SchoolArts - November 2006

Fang Fang

Early Childhood Studio Lesson Art from overseas: CHINA

In China, paper cutting is valued as a traditional folk art. There are a variety of paper cuttings As I unfolded it, the kids that are fairly easy to do, expressed their delight. Then I even for very young students. showed how they could draw Kids really love this activ- the lines ants would take ity because it is like play- walking away from the ing a game with paper folded edge and then back and scissors. to where they started. However, simple The students quickly playing is not started to work. All enough. We want the resulting paper students to learn cuts were connected the skills and enjoy as in my example. the art of paper cut- Through such ting while playing. games, students enjoy The question is how the happiness of learn-to teach the subject ing and success, and well. After several their abilities improve years of teaching, I as they play the games. In developed a “playful art class, we can use games teaching method” for paper to make our teaching more cutting. Let’s look at a first appealing. Students can play grade art class to see how they while they learn and learn while learned the technique of paper they play, fully experiencing the joy cutting. of the classroom.

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Little Ants Going for a Walk

Finding the Hidden Pictures To help students understand how to Here is an example of what I said to keep the paper connected when my class during this lesson: “Two cutting a design into it, I made a treasures belong to human beings: game of “little ants going out for our brains and our hands. Pick up a walk.” your scissors. Today you will use I folded a square of paper in half your hands and your brain.” and then half again and placed it

I told the class, on the projector “We are going to Students can play while ^screen. ^I ^made ^alearn how to cut out _they _learn _and _learn pencil mark at the a design with clus- end of one folded _ters _of _flowers.” _Stu-while they play, fully _edge _(away _from _thedents were eager to experiencing the joy of folded center) and get started as soon the classroom. said, “Look! There as they saw my is a black point from examples. I said, “Let’s play a game the pencil tip. Doesn’t it look like called Finding the Hidden Pictures. an ant? The ant is going to take Please compare these flowers with a walk on my folded paper.” The these other paper cuttings. What’s students watched, wondering how the difference between them? If you an ant took a walk and where it will look carefully, you will find was going. out their secrets.” I drew a curved arch from the The students examined the “ant” to the middle of the folded flower paper cuts carefully. Soon paper and made another “ant” small hands were raised high, eager there. I said “Another ant also to tell the “secrets” they had found. wants to go for a walk with the It is very important to teach them first one.” While saying this, I how to attain the key skills, such as drew another curved arch to the keeping the paper cuts connected. end of the opposite folded edge. This is the hardest part of the les- I cut along the lines that showed son. I use a method I call “connect- the ants’ paths, and then opened ing the center while separating the up the paper. two sides” to solve the problem.