Mona Lisa Smiles

So, first the good news...  as of the second week of this month, I'm teaching art again, this time at two Catholic schools up in the Bronx.  This post features artwork by a few of the Kindergarteners at Saint Ann School; expect to see more in the near future!

While I'm waiting on supplies, I'm trying to do lessons that don't rely on lots of materials.  This is an idea I found on Pinterest, and is originally from Artrageous Afternoon. Side note - Pinterest is an amazing tool for gathering art lesson ideas.  Since it's visually-based, you can gather a bunch of project images in one place, and the how-to is usually just two clicks away.

Back to the lesson... first, I introduced the class to Mona Lisa, by showing them her picture in the book 'Cave Paintings to Picasso', by Henry Sayre.*  Several of the kids raised their hands when I asked if they'd seen her before.  A few of them told me they'd seen the picture in a book, or on tv.  Next I walked around with the book, and asked each student to think about how they thought Mona Lisa was feeling.  (Thinking without verbalizing is a skill some Kinders are still working on - several told me "happy" or "sad" right away.)  Then, I polled them by asking them to raise their hands if they thought she was feeling happy, sad, upset, excited, worried, etc.

I told the kids that even though Mona Lisa's portrait (a word we learned last week) is perhaps the most famous painting in the world, people don't always agree on how they think she's feeling.  I had everyone smile wide, and we compared that to Mona Lisa's tiny smile.  Then I showed the students the paper they'd be working on - regular printer paper with a small copy of the Mona Lisa in the center - and asked them the question the lesson was built around.  Where would you take the Mona Lisa to make her smile?

I loved the answers I got as I walked around and watched the students draw and color.

 The Ocean 

  

An Apartment

  

The City

  

  

The Zoo

  

A Mountain

  

The Park (or as one kid said, "Grass") 

  

  

The Supermarket

  

 "The Rainbow"

 

 "To give her a puppy." 

 

I didn't get an explanation for this one, but I was completely delighted to see it, and want to hang it on a wall.

 

Something I hadn't anticipated before I started walking around - combining Kinders and Mona Lisa?  Instant pop art!  I love how this project turned out, and I really admire this class for taking the time to fill their page with color, and being happy to do so. 

*I finally got around to getting my Brooklyn Public Library card, as I use books with the younger grades often.  They're great teaching tools, inspiration, and time-fillers if the kids finish early!