"I want to draw a pink elephant with fiery dragon wings eating s'mores!" 

Ok, great! Now where do we start?


OVERVIEW
This class is specifically designed for very young artists (4 to 6 years old) to grow their love of art and to start teaching them the the building blocks of art fundamentals. The class is designed to be relaxed, fun and engaging to help young learners build confidence in virtual learning and also, to develop social engagement skills with other peers and with teachers. We incorporate a mixture of warm up activities, ice breakers and encouraging a free flow of student ideas in deciding the weekly project for the class. 


This class teaches the skills needed to put young artists imagined ideas to paper using basic shapes and lines. We start slow, step by step to lay down basic foundations of 2D drawing. 

We are not seeking perfection and young artists need to understand that! They are often their worst critic and are learning how to manage complex emotions when their drawing sometimes don't turn out just how they want.  I have a saying, "do not let perfect be the enemy of good!". Learning about how to turn a mistake into a "beautiful oops"! Have fun! Learners who have fun, want to continue and more practice means getting better and achieving more than they thought was possible themselves.

This class is about 
- developing self-confidence 
- positive affirmations (both giving and receiving)
- building fine motor skills
- learning to focus and follow simple directions
- developing listening skills 
- knowing how and when to ask for help
- learning how to manage learning in an online virtual class 

This content of this class is learner led - at this age group, to keep young learners engaged, the subject matter needs to be something they are excited about! 


STRUCTURE
This is an ongoing class but learners can start or stop or jump in at any point in time since each week works as a stand alone unit. The class opens up with an ice breaker/warm up exercise and challenge. This is then followed by our weekly art project which learners may complete during class time or continue to work on during the week. We end each class with some sharing time for teacher feedback and also to show work off to our fellow artists. 

The weekly format is both teacher and student led. This means that while I structure each class week by week to best tailor the class to the group's development points, I am very much guided by student interests. This keeps it exciting! In some weeks, we may do a cute self portrait Chibi. In another week, we may draw a flower in the window focusing on sun and shadowing effect. And sometimes, a pink elephant with fiery dragon wings eating s'mores!


EXAMPLE CLASS SCHEDULE

Week 1: 9/22
Introductions, Icebreaker
Drawing Your Pet in Chibi Style 

Week 2: 9/29
Speed Draw Warm Up
Your Favorite Mystical Creature

Week 3: 10/6
The "Beautiful Oops" - How to turn a mistake into something fun!
Self Portrait 

Week 4: 10/13
Big or Small? Learning Perspective
Story boarding