KINDERGARTEN . . . The Lion and the Mouse

Illustration by Elijah

In our Kindergarten art class, we shared a story as first told by Aesop over 2000 years ago in Greece. Aesop's Fables is a collection of stories featuring animals as the lead characters. Even though his messages are told by animals, Aesop teaches us important lessons about how people can better relate to each other. A well known fable by Aesop is "The Tortoise and the Hare." We were all very familiar with this story and many of us knew that it is about animals who run a race. The hare being such a fast animal is so confident in his ability to beat the tortoise that he stops and takes a nap. The tortoise walks right by the sleeping rabbit and wins the race. The moral of this story is "Slow and steady wins the race." We talked about how it is not always a good thing to rush in art class. The first person to finish their project is not always doing their best. Taking your time and being more careful with your work and with the supplies often means you create a better looking drawing or painting.

We then shared another fable, "The Lion and the Mouse." In this story, Aesop entertains us with the idea that a small mouse might be able to save a ferocious lion from the trap of hunters. To read this entire story and play a fun interactive game based on the characters in the tale, click on this link to The Library of Congress Aesop for Children website!

Here are more of our wonderful illustrations for Aesop's fable. To see all of our work, follow this link to our home page at artsonia.com ...    http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

Illustration by Allie

Illustration by Ava

Illustration by As'ad

Illustration by Claire

Note to families...
This art blog will be updated regularly with new posts sharing our daily activities in the art room and news about upcoming art exhibits. To respect the privacy of our students, names will always be limited to first name only and identifiable photos will never be accompanied with a name. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write in the comment box below or send me an email at blevine@ranneyschool.org. I would love to hear from you!
    In my class, students are given the chance to explore different materials and fun new techniques as they develop their signature style. Some young artists love to draw with a pencil, some like to paint on canvas or create images in a digital format, while others prefer working with clay and molding three-dimensional forms. In my classroom, we use a variety of materials allowing all artists to experiment and figure out which type of art they like the best. At Ranney School, we place a strong emphasis on originality and celebrate artistic differences, always nurturing and encouraging the imagination of every student.
     Remember to check out our display of finished artwork and student portfolios in the Ranney home page of Artsonia.com.  http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839