Polka Dot Painting

As we begin "Pretty Polka-Dotted Pigs on Parade," the first graders spent their time in art class today painting polka dots using a variety of corks (small, large, various textures) and tempera paint on large sheets of colored construction paper. We talked about rhythm, movement, shapes and patterns before I let them go wild with the corks. As I talked with students and listened to conversation throughout the room, it was interesting to hear what they were seeing in the simple cork designs! One student discovered "roots" produced by the cork's printed texture in the paint.  Some saw globes, clouds, and rivers as the paint mixed on the paper, and others created objects in dots such as cats and castles. Polka dotting will continue during their next art class as many students didn't finish today, experiementation and converstation was a great use of our time.