My Mini Monets

Last Saturday, Sunshine and I embarked on a new adventure together. It is an adventure that has been in the works for many months now. I've spent a lot of time thinking and planning and trying to figure out how to make it possible, and Saturday was the big day- our first Mini Monet art class.

I love that Beebs and I get to do preschool together. Preschool is "ours" and I love the time I spend with Beebs, helping her and my other students learn and grow. But as I've enjoyed this time with Beebs, I have realized that I wanted something similar for Sunshine and I. A way for us to bond and connect through learning. I started brainstorming ways I could do some at home learning with Sunshine and ultimately decided that expanding on her love of art would be a great way for us to learn together while doing something she enjoys. I decided to start an "art club" for other children Sunshine's age and the response has been  awesome.

Right now, our Mini Monet class has 5 students including Sunshine, but I have a list of additional people who are interested in joining, if (when!) I start a new session. We meet once a month for about two hours. We spend the first 20-30 minutes learning about one of the world's great artists, and then we do a work of art in the style of that artist. At the end of the semester (the class is running January through May) we will have a small art show where friends and family can come and see our masterpieces.

Saturday was a smashing success... in my opinion! We learned about Piet Mondrian, and touched a little bit on the De Stijl art movement. After we'd learned some facts about our artist of the month and discussed some new art terminology like primary colours, negative space, and horizontal and vertical lines, we headed to the back yard to create our own Mondrian inspired art work. We used foam core boards, acrylic craft paint and black electrical tape to mimic Mondrian's style. The girls did an awesome job on their paintings and I cannot get over how much fun we had together! I've seen several of my students when picking up Sunshine at school this past week, and each one of them has run up to me to say hi and tell me the facts they remember learning in our class.

I am so glad to have this fun new way to spend time with Sunshine. It is great for our relationship and I love that we are exploring something that truly interests her. We have some really fun artists and projects lined up for the rest of the school year and I just know we are going to have a blast. I only wish I had thought to do this sooner.