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| AUTHENTIC ART BY PRESCHOOL CHILDREN: COLORS, SHAPES + PATTERNS ~~ OH MY! |
WELCOME! Looking for STEM + Art = STEAM?
Have I got an INCREDIBLE idea to share!
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This has to be the most amazing of the awesomesauce!
NEW TO ME!
FANTASTIC! INCREDIBLE!
SIMPLE-yet-0H-S0-PR0F0UND!
But, first. A little 'back-story.'
I'm an Author/Illustrator and I make school visits.
This is year number 19 for me, traveling about as a consultant.
Last week, was my FIRST, EVER, Week-long, District-wide RESIDENCY!
HUGE gratitude to the Del Valle ISD in TEXAS!
After giving my one-day staff development presentation, I then spent the next four days making 17 Author presentations to the youngest children in the school district:
THE PRESCHOOLERS!
Every one of the teachers had received a copy of my first book,
"You're Wonderful"
during our kick-off day together!
Take a peak!
"Why, YES! They DO LOOK LIKE QUILTS!"
Fabric is my addiction! Can't get enough!
I have made my book illustrations from fabric as small quilts.
Hubby gets them scanned professionally.
We publish my books, ourselves!
HOW UTTERLY DELIGHTFUL to land in Preschool during "Letter Q" week!
EVERYone knows that 'Q is for Quilt!'
.......................D-R-U-M-R-O-L-L.................
Now for the part you came searching for!
Gen-u-ine STEM activity for Preschool, Transitional K + KINDER too!
ARE. YOU. READY?
Part Math. Part Engineering. PART ART!
YES. FOLKS.
This next portion of the brilliance is created using POST-IT-NOTES!
Just as I hoard collect fabric,
I know that there are educators with drawers, bins and buckets of Post-its!
I know because I have seen your collections on Instagram!
LOOK HOW YOU CAN USE YOUR STASH!
QUILT SQUARES a la Post-its!
CHILDREN do the MATH and the ENGINEERING!
One square folded in half becomes a rectangle.
Two rectangles placed side by side, recreates the square:
IN TWO COLORS! {Or not.}
"You're Wonderful" is now a TEN YEAR OLD!
I have been traveling with my book for exactly ten years.
I have seen LOTS of brilliant 'quilt-making' ideas in a decade --
in response to my artwork.
I have LUV'd it all!
This is the first time to ever see the
POST-IT Note Engineering Quilt Block Idea!
If I could do a cartwheel, I would!
Instead I got out my PomPoms and went bonkers!
Even more amazing than the work itself?
For once I know where to give the "credit" for the brilliance.
Over our celebratory-pizza to conclude last week, I was still GUSHING over the post-it notes with the mastermind behind the entire residency week.
Turns out that my Wisconsin-born Scott, library man turned Early Childhood Center director has been mentored by
THE JUANITA COPLEY!
Nita has revised her NAEYC commissioned book,
So NOW let's take a close-up look at a LOT of the
other quilts from our week together!
I can't believe that I don't have pictures of every single collaborative piece of art created.
My apologies to some of the teachers, whose directed work is not represented here. My camera batteries and my memory cards were not always cooperative.
I do have quite a few images to share!
I have some EARLIER RoundUPs that are on the STEM Theme!
{Just click the picture to go back in time to the earlier article.}
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| Science in the Early Childhood Classroom |
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| Making Math Meaningful in the Early Education Classroom |
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| Quilts in the Classroom: Q is for Quilt! Community Collaboration: Geometry Meets Art |
The ideas of teaching maths to kids are just amazing. I just loved your extraordinary way and thanks for sharing this article with us. Can you share some information on Phoenix pre-k schools too? As, I am looking for preschool for my 3 years old daughter.
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