color, color everywhere!

It is one of our greatest joys to be able to take our learning outdoors.  We are so fortunate to have a beautiful nature-filled space in which to work.  Being able to create two groups in which to work allows our friends time to focus deeply on their work.  

Today we took our painting outdoors along with our "map" building.  

"Let's make a city!" JA

                                                     

"Can this be the Arch?" JA

"This is the Cardinal's game.  This is home plate."

"This is where the fireworks come out.  They go way up here."

"This is the water and this is the bridge." JA

JA, you created a map that tells me EXACTLY how important your city is to you.  I can imagine you driving past the water and the bridge, going to the stadium, and seeing a Cardinal's HOMERUN complete with fireworks!

"This is St. Louis." DM

You created all of the homes in your community. 

"This is my big house, and this is J's house, and this is K's house and this is the S boys house." ES

ES you created your neighborhood on our map!

We have painted on paper, canvases, logs, acrylic, and today...a stick!  How is painting different when we are painting on a moving wiggly stick?

"It's moving." HW GC

It sure is.  How can we paint when it moves?

"I need to stand on my tippy toes to reach the top." LB

What should we do with this stick when we are finished painting it?

"We should take it to my house!" MS   Hmmm..well, how can the rest of the Birch friends enjoy our stick if it is at your house?  "We can ALLL come for a sleepover!"

"I don't even know where your house is." LB  That is a great point L.  How would we even all know how to get to your house?

And just like that our interested connected to one another!  "I can make a map!" 

"We should take it inside the classroom." LB     "Put it in the small world." RM     

"Hang it in the tree outside." MT     "We should let it dry and then we should play with it!" AD     

"Make it black and yellow and make it a tiger that runs." ES

"We should add red and make a candy cane!" JI

"We should let it dry and when it's all dry we should put it back where we got it." EM

"We should add all the colors and all the colors and all the colors!" CG

Your teachers can't wait to see what we decide to do with this amazing art piece once it dries!

Speaking of amazing art pieces...how can we paint inside the table?  What colors can we create with pink, red, and yellow?

"Wow, I made orange.  Well, it's an orange or red." EM  How did you make those colors?  "I put a little of this color and a little of that color and I made my own orange!" EM

"I want to try and make peach.  Look, I made peach!  I'm going to add a little of this color.  Hey!  It looks like ham!" "I mixed them all up.  I'm making orange and blue." MT  Orange and blue?  How are you making blue?  "Because I know how to make it.  I'm making...well...actually I am making brown." MT

"Did you know I can make orange with red and yellow?" RM

JB you are moving your paintbrush fast!  Tell me about that.   "I need to do that to make orange!  I have to do it.  Oops, I made yellow!  Not fast enough!" JB

"Mountain!" AS

It was a wonderful day of exploration and creation!