     The children have been very busy in their weekly art specialty class. The four year nursery children came back from the Succot break to learn about the splatter paint art of Jackson Pollock. Then they learned about mixing colors and creating the rainbow by blending the three primary colors to make the secondary colors.
      Often during art, we discuss terms to familiarize the children with certain concepts. For example, we talked about the differences between sculptures and collages. The four year old nursery children had a chance to make their own of each.
While the kindergarten children also learn concepts, on a weekly basis they are introduced to an artist and his painting method. They learned that Georges Seurat's Pointillism, is a way to paint placing small dots very close together. They also discovered that one of their favorite authors is also an illustrator. They learned that Eric Carle collaged the pictures in his books. Before collaging however, he painted his own paper to create the beautiful textures. Similarly, the kindergarten children had the opportunity to make their paper and collage pictures in the style of the famous author turned artist.
     We discussed that in our tefillot to Hashem we ask for rain. Similarly, the Native Americans ask for rain when they dance with their rain sticks.
The kindergarten children learned about the Native American art of the Pacific Northwest. The Indians of that region used giant trees to make beautiful pieces of art. The most well known type of Native American art is the totem pole. Totem Poles are made for the purpose of telling a story. Some poles tell the story of the history of a particular family within a tribe. The children compared how we read stories from books, to the very different way the Indians "read" a story. The children had the opportunity to make their own "tree trunks" and Native American art, which was then transformed into a totem pole. Totem Poles are only made to tell stories. They are not worshipped.
     Rain sticks are percussion instruments that were traditionally made from dried, hollowed branches. Thorns were then pounded into the shaft in a spiral pattern. The stick was then filled with small pebbles and sealed on both ends. When the instrument was tilted and turned the pebbles trickled over the thorns creating the sound of rain. Rain sticks originated by tribesmen who used them in ceremonies to celebrate the beginning of the rainy season. The four year nursery children made their own rain sticks by decorating cardboard tubes. The tubes are filled with precut paper and pebbles simulating the thorns and small beads.
     Please keep in mind that we are placing your children's art in a portfolio. The children will be bringing them home shortly for your enjoyment. Also, I am collecting their artwork for display in school. If you notice something missing, remember that it is likely hanging on our walls.