Once upon a time, about 8 or 9 years ago, I delighted in the cute, detailed crafts my son brought home from preschool. I couldn't wait to see what he would bring home next, because it was all too adorable! Once, he brought home a can perfectly wrapped in blue paper, with eyes and details that made it look exactly like Cookie Monster. Inside, there were round shaped "cookies" with letters and numbers on it - a game for him to play. Another time was a fantastic haunted house made out of construction paper, complete with opening doors and windows with surprises that peeked out of each. They were fun. And I appreciated the effort the teacher went to. But there was just one problem. I KNEW that my kid wasn't doing the majority of the "art project." There was no way he could make something look that nice! Still, I loved it.
Fast forward a few years later to when I began teaching preschool, I was excited to "help" the students create similarly cute crafts. We did them regularly. We provided a sample. We would give instructions on how to make it look like the sample. Almost always, the instructions included... "And then you need to wait for a teacher to help you _______." Which basically meant that me and my partner were going around the table FINISHING the craft for them because the majority of the time, the tasks required were not age appropriate at all, The things we did were super cute! Again, the only problem was, the kids were so NOT engaged in them. Some of them didn't even want to try for fear of doing it wrong. Their part of the craft typically took two minutes to complete, if that. Then we would rush around as the kids sat bored, waiting for us to "help" them finish. I quickly learned by experience that this was not the ideal way to do art in preschool.
Not a whole lot of learning goes on when we give kids unreasonable expectations, and desire a finished product that is practically impossible for them to achieve. In fact, the message we are sending is: we go to school to please the teacher and my art should look just like hers. Or, if I want mine done right, someone else has to do it for me. That is NOT the message I want to send to my preschoolers. My goal is to engage them every day - to harness their natural curiosity and let them explore, cheering them on as they go. I want them love learning, and creating, and problem solving. Research has shown that much more learning takes place when teachers focus on the PROCESS, not the PRODUCT.
I was thrilled to see that the Mother Goose Time curriculum has shifted its focus to process oriented art as well, and nearly every day it includes an "Invitation to Create." This means that art materials are set out in an appealing way on the table, along with an Inspiration Photo that might get their creative juices flowing. For example, since we are learning about different pets, today I set out a photo of a cat, with some green paper, several shapes, twist ties, grass, and glue. I encouraged them to look at the picture and tell me if they see any shapes in the cat's body. Then I prompted, "What could you do with these shapes? What is your plan for your design?" Then I let them at it. When the process is at work, the children are totally engaged and usually sit for at least 10 minutes, sometimes as much as 20 minutes, focused on their creations. There is no correcting, no expectations, just free exploration and creating from their little hearts. They learn by experience and LOVE it. The finished products are messy. They are definitely not Pinterest-worthy. But they are creations the kids can be proud of, because they truly did it themselves.
These projects strengthen fine motor skills from squeezing the glue, manipulating the pieces, coloring or painting, and cutting. They are also introduced to many different kinds of fine art through the Inspiration Photo. They learn problem solving and planning. There is lots of learning going on!
As the kids worked on Cat Collage today, I asked them to identify what shapes they used. This is my informal method of assessment, and helps me know what the kids understand and what we need to work on more. I will be saving some of these projects in a portfolio, and sharing them with you a few times throughout the year so you will know what skills your child needs to work on, and what they are a star at.
I hope this post has answered some of the questions you may have had. Here is an article that gives more information about process art:
http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/process-art-experiences
(Side note, I am trying to encourage each child to learn to ask for help when they need it. Rather than complaining or whining, or sitting there waiting, I would like them to ask, "will you please help me, Ms. Holli." If you could reinforce this at home, that would be great!)
