this story pretend or real? Do you think monsters are pretend or real? Do you think there are good monsters as well as bad ones? And finally I will ask the children (transition question) – What do you think a monster would look like? – letting them call out some answers (about 3 to 5 minutes depending how engaged the children are.) I will then say “Well, why don’t we go to the art table and create some monsters for our classrooms.” Children can pick their paper color and pattern and pick from the supplies on the table. When they have created a monster to their satisfaction we will ask them to name their monster. We will transcribe the name and a sentence or two about the monster, its likes/dislikes, favorite things to eat or do, whether they are good or bad, etc. We will hang all of the completed art work on the “Imagination Board” at the front of the classroom so parents can see the art when they come in at the end of the day. After Imagination Week is over the children can take their monsters home.

Respond to individuals: I will make sure, first of all, that the children know that monsters are pretend and that the monsters we make are pretend as well. I will ask them to describe their collage and ask them questions like “What is your monster’s name?” “What do you think they like to do?” “Where do you think they came from?”

Follow up after the activity: Shaniqua is very skilled at playing without reacting to others around her. When two of her classmates became bored with the activity and began to act out, Shaniqua kept creating her art activity. She quietly asked them to be quiet because they were bothering her. We thanked Shaniqua for using nice words towards her classmates and asked the two who were acting out if they had any nice words to say back to Shaniqua. They said they were sorry yet continued to act out. We removed them from the table and set them to work on something that was a little easier for them at a different table. They did not have the small muscle control that the other children had and were frustrated by all the small parts on the table. When we gave them larger paint brushes to work with they quieted down and began to work on their project.

Shaniqua reacted very well to this activity. We knew that she enjoyed working alone, but near other children, so this activity was very appropriate for her. She has very well developed small muscle control so manipulating the small art objects was easy for her. She expressed at the end that her monster was “pretty” and that she “liked it”. She named it “Rose Marie” and said “She likes to dance, sing, and take care of her baby monsters. She is a good monster. She is a mommy monster.” Shaniqua was able to express her ideas about her monster in complete, if short, sentences.

Involve families: Hang collages on the “Imagination Board” for parents to see. Frame each and make sure the name and sentences describing it are stapled under it. Send the collages home with the children in their cubby when Imagination Week is done. Encourage parents to talk about the concepts of “real” and “pretend” with their children and talk any fears or concerns out with them. If their children have any major fears or concerns encourage the parents to talk to the child’s teacher about it. We can then talk more about it in class and tailor activities to help them understand “real” and “pretend” better.

Notes: This activity worked very well for 8/10 of our students. We had two who were not developmentally ready for working with and manipulating the small objects. When we do this activity again we will provide the large paintbrushes from the start and also some larger objects for the children to paste onto their collages. The children who were engaged were very excited about the subject matter and they all wanted to tell us about their monsters. There seemed to be no fear at all of the subject matter like some of us teachers feared there would be. We would definitely do this activity again with the students with a few tweaks on the materials.



Rationale
I selected this activity because it fit many developmentally appropriate standards for three-year-olds. Based on the observation I made of Shaniqua I found her to be on track with other children her age. She was deft at handling small objects so I knew her fine motor skills to be well developed. Having different sized materials for her to work with meant that she could use her fine motor skills to grasp and manipulate. Intellectually I observed Shaniqua showing persistence while she was trying to keep her baby wrapped and feed him at the same time, so I knew that a creative art task was well suited to her. This activity was not very language-oriented but I knew Shaniqua to be able to speak in complete sentences, even if her grammar was not completely correct. At the end of the art activity I encouraged Shaniqua to tell me a little about her monster. She was able to express herself and practice her descriptive skills. Emotionally and socially Shaniqua was on par with other children her age. She had a high level of self-direction and independence therefore would work well on her own activity as long as other children were near. She followed the art station rules and politely asked the other children to follow them as well.





Evaluation
If the activity was DAP I would expect to see children:
• Using art supplies for their intended purpose
• Working diligently on their collage
• Working well with other kids, not fighting over supplies
• Showing excitement for their project and showing pride in their completed work

If the activity was not DAP I would expect to see children:
• Acting out
• Throwing art tools
• Eating/misusing art supplies
• Fighting over supplies or over the paper
• Acting like they don’t care about their work