CYC Kindergarten Class Visits UMD Art Building During Art Study

November 7, 2019 - Children form the Center for Young Children kindergarten class walked over to the Art Sociology building on the UMD College Park campus to meet with Department of Arts chair W. C. (Chip) Richardson. The Kindergarten class has been studying art for the past four weeks, learning about elements, types of art, and different artists. The children were well prepared to attend Richardson's tour. 

Richardson took the children into an art studio and showed them different paintings in progress. He taught them how to look at a painting to see if it was finished or not and talked about layering paint on the easel to gradually build the painting and mixing colors.Teachers were pleased that this information went along with what was also being taught in the classroom. Children were readily able to answer Richardson's questions about color, artists, and interpretations of different paintings.  At the end of the tour, Richardson led the children through the sculpture studio with its machines and large shapes. The following day children recalled that they had seen many paintings and that painting was messy due to the amount of paint drops left on the floor and tables in the studio. They also were excited about being able to touch sculptures. 

The CYC is fortunate to have extended resources from being situated at the University of Maryland College Park. The Center's curriculum involves long-term projects and the campus community provides experts on individual classroom studies  as well as many walking field trips. So far this year alone there have been two other walking field trips, one to the UMD farