Arts Explorer #6: Collaging With Scissors

Art word of the week: Design and Compostion

"Did the artist accomplish what he or she originally set out to do? Do line, shape, colour, texture and form blend and work together as a unified whole?" (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2009, p.142). When collaging with scissors the answer to those questions are yes.

Introducing originality when teaching children how to express themselves, can be a challenging thing, especially when it is about themselves. Some children may have difficulty expressing their emotions and how they view themselves, but allowing children to gather information (such as things they like, dislike, what makes them unique, etc).

 Activity: EXPRESS YOURSELF!

Step 1: Grab a piece of paper. You could use construction paper or regular paper...whichever you prefer. OR you could use the computer (which is what I chose to do)

Step 2: Start thinking about what inspires you, what are your interests, your dislikes (maybe), your views on the world, places you've been that you've fell in love with. This may be interesting for young children because they are not at that stage where they really know or comprehend what they like or dislike. So as an educator, encouraging them to place any object on a sheet of paper that has meaning to them. Once they've placed the object, start building on what they have. Other than that....start brainstorming

Step 3: Place each picture, word or letter onto the sheet of paper or on the computer. Once everything that been placed according to your standards, take a step back and observe your creation! 

Children learn from collaging because it allows them to have a better self-concept of who they are. They may know that they prefer blue over green or Disney Princesses over Spiderman...whichever it may be, children are allowing themselves to understand more about themselves. 

You can also do this activity when you want children to see how they view the world. Providing children the opportunity to choose colours, pictures or sayings that best describe their definition of the world. Either way, children need to develop their self-concept by understanding and expressing who they are and what makes them...unique!

Reference

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 

        (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar