The Art Center
Artists work in different media, including drawing, painting, print making, sculpture, collage, fabrics/fibers, and so on, choosing materials according to their intentions or ideas or what is available. With proper supervision and safety precautions, even the youngest toddlers can use a variety of materials.
Table 7.4 lists a broad range of supplies for different media areas and representative applications for the kinds of skills and processes they support through open-ended exploration. Note: All art activities support to varying degrees the development of fine motor (drawing, cutting, etc.) and gross motor (easel painting, rolling out dough, etc.) skills, which are discussed in further detail in Chapter 8; the focus in this chapter is the creative enterprise.
For cleanup, the art center should be located as close to a water source and sink as possible. The center should have a table surface big enough to accommodate several childrens supplies. The art area should have at least one easel, as children like to stand while working, and the eye-level perspective afforded by an easel allows them to stand back and look at their work as it emerges. Some provision is also needed to store wet products as they dry, such as a drying rack made for that purpose to keep work horizontal or a clothesline (caution: may drip, affecting the appearance of the original image).
When needed, children should be provided with smocks to protect their clothing. These can be purchased or modified from adult-sized shirts to adjust the arm length and body girth. Most “messy” materials, such as paints and markers, can and should be purchased in washable versions, and paint cups and stubby brushes are available with caps that minimize spillage and the slopping of paint from one container to another. Paints, papers, crayons, markers, modeling clay, and colored pencils are also available in multicultural colors that represent a variety of skin tones.
The art center should be organized and labeled with picture or symbol labels such as those described for other interest areas. This allows for easy and independent access to and replacement of materials. Teachers must show children how to use materials and tools responsibly. For example, paintbrushes should be stored with the handles down, and caps should be replaced on markers when children are finished using them. Many teachers use a block of wood with holes drilled out to hold markers upright and racks for storing scissors with the blade-side down. These make it easy for children to use the items and then put them away