Inspiration from the Blogosphere: Making Marks on the Page

Preschoolers are interested in writing. They see adults writing things and are intrigued by these marks on the page. They play with writing, drawing lines and squiggles. They draw pictures to show their own ideas and what they are thinking. And, in addition, all those play experiences that develop their fine motor skills help prepare their hands and fingers for writing.

Below are some inspirations related to writing and pre-writing. Remember play = writing!


Best DIY Easel Ever (Teach Preschool)
One of the ways that preschoolers love to make marks on the page is through painting. Deborah at Teach Preschool has a great DIY easel. Since I love repurposing things, I really liked this idea. And four kids can paint at once. If you don't have space for  free-standing easel (or don't even have one), try this great idea from Deborah.

We have painted with feathers.

Sensory Writing Tray (Pre-K Pages)
I love to use writing trays. This post is a great look at the basics of a writing tray. You can use colored sand or salt, add scents (like lavender) to increase the sensory experience, provide cards with letters or shapes to copy, or just allow kids to explore with writing in the tray. In addition to using fingers, we've added watercolor brushes to write with. Kids can use the brush end or the handle end to write.


Make Your Own Book (Sunny Day Family)
Some of my kids have loved making their own books. (Some of them just love using the stapler!) We usually just have blank paper, the stapler, and writing items. But Laura has created some templates for book pages. I like the "official" look of these pages and some budding authors would love to use these as a guide for writing and drawing their own books.

Sometimes we have blank books in the writing center.

 Dry Erase Board Mazes (No Time for Flash Cards)
I stumbled upon this older post and immediately was intrigued. First of all, more repurposing with the CD cases. (I have some lying around.) I love the working on a maze and easily erasing a misstep along the way. And I thought it would be fun to take turns drawing a maze - on a dry erase board - and asking a friend to solve it. In either case, kids would be practicing making marks in a more controlled way. (And, if you don't have CD cases, use frames with clear glass or even a sheet protector clipped to a clipboard.)


Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Slime (Teaching Mama)
Building those small muscles of the hand and fingers is a great pre-writing activity. Anything that allows manipulation and squeezing and using the fingers can build fine motor skills. Angela posted this recipe for fun smelling slime and I really want to make some.

We have made and used galaxy slime!

Pom Pom Grab and Drop (Busy Toddler)
Moving thing with tongs is another great fine motor activity. Susie posted this activity...and I immediately began thinking about what other things we could move with tongs. Maybe my foam cubes or wide collection of plastic lids? Maybe magnet letters? Of course, pom-poms are great, too.

Dollar Store Writing Center (Pre-K Pages)
And check out this post I wrote for Vanessa and Pre-K Pages. You can create a writing center for your kids with items from a dollar store. Mix and match the items you'd like to have for your center. And encourage kids to make marks on a page...playing with writing. (More about our writing center.)

Drawing Variations

Kids love to draw. They love using all kinds of different materials to make marks on paper. Sometimes, because it is such a familiar activity, we may not see how valuable this type of activity can be. And, sometimes changing things up a little can interject some additional creativity into these materials. 

In our Art Camp this summer, we had a drawing day. These are a few "variations" that we added to using crayons, markers, and pencils.

Pastels at the Easel

Sometimes using a little different medium can grab the attention of children. We used some pastels from Discount School Supply; these pastels were like brighter and smoother crayons. We used them at the easel with our regular manila paper. I had placed a full length mirror beside the easel and suggested children draw self-portraits.

These pastels were a hit. While they didn't seem radically different from crayons to me, the children did seem to think they were "better." 

They enjoyed them so much we left them at the easel for the next day of camp. One girl spent a long time creating drawings and went back several times to make other drawings, too. A little different medium creates some drawing variation.

Complete the Picture

We printed pictures of animals from online. Well, half a picture. We placed the half pictures on a table with some charcoal pencils (another different medium). Several kids looked at this activity and felt challenged by it. So challenged that they passed it up.

The brave few worked to complete the animal pictures. I wouldn't call this an unqualified success. But I would like to try this idea with some different types of pictures and with some different groups of children. This activity was definitely a variation for our kids.

Eyes Picture

This activity is kind of related to the complete the picture activity. I placed a pair of eyes on each piece of paper. The eyes were randomly placed. (We used eye stickers from Discount School Supply; you could use wiggle eyes from the craft store, too.) 

Children were challenged to incorporate the eyes into a drawing. Some ignored the eyes and just drew what they wanted; or they would draw what they wanted and add something to make the eyes make sense.

Others drew a face or figure with the eyes. This face/figure would be small at the eyes' location. Then they drew other things - things that may or may not relate to the face.

