Atoms to Art Supplies: Where in the world does art media come from?
Synopsis
How are pencils like diamonds? Is one kind of crayon better than another? Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of its bottle? Students are not familiar with how their everyday art materials are formed and constructed. Through strategies in creativity, observation, critical thinking, and collaboration, students will explore the properties of media used in creating art.
I have always been interested in the way things are made and why they are made that way. In the seminar, What Makes the World Around Us? we learned everything is made up of atoms. The molecular structure of the atoms in the elements explains all of the whys! In my elementary art classroom, I aim to build engagement and interest in the make up and components of art materials based on Delaware Visual Art Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Students will 'play' with art media to observe how they work, form crayons from their basic ingredients and imagine new designs for art media. The goal is that through exploration and learning, the students in grades Kindergarten through 5th will have a better understanding of how best to use the materials in their artwork.