SchoolArts - December 2010

Early Childhood Studio Lesson

Tuck Me In

Having bought the book, Who Will Tuck Me in Tonight? by Carol Roth, I couldn’t wait to share it with my primary students. The story is about a little lamb whose mother isn’t home to tuck him in for the night. It occurred to me that since the lamb ends up in bed, I could connect this lesson to an introduction on quiltmaking.

This led me to think that I needed to teach my students how to use a ruler to make straight lines and how to use lines and shapes to draw animals. I could also use the lesson to teach them about crayon resist.

Sheryl Depp

12" ( 30 cm) rulers, and crayons to draw their lambs and quilts. I encouraged them to press down hard when drawing and coloring because during the next class they would be adding something special to their pictures that required this preparation.

Understanding the Quilt

I gave a quick overview of the differ-
ence between blankets and quilts,
explaining that quilts are made from
scraps of fabric sewn to form a top
layer and then quilted together with
a soft filler and bottom piece. Blan-
kets are usually
one large piece of
fabric and can be
made from many
different types
of materials. I
showed students
an actual quilt
and pointed out the straight lines that
were created by sewing the pieces
together. I also pointed out the differ-
ent patterns on the fabric, in the event
that students wanted to decorate their
own quilts with patterns.

Next I explained that a ruler is not just for measuring things, but can also be used to draw straight lines. I demonstrated using the ruler, showing how to use the thumb and index finger like the letter “L” to hold the ruler in place while tracing.

Students were given 9 x 12" ( 23 x
30 cm) pieces of white drawing paper,

I needed to teach my
students how to use a ruler
to make straight lines and
how to use lines and
shapes to draw animals.

Crayon Resist

When students returned to class, I had tables set up with watercolor trays, containers of clean water, and paint-brushes. I explained that crayons are made from wax and that water resists or slides right off wax. Because of this, when they used watercolors to paint over their crayon, they would still see what they had colored. Their reaction to the magic of crayon resist was priceless!

Note: Students could draw other animals “tucked in” and different kinds of quilt designs using geometric shapes.

Sheryl Depp is an art teacher at Shady Hills Elementary School in Pasco County, Florida. shdepp@tampabay.rr.com

The Lamb

I gathered my students together on the floor mats at the front of the classroom and read them the story. I then showed them a finished example of the lamb quilt and demonstrated using straight and curved lines to draw the lamb’s head and front legs.