Fine Motor 29 Back-to-School on Wheels Edition

WELCOME or Welcome BACK!!! 

It's Fine Motor Friday. 

Welcome to installment #29 in the series. 

This is the back-to-school edition with a special look at all things with wheels. 

School is in full swing. 

Let's get started with some centers that encourage writing. 

If you're a regular reader here you may remember me quoting the brilliant Anonymous with the chestnut, 

"The bridge to reading is through the child's name." 

Dare I piggyback on the tall shoulders of Anonymous? 

You have my permission to quote me. 

"The foundation of all writing is built on the child's name." 

-- Debbie Clement --

Let's get those names front and center! 

****I have an earlier roundUP of inspiration, where I gathered together all sorts of projects having to do with names. Click here for those ideas. 

Earlier "Name" RoundUP 

I have featured lots of 'sign-in' systems here in the past.
That earlier article has 6 variations grouped together for a variety of ages, needs and capabilities.  


Now I have yet another classroom system.
I saw this one just last week making my local Author/Illustrator school visit. 

You'll notice that some of the students require the guide of dotted lines to follow. 

While others in the same room are already independent. 

In this classroom Fine Motor REALLY does lead to Fine ARTS!!! 

As soon as the students get signed-in they then move over to the table with the water colors! 

LUV LUV LUV it!! 

So now to the 'wheels' component of today's installment. Just how do you get to school? Out here in rural-world its all about the traditional yellow school bus! These beauties are an exercise in cutting skills and were created by 'at-risk' preschoolers within the elementary school setting. My favorite parts on each project are the WINDOWS! 

Vance is obviously impressed with the steps into the bus. 

Here's a slightly more sophisticated school bus project. I photographed these happy buses a while back during my NYC tour. These view are of Long Island. How appropriate that these works have the buses driving through the city!

The part I LUV about these next pieces? They are all constructed out of the very basic shapes. I see squares, rectangles and circles. These were directed by the building's brilliant art teacher, but this concept could easily be produced in the classroom during a study of shapes! 

While I was at Southern Door Elementary I was able to pop in on a few of the classes in action while I was between performances. I was able to see this little fellow at work so diligently adding the details to his drawing. It reminded me of other images I have stored up that have 'wheels.' So let's think of wheels. Turning.   
I wish I had a video of the focus and concentration in the creation of this dirt bike. 

With something as complex as a wheeled machine,

there are several ways to approach your subject. 

One theory would be to start with the framework first. 

........and then add the wheels at the end. 

Another possibility is to 'provide' wheels before you even get underway. 
Glue those circles into place and then draw your bike around the orbs. 
In this instance each child received 2 black 'foam' circles. 

What a great prompt to start an observational drawing with a young child. This photo below was in the hallway at Concordia in Chicago and much of their focus comes from a Reggio approach to working with children. 

Let me conclude with this final drawing by a second grader. 

The assignment was to use parquetry blocks. 

LUV LUV LUV his race car conclusion! 

To end up with imaginative, creative, unique and individual 'work' such as this race car we need to lay the foundation all along with children. The reality is that those fine motor skills need to be refined over time. Simple cutting skills in preschool are a challenge for many. Given time and opportunity those skills are mastered. 

What an awesome and meaningful 'job' to be given the clipboard and tally the requests of peers around lunch choices. YEAH KINDERGARTEN! 

***The professional hole-diggers were digging a hole in front of our little place up here and in the process they sliced our cable to the internet: AKKKKKKK! This article is what I had in the hopper. I'm at the library now and will update it as the afternoon unfolds. I know I'm missing some links etc. If it doesn't all make sense, now you know the rest of the story. 

-- Debbie --