LESSON 1 - LINES, CIRCLES, DOTS

In this our first lesson the goal is to have the children learn about lines and the different shapes they construct, such as straight, curved, zig-zag, angled, swirls.

Before putting pencil to paper, the children experienced a line with their physical being. Ribbons were taped to the floor in different shapes and the children “walked the line”, whether that line was straight, curved, etc.  Having the children do this enhanced the teaching connection of how to draw a line, and what a line actually is.

Second, the children looked at a book about lines. They learned how to use lines to draw a picture, (making a picture out of only straight lines).

Next the children learned how  lines can make circles and dots.  The children had the option to walk in a circle or “jump” on a dot. Similarly, having a child hop from dot to dot enhances their ability to translate that motion to the paper when drawing dots.

The children then took lines that were cut out of different colored construction paper, and had the chance to paste them on a piece of paper. Dots and circles were also available for the children to paste into a design along with the lines.

Some children really took the time to walk on the lines as their younger age was much more geared toward being physical. Other children even decided to walk the lines backwards. They all enjoyed the cut lines and circles/dots, making individual collages, which took much concentration. They became very absorbed in the task, taking care to glue the lines and dots/circles down carefully.

For the end of this project, they were challenged to draw a picture of an animal (or anything else that came to mind) by using only lines or circles. Everyone was excited to begin this task. Some made very specific pictures while others decided to create in more abstract form.

Linking the physical to the pencil and paper is a very effective way to allow children to bond with the idea of drawing the world around them. It will allow them to better connect with the abstract idea of how a drawing is born, from the first strokes of the pencil to the final product.