We have been exploring the Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh. Through reading stories about him, looking at his art, exploring his bold use of colors, and exposing them to the beauty in different styles and techniques in art from around the world helps children develop awareness of the arts.
Today we set up two invitations to create his famous Sunflower paintings.
1. Still Life Painting: We set out a vase filled with sunflowers, images of his paintings, 6 paint jar strips filled with Colorations Tempera Paint, paint brushes, and construction paper from Discount School Supply. The children were invited to paint their own inspiration of his various sunflower paintings.
2. Loose Parts + Play Dough Sunflowers: We set out vases filled with sunflowers image of his painting, playdough on acrylic mirrors, and a tinker tray filled with loose parts (flat marbles + acrylic rocks). The children were invited to create his sunflower painting in a 3-D way with the materials.
Both of these invitations are provocations. This is a technique used to stimulate children's thinking, to inspire them artistically, to empower them to take control over their learning, to open their minds, to create an environment for reflection, to challenge children, to observe the world around them, & to encourage creativity. This was a wonderful way for the children to observe every detail in the flowers & images, compare similarities/differences, & become more aware of details. These types of invitations are amazing because it's interesting to observe each child's individual approach & creativity blossom.
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