We are leaning into choice-based art-making in the art studio. A couple of weeks ago, students were introduced to the idea of an “artist book” – books that artists make that have pictures and may or may not have words. The children were given the chance to come up with the story or subject of their book, and they chose whether to include mostly words or pictures.
For this project, students also were given a new art material to use every 7 to 8 minutes. They were given the basic form of the accordion book and told that every so often, they would be given a new material to add to their book. Students practiced engaging with and taking care of each of the art materials.
All of our classes tried this project. It was fascinating to see the different approaches taken by students at different developmental stages and ages!
