Lesson 5- The Crayon Box
Age: 4 -5 years.
Location: Indoor activity.
Lesson duration: 30- 45 minutes.
Number of children: Open ended, but a group of maximum 4 children at the art table at a time.
Rationale: This activity is inspired by the book "The Crayon Box That Talked", which tells the tale of a box of crayons full of colours that do not get along with each other. In order to get the crayons to appreciate each other's differences and learn the importance of appreciating everyone’s different talents, a little girl uses all of the colours together to draw a picture, illustrating the beauty of everyone working together to create something wonderful. This illustration teaches diversity, tolerance of other cultures, and an appreciation for the contributions different people can make when we all work together.
Objectives: Help children recognise and learn to appreciate diversity in their classroom environment.
The children will develop and use skills to listen and communicate ideas and feelings. Children will develop a sense of self identity by drawing their perception of themselves. Children will become familiar with a range of different drawing mediums and techniques, such as drawing different shapes and lines with crayons, pencils and textas.
Lesson:
Introduction:
To begin this activity read the book “The Crayon Box that Talked” to the children. Emphasise that the key concept is about the different colours getting along and liking each other, just as different people can get along and appreciate their unique qualities. Questions to debrief :
Main Component of Lesson:
Once the children have become acquainted with the concepts of diversity, hand out paper that is cut out in the shape of a large crayon that the children will fill in with a drawing of their self portrait. The children are encouraged to use a variety of drawing mediums, such as crayons, pencils and textas to experiment drawing different shapes and lines.
Conclusion:
Collect all the children's self portraits and paste them together, creating a montage of everyones drawings, which represents everyone coming together, just as the crayons did in the story. Have a discussion about each self portraits uniqueness, highlighting the different colours, patterns and designs, which all together create a wonderful piece of art.
Ask the children to make connections to their own lives. For example, have they ever heard of a time when different people did not get along? What might have happened to help the people realise that everybody has something important to contribute?
Ask the children to think of themselves as one of the colours in the box of crayons. Remind the children that everyone is unique, but we need other "colours" to make our world an interesting place. Each person has things that make them special and there is no one else exactly the same. Challenge children to be nice to those who are different from them.
Key events:
Read "The Crayon Box That Talked".
Discussion of diversity.
Children draw themselves in a cut out of a crayon.
Self portraits are collected and made into a montage, which is a metaphor for the beauty of diversity.
Discussion about how everyone's unique qualities can contribute to more interesting world.
Resources:
Table/ 4 chairs.
The book, "The Crayon Box That Talked".
Crayons, pencils, textas.
Paper (crayon template).
Assessment:
Children will be expected to explore, challenge, develop, and express ideas, using the skills, language, techniques, and processes of the arts. Observe and collect the following information from children's artwork for assessment:
Extension Activity:
Invite the children to work collaboratively to create a class mural that would demonstrate that everyone is valuable and each person is needed to make our mural complete. Divide the children into cooperative learning groups and have the children discuss ideas for their part of the mural. Children could create self portraits or draw or paint their families and friends, or something else about themselves, such a favourite thing. The goal is to reflect diversity, which put together creates something really interesting and beautiful. A variety of mediums and techniques should be encouraged in order to promote free expression of the unique abilities of each child. Children can be given individual sheets of paper to create their "own concept of self" or directly add their contribution to a large piece of paper that will become a class mural.
Links to framework: (VEYLDF 2009).
Outcome 1: Identity- Make and share visual art work that communicates observations, personal ideas, feelings and experiences.
Outcome 2: Community- Children broaden their understanding of the world in which they live. Develop the ability to recognise unfairness and bias and possess the capacity to act with compassion and kindness.
Outcome 3: Wellbeing- Increasingly cooperate and work collaboratively with others.
Outcome 4: Learning- Use play to investigate, imagine and explore ideas.
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators- Exchange ideas, feelings and understandings using language and representations in art.
Age: 4 -5 years.
Location: Indoor activity.
Lesson duration: 30- 45 minutes.
Number of children: Open ended, but a group of maximum 4 children at the art table at a time.