But one boy looked at the paper and embraced the challenge. He drew a person that incorporated the eyes completely. 

This activity is definitely one I'll do again. I'd like to try adding other types of things to the page for children to incorporate - paper or sticker shapes or random squiggles already on the paper. I think these variations help kids think beyond what they may normally do.

Drawing is a fun way to express yourself. And drawing is a form of writing. Drawing - putting marks on a page - does communicate ideas from one person to another. 

And the ideas I've been seeing are worth sharing!

Art Outdoors

In our Art Camp this summer, we talked about artists and we explored all kinds of art. In our schedule we wanted to include some outdoor time. After all, who doesn't enjoy a little playground time? But we wanted to have some art experiences outdoors, too. Since each day had an art "theme," we tried to keep with those ideas. Here's what we did.

Painting Day
On this day, we had two types of experiences.

1. Flyswatter Painting - Dip flyswatters in paint and hit the paper.
I've always wanted to do this but really didn't have the right situation. Until now. Kids enjoyed this.
My takeaway: Set up several stations so more kids can do it at a time.

2. Spray Painting - Pour liquid watercolor in spray bottles and spray away.
Kids enjoyed this, too. I've done this once before indoors. Never again. Or now without lots of surrounding structure. Outdoors, this was perfect.
My takeaway: Fill up the bottles with paint and bring more for backup.

Overall, we just wanted more.

Drawing Day

An old stand-by was the feature for us - drawing with chalk. We drew on the floor of the picnic pavilion outside the playground. We also had spray bottles of water and paintbrushes with buckets of water to make our drawings "disappear."

My takeaway: Chose a "canvas" that will be exposed to the rain or that no one will care has lots of chalk lines. Our art left some residue behind. (And I was out painting with water for a while after camp was over.)

Collage/Sculpture Day

We made a collage/sculpture on the fencing around the playground with plastic cups. It really looked like an art installation after we were finished. I liked the "come and go" nature of this activity. Kids would place one or two cups and then leave; later they would come back and add another one. Other kids would play on the playground for a while and then try the art. And others stayed with the art for a longer while.

My takeaway: Try the materials first! (I tell people this all the time and then I didn't do it.) The cups we had were a little too large for the fence. Kids had to work to get them to stay in. It was a great motor activity but a little frustrating for some of them.

Removing the "evidence"

Art belongs outside as well as inside. What art experiences have taken you into the great outdoors?

Favorite Things: White Boards Again

A while back (actually a long while back), I wrote that our small white boards are one of my favorite things to use in the classroom. In recent weeks, I've been reminded how great these tools are.

These boards have been the source of some of our recent literacy play. They allow children to explore and experiment without the "stress" of being permanent. Mistake? Erase and go at it again. The boards can be a great way to relieve stress - just scribble away for a few minutes.

I have enjoyed watching children use the white boards for their versatility. Here's one of my friends working recently. He stayed working at the table for 30-45 minutes. (He did little else that morning.)

He drew a picture of someone. He told me a brief story about this person. He colored in all the open areas. (Developing narrative skills.) Then he erased.

He began to print words. He printed some of his favorite words. (I know they are his favorites because he writes them frequently.) I was nearby, talking to another child and working with them.

"Mr. Scott," my friend said, "I don't know how to spell entertainment." We talked about that for a minute. I asked if he wanted me to write in on another white board and he could copy it. He agreed. I slid the word over to him.

"Hey," he said, "it has 3 Ts!" I replied, "And it has 3 Ns." He looked again. "And 3 Es," he continued. "And 1 R, 1 A...." He continued through the rest of the letters that we not mentioned. (More literacy play!)

He added the word to his board. He drew around the words for a while. He erased one word, then another, then another. (Developing more control over his fine motor skills.)

I had to move to other places in the room. I noticed my friend still sitting at the table working. His hand was moving back and forth, like he was scribbling. I walked over. He was coloring in his latest work.

I watched. He looked up. I said, "I have seen that before. Are you drawing something that you've seen before?" He said yes. I left him alone to work.

Later I was back at the table where he was still working. I noticed that he was writing numbers. He had started at 1 and was writing them in order. He noticed me and began saying the numbers as he wrote them. (Developing numeral and sequence skills)

He continued to write. Sometimes he said the number. Sometimes I said it. Then a I made a mistake. I said the wrong number. "No," he said. I corrected myself. We continued in this way for a while. Sometimes I would say the wrong number (out of sequence). He would giggle and I would correct myself. Sometimes I would say a nonsensical number (forty-eleven, seventy-J). He would giggle and tell me no. I would correct it.

At one point, the board was full. He flipped to the other side (also writable surface) and continued.

We reached 100. He continued. He wrote to 109. Stopped. Sat for a moment, thinking. He wrote 10 and thought. I said, "One hundred ten." He wrote a 1 in front of the 10. (Huge surprise for me. That's good thinking!) He continued to 113. The board was full. Both sides.

We showed Mrs. Cindy was he had accomplished. He erased the board. (Sorry, no pictures. I was too involved in what we were doing.)

"Now what will you do?" I asked casually.

He wrote 114 and continued on for a while. Then we had to clean up.

I love following a child's lead in what to do. That's not always feasible or possible. In many cases we must redirect or refocus.

But small white boards are magical. They allow children to do whatever they choose. They can draw. They can write words and stores. They can practice number skills. They can explore their own ideas.

Best. Tool. Ever.

Writing with Bamboo Pens

Our kids are just learning to write. Sometimes we challenge them with different ways to write.

Recently we used bamboo pens, black paint, and paper to write like people did in Bible times.

It takes much longer to write this way. You must dip the pen repeatedly in the paint. You have to think about how to form the letters carefully.

Sometimes you write and decide to create interesting marks.

Try out these bamboo pens. (We got ours at the craft store, in the calligraphy section.) Using these pens makes writing a slightly different experience.

He Wrote What?

I love dry erase boards and markers. I've used them with different ages and for different purposes.

In my church kindergarten class, we often have them out for kids to use as they choose. They will write and draw. And experiment.

They will explore ideas that friends try. Here all were drawing hearts.

Sometimes they experiment with drawing with two or three or five markers at the same time!

This past week the kids were working on these ideas. I was talking to different kids about their ideas and other things.

I looked over at one board. There were letters and numbers. Then I realized that there were words on his board. I went over to take a look.

He read the words to me and added the final word.

I called Cindy over to take a look. We were both surprised at his message, especially since he was writing from memory and all on his own.

I moved from that table and around the room. I went back a few minutes later. The board had additional marks on it.

"These are lights," he said to me. (Just like the logo has on movies and such.)

I love using open-ended materials. Kids can explore, experiment, and express their own ideas.

And occasionally I get rewarded with great things like this. I love kindergarten!

(Don't have dry erase boards? Try these alternatives.)

Painting That's Not Painting

I love to paint with young kids. I enjoy seeing them explore and try new things.

But I know many teachers of young kids that struggle with painting. They don't want to do it or they do it reluctantly. They don't want to make a mess or to lose control.

This week we did an activity that I think these paint-shy adults would enjoy. And their kids will, too.

We drew on coffee filters with washable markers. We used just red, yellow, and orange. (These colors coordinate with our talking about fire. They are great autumn colors, too.)

Kids drew whatever designs they wanted. They used one, two, or all three colors as they chose.

When they were finished drawing, they "painted" over the drawings with water. We used watercolor brushes to better control the amount of water that was applied.

The paper towel under the coffee filter was just to catch all the "bleed through." But most kids liked those designs, too, and took them home.

One boy wondered what would happen if he put a paper towel on top. So we tried it. He took home three designs!

I don't mind a mess. But we really enjoyed this less messy "painting" activity. And watching the lines blur and spread.

We always try to remember to write our names. One thing we learned: write your name before you paint with water. The pencil won't blur and it's hard impossible to write on wet coffee filter.

Some great paintings that really were not paintings!

Propeller Drawing

This summer I've been activity shopping. You know, looking through blog posts and other resources just to learn new ideas or remember old favorites.

I was thinking about art and drawing and such. And I remembered something we did in my VBS class a few years ago - propeller drawing. 

(This is also a great "repurpose" activity, using things for a different purpose than intended.)

For each "propeller" you will need a foam cup, a wide craft stick, and two markers. You'll also need masking tape and scissors.

Use scissors to make a vertical slit on one side of the cup; make the slit starting a inch or so from the bottom of the cup. Make another slit in the same place on the opposite side of the cup. Slide the craft stick through both slits, leaving an equal amount of stick extending from each side of the cup. Tape the stick to the cup. 

Tape a marker to each end of the stick, with the drawing end of the marker extending past the top of the cup. Make sure the two markers are even.

Make several propellers. Place them on a table with paper.

Let the kids experiment with the propellers. The idea is for kids to rotate the cup like a propeller, making circular drawings or patterns.

Kids may want to draw side to side or make various loops.

Let them experiment. They could surprise you. 

I think it's great to use these just for experimenting. If you want to tie these to a theme, the activity would work with transportation or travel or shapes (circles). You could provide bigger paper and challenge kids to write their names or other words. Use them at the easel to provide a different plane for drawing.

I think I need to try this again soon.