january, 2025
Welcome back manatee families!
It’s so good to be back making art and magic in the studio. Here is to the start of 2025 and all the fun we have had these past few weeks after the holiday break:
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS
Our first art class of 2025 was all about playing with lights and shadows! Being in winter, this feels especially fitting because of the changes in natural light during this season. Winter days are shorter, giving these artists a chance to directly observe how light changes depending on the time of day and the season. Using small lamps, tracing paper, and skinny washable markers, the Manatees used their sense of sight and mark making skills to create lines of the picture underneath.
Dr. martin luther king jr.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, these artists explored the beauty of diversity through color and creativity. The children squeezed tempera paint in various shades of skin tones and used plastic cards to slide it down, making a print to ultimately celebrate the uniqueness of every individual, recognizing that everyone is different, and everyone is beautiful. We can celebrate Dr. King’s message not only today, but every day.
connection to theatre
A big part of Reggio Emilia philosophy is connecting childrens’ emergent learning in the classroom to the Atelier. The Manatee friends having been learning more and more about the Theatre and all of the behind the scene work from making a stage to practicing their acting skills in the classroom. To support their study, these artists were asked to think about characters and draw what it would look like. They used sharpies, white paper, and their imagination to create faces (head, eyes, nose, mouth, ears - if any at all). The final touch was adding color to their character. Soon, their character drawn plan will be brought to life in a puppet!
Until next time, Manatee Families!
I welcome any questions, ideas, or messages at rly@willnorth.org. Thank you all for your continuous support towards our school’s material center, these artists love getting their hands on found materials.
With lots of love,
Rhonna