Rationale: This activity is inspired by the book "The Crayon Box That Talked", which tells the tale of a box of crayons full of colours that do not get along with each other. In order to get the crayons to appreciate each other's differences and learn the importance of appreciating everyone’s different talents, a little girl uses all of the colours together to draw a picture, illustrating the beauty of everyone working together to create something wonderful. This illustration teaches diversity, tolerance of other cultures, and an appreciation for the contributions different people can make when we all work together.
Objectives: Help children recognise and learn to appreciate diversity in their classroom environment.
The children will develop and use skills to listen and communicate ideas and feelings. Children will develop a sense of self identity by drawing their perception of themselves. Children will become familiar with a range of different drawing mediums and techniques, such as drawing different shapes and lines with crayons, pencils and textas.
Lesson:
Introduction:
To begin this activity read the book “The Crayon Box that Talked” to the children. Emphasise that the key concept is about the different colours getting along and liking each other, just as different people can get along and appreciate their unique qualities. Questions to debrief :
- Why did the crayons not get along?
- What might that have felt like?
- How did the crayons end up getting along?
- How do we know they were getting along?
- In regards to each other, how are we different? How are we alike? Reasons why we should accept others?
- How should we treat others?
Main Component of Lesson:
Once the children have become acquainted with the concepts of diversity, hand out paper that is cut out in the shape of a large crayon that the children will fill in with a drawing of their self portrait. The children are encouraged to use a variety of drawing mediums, such as crayons, pencils and textas to experiment drawing different shapes and lines.
Conclusion:
Collect all the children's self portraits and paste them together, creating a montage of everyones drawings, which represents everyone coming together, just as the crayons did in the story. Have a discussion about each self portraits uniqueness, highlighting the different colours, patterns and designs, which all together create a wonderful piece of art.
Ask the children to make connections to their own lives. For example, have they ever heard of a time when different people did not get along? What might have happened to help the people realise that everybody has something important to contribute?
Ask the children to think of themselves as one of the colours in the box of crayons. Remind the children that everyone is unique, but we need other "colours" to make our world an interesting place. Each person has things that make them special and there is no one else exactly the same. Challenge children to be nice to those who are different from them.
Key events:
Read "The Crayon Box That Talked".
Discussion of diversity.
Children draw themselves in a cut out of a crayon.
Self portraits are collected and made into a montage, which is a metaphor for the beauty of diversity.
Discussion about how everyone's unique qualities can contribute to more interesting world.
Resources:
Table/ 4 chairs.
The book, "The Crayon Box That Talked".
Crayons, pencils, textas.
Paper (crayon template).
Assessment:
Children will be expected to explore, challenge, develop, and express ideas, using the skills, language, techniques, and processes of the arts. Observe and collect the following information from children's artwork for assessment:
- Uses a variety of materials/tools.
- Draws filling in the page.
- Willingness to experiment with new materials and ideas.
- Willingness to share and take turns.
- Awareness of themselves as art makers.
- The ability to engage in conversation with others.
- Appreciate the efforts of others.
- Understanding and appreciation for the concept of difference and diversity.
Extension Activity:
Invite the children to work collaboratively to create a class mural that would demonstrate that everyone is valuable and each person is needed to make our mural complete. Divide the children into cooperative learning groups and have the children discuss ideas for their part of the mural. Children could create self portraits or draw or paint their families and friends, or something else about themselves, such a favourite thing. The goal is to reflect diversity, which put together creates something really interesting and beautiful. A variety of mediums and techniques should be encouraged in order to promote free expression of the unique abilities of each child. Children can be given individual sheets of paper to create their "own concept of self" or directly add their contribution to a large piece of paper that will become a class mural.
Links to framework: (VEYLDF 2009).
Outcome 1: Identity- Make and share visual art work that communicates observations, personal ideas, feelings and experiences.
Outcome 2: Community- Children broaden their understanding of the world in which they live. Develop the ability to recognise unfairness and bias and possess the capacity to act with compassion and kindness.
Outcome 3: Wellbeing- Increasingly cooperate and work collaboratively with others.
Outcome 4: Learning- Use play to investigate, imagine and explore ideas.
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators- Exchange ideas, feelings and understandings using language and representations in art.