Description

In Makerspaces, author Michelle Kay Compton and Robin Chappele Thompson provided a framework for designing provocations in everyday spaces—in early childhood classrooms, homes, libraries, and museums. In ArtMaking, picture books become the inspiration and support for every lesson and the art makerspace becomes the tool for children to communicate as children use loose parts to play and tinker, explore mediums and artists, and create their own art.

The ArtMaking process begins with phase one of our inquiry cycle, observe and imagine. Start by first choosing a children’s book to read aloud, discuss, and retell. Picture books and artworks grow children into the different phases of making meaning, as children first learn to interpret (receptive language) and then express (productive language) their understanding of visual text. The illustrations in the picture books provide more inclusive entry points to learning for children with communication and reading difficulties, as the art becomes a tool for their mouths and minds to speak.

Similarly, to StoryMaking and Makerspaces, ArtMaking will be illustrated with full-color photographs of art makerspaces (learning spaces to promote long-term investigations of an art element that include inspiration and support, main materials, mediums, loose parts, and tools) and tabletop provocations (temporary invitation set up by the educator to invoke wonder about upcoming investigations) and make recommendations in each chapter for open-ended materials.

You don’t have to be an art teacher to implement ArtMaking. Many teachers feel pressure to get their children ready for the next grade level, with reading at the top of the list. Some feel they do not have time and space in their daily instruction to incorporate art or think art belongs only in the art teacher’s classroom or prekindergarten centers. Art encourages new ways to think.

Audience: Early childhood education directors, teachers, child-care workers, librarians, museum educators, parents, and other employees of both formal and informal learning environments for young children.

Age Focus: 3–8 years old.