Creative Arts

Creative arts, such as visual art, music, movement, and pretend play, engage children on multiple levels, stimulating their intellect, emotions, and physical, perceptual, and social skills. Adults can provide a safe and secure environment for children to express themselves artistically, whether it's drawing, moving to music, creating songs, or engaging in pretend play scenarios.

5 additional materials to further children's learning and exploration: triangle crayons, pipe cleaners, Kwik Stix, arts & crafts supply center, and super safe paper center.

KDI's List:

40. Art: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through two- and three- demensional art.

41. Music: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through music.

42. Movement: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through movement.

43. Pretend play: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through pretend play.

44. Appreciating the arts: Children appreciate the creative arts.

Planning Form

Name of Activity
My Heart is Like a Zoo

Originating Idea

Children will understand that emotions can be represented through art. Children will create animal shapes using hearts to express different feelings.

Curriculum Area

Highlight 1:

Approaches to learning

Social and emotional development

Physical development and health

Language, literacy, and communication

Mathematics

Creative arts

Science and technology

Social studies

KDIs

40. Art: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through two- and three- dimensional art.

Materials

Book "My Heart Is Like a Zoo" by Michael Hall
Pre-cut out construction paper heart shapes of different sizes and colors
Glue sticks
Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
Googly eyes (optional)
Stickers (optional)

Appropriate Age group

GSRP – ages 3 to 5

Beginning of Activity

Gather the children and read "My Heart Is Like a Zoo.” Engage them by showing the illustrations and discussing the different animals and emotions presented in the book.

After reading, ask open-ended questions about the story. For example: "What animals did you see in the book?" "How do you think the animals feel?" "Have you ever felt like one of these animals?"

Explain that just like the animals in the book, we all have different feelings.

Middle of Activity

Tell the children that they will create their own animal hearts! They will use heart shapes to make different animals, just like in the book.

Early:

Children may use art and building materials in non-representational ways or work without being concerned about representing anything.

Middle:

Children may make simple representations with one or two basic features or accidentally create an image and then recognize that it can represent something.

Later:

Children may make complex representations with several details and intentionally represent something.

End of Activity

Gather the children together for a recap. Ask them to share something about their artwork and the emotion their animal represents. Discuss how art helps us express our feelings and how different animals can show different emotions.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

Mood Painting
The Floor is Lava

Planning Form

Name of Activity

Mood Painting

Originating Idea

Introducing young children to the concept of expressing emotions through art. Help children associate colors with different moods and feelings. Encourage self-expression through painting inspired by music.

Curriculum Area

Highlight 1:

Approaches to learning

Social and emotional development

Physical development and health

Language, literacy, and communication

Mathematics

Creative arts

Science and technology

Social studies

KDIs

41. Music: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through music.

Materials

HighScope’s Big Beats for Young Peeps CD
CD Player or desk top computer with CD reader
White Card Stock Paper 8.5x11 or Larger
Water-based washable paints (various colors)
Various types of Paintbrushes, sponges, and rollers
Smocks
Emotion Cards visible to children representing different emotions: happy, sad, angry, etc.

Appropriate Age group

GSRP – ages 3 to 5

Beginning of Activity

Explain that they will be painting while listening to music that has different tempos and beats, these will make us feel different things. Show the emotion cards and discuss each emotion briefly. Ask the children how they feel when they hear different types of music. Encourage them to share times when they felt happy, sad, or excited.

Middle of Activity

Remind them that colors can represent feelings like with our daily mood meter check-in, how blue represents sadness, yellow symbolizes happiness, green is calm and red for anger.

Early:

Children may listen to sounds and observe, occasionally participating.

Middle:

Children may label sounds, add sounds to items they play with and sing simple familiar songs like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.

Later:

Children may describe sounds in the environment, experiment with tempos fast/slow and loud/soft and sing more complex songs with chorus and verses.

End of Activity

Once they finish painting, encourage the children to talk about their artwork. Ask them to share what they painted and what mood or feeling it represents.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

My Heart is a Zoo
The Floor is Lava

Planning Form

Name of Activity

The Floor is Lava

Originating Idea

I watched Mr. Allen do this in his GSRP classroom.

Curriculum Area

Highlight 1:

Approaches to learning

Social and emotional development

Physical development and health

Language, literacy, and communication

Mathematics

Creative arts

Science and technology

Social studies

KDIs

42. Movement: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through movement.

Materials

Promethean Board or any other computer set up with access to YouTube Floor Is Lava Song by THE KIBOOMERS Preschool Songs Freeze Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbNAiN8FTfc
The entire classroom except the sensory table as it has wheels and is unsafe for climbing

Appropriate Age group

GSRP – ages 3 to 5

Beginning of Activity

Discuss what hot lava is and what would happen if they touched it. Remind them they need to listen to what is being said so they can freeze when they say so or follow the different actions that are being sung about.

Middle of Activity

When the song says, "The floor is lava," tell the children that they must get off the floor to stay safe from the lava.

Early:

Children may explore moving their bodies, parts of their bodies or move their bodies independently of the features of the music.

Middle:

Children may use movement to represent their experiences in simple ways or move in one or two ways connected to the music they hear.

Later:

Children may use movement to represent their experiences in complex ways and describe how their movements are connected to the music they hear.

End of Activity

Discuss the different ways they moved (jumping, hopping, etc.), where their favorite place was to be when they were told that “the floor is lava” and why it’s fun to move our bodies.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

My Heart is a Zoo
Mood Painting