Visual & Performing Arts

The opportunity to express, enact and enjoy the world of imagination is one of the delights of childhood. Young children live in a world in which a blend of fantasy and reality inform their everyday experiences. Art in its various forms – music, dance, painting, drawing, performing, creating – is one way in which children express and enjoy their own particular imaginary worlds. At Sunshine Academy, we provide children with daily opportunities to share these worlds with each other, their teachers and their families.

The goals of our arts curriculum are to enable children to experiment freely with art to explore what happens; create their own work that reflects their own ideas and creative mind; and enjoy their own and each other’s experiences.

Infants & Toddlers

LEARNING EXPECTATIONSEXAMPLE ACTIVITY

Explore and learn to use age-appropriate art materials

  • Explore and rip tissue paper
  • Use fingerpaints on paper
  • Paint with feet on bubble wrap
  • Use do-a-dot markers to decorate a box

Express ideas or emotions with 2- and 3-dimensional art

  • Make collages with textured materials
  • Use modeling materials to create 3-D art
  • Draw with crayons, markers, colored pencils
  • Create individual and group books, murals

Develop vocabulary related to visual art

  • Read books such as Beautiful Hands, Ish and The Squiggle
  • Do symmetry paintings with folded paper
  • Sing color songs

Learn to appreciate cultural diversity in creative expression

  • Explore books such as Museum 123
  • Share family art traditions
  • Use cloth and paper patterns from around the world to create art
  • Read books such as Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, Rap a Tap Tap and Magic Paintbrush

Learn to respond to the art of others

  • Explore images of famous art creations
  • Use VTS questions to discuss art
  • Host art shows in the classroom

Understand color use and color mixing

  • Paint with different colors and mix them
  • Make different colors of playdough or flubber
  • Use the color palettes to look at objects
  • Read books such as “Mouse Paint”

Explore hats, costumes, props, puppets, dolls of various sizes and dollhouses

  • Set up a store, restaurant, fire station, dentist, post office, or hairdresser shop in pretend play
  • Use puppets to enact familiar scenarios such as learning to share or entering group play
  • Explore house play or “taking care of baby” with dolls, doll equipment and dollhouses

Preschool & PreK

LEARNING EXPECTATIONSEXAMPLE ACTIVITY

Explore and learn to use age-appropriate art materials

  • Paint with brushes of different sizes and thickness, paint rollers or sponges
  • Use scissors to cut paper into desired shapes
  • Practice using crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, tape, clay, oil crayons and other materials to express ideas
  • Use nature materials to make art

Express ideas or emotions with 2- and 3-dimensional art

 

  • Make collages with found materials
  • Use modeling materials to create 3-D art
  • Draw with crayons, markers, colored pencils in response to prompts or questions
  • Create individual and group books, murals

Develop vocabulary related to visual art

  • Read books such as Ish and The Squiggle
  • Do symmetry paintings with folded paper
  • Learn to identify foreground, background and perspective in class art projects

Learn to appreciate cultural diversity in creative expression

  • Explore books such as Museum 123
  • Share family art traditions
  • Use cloth and paper patterns from around the world to create art
  • Read books such as Charlie Parker Plays Be-Bop, Frida and Action Jackson

Learn to respond to the art of others

  • Explore images of famous art creations
  • Use VTS questions to discuss art
  • Host art shows in the classroom

Understand color use and color mixing

  • Add colors to water or other materials
  • Mix different colors of playdough or flubber
  • Use colored lenses to look at objects
  • Read books such as Mouse Paint

Use hats, costumes, props, puppets, dolls of various sizes and dollhouses to enact pretend play scenarios

  • Set up a store, restaurant, fire station, dentist, post office, or hairdresser shop in pretend play
  • Use puppets to enact familiar scenarios such as learning to share or entering group play
  • Explore house play or “taking care of baby” with dolls, doll equipment and dollhouses
  • Re-enact familiar stories such as The Three Little Pigs or Where the Wild Things Are