I can't believe it's already Thursday! We've had a busy short week getting over some colds and getting our carpet cleaned we've had lots of quiet play upstairs with free art projects available all day, rainy day movies, and no naps! The carpet is STILL a little damp in the playroom so no nap time again today, except for the really young ones.
Today we had sunshine again, hurray! We FINALLY were able to do our "Action Spatter" painting as our Great Artist of the week project. I have been waiting for weeks to do this with the children, it's an outdoor project that requires dry ground and not much wind. Today ended up being the perfect weather for such a project! Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) is known for his experimentation in painting techniques. He wanted his art to be different than photography and tried painting what he called "action painting" with his entire body involved in the motion. Pollock placed his canvas on the ground and then moved rapidly around the picture throwing and spattering paint stick to fling paint from the can onto the emerging wild design. Sometimes he would add a surprise element to his spatter paintings such as his own hand-print or pieces of his possessions.
Today the children did just this! We rolled a large piece of paper out onto the ground outside and put the paints and paintbrushes on the ground and let the children practice their "Action Spatter" 2 or 3 children at a time. The children really enjoyed themselves! It is fun to watch them experiment with something that they have never done before. They really made a beautiful piece of art work!
Our lunch was shredded beef taquito's, broccoli with veggie dip, banana and milk and our snack is individual strawberry shortcake cakes! These are a special treat to celebrate Annie because
tomorrow is Annie's last day of school. We will miss her so much! She is moving to Utah and is excited to see a new place and start kindergarten in Utah in the fall. She has been a wonderful addition to our class since she was 3 years old and it definitely won't be the same without her everyday.