Community Sketchbooks in the Puzzle Primes (3 year-olds)
This year in the Puzzle Primes we have two community sketchbooks! These sketchbooks live at our communal drawing desk. As a class we will be working in these sketchbooks together and by the end of the school year we will have a very interesting and beautiful visual representation of our time together. We have always done a lot of communal art in the Puzzle Primes but never in this way which provides the students an intimate time to express themselves in these books. When one person is done with their turn and gets up to do something else the next person is then given the opportunity to check out what their classmates have been working on. So far many Puzzle Primes have visited this space and there have been so many interesting drawings made so far! Throughout these past few weeks Elendë and Tayler have been asking the kids about the drawings they made so far and when we get the chance we write down the things they say next to their drawings. Some of the Puzzle Primes have also been doing some writing in the book as well. Right away we found a bunch of letters and words alongside the drawings being made. It has been so fun to see what drawings show up as time goes by.
Our communal drawing desk is also a great place for Puzzle Primes to go if they need some alone time. It’s tucked away and has its own little mini light that the Puzzle Primes can operate on their own. They can fully use this space without any help from teachers. They can access it on their own when they need or want it! The big blue painting up on the wall was made by the very first Puzzle Primes class in 2021, which also nicely showcases our history of community art projects. The Puzzle Primes who made it are now in kindergarten!
A picture of Malcolm’s dad and two different pictures of hair by Neff
Two self portraits and a man drying his clothes by Helen
A picture of Tayler, yellow broccoli, green broccoli, all the furniture, and some ‘A’s by Nora
And so many more great images:
These drawings are such an interesting way for us to communicate with each other. They provide a look inside the mind of a 3-4 year old. During a recent morning meeting we looked at these sketchbooks together as a class. The Puzzle Primes loved looking at each other's work and found so much joy in reading the descriptions of the drawings. There was a lot of laughter. These sketchbooks are also a great way for the Puzzle Primes to learn about and experience sharing. Within this book we are teaching them how to share space and value each other's work. We tell them it’s okay if other friends want to add to their pictures and that there is something really special about making drawings alongside and with friends. We are excited for this collaborative work to continue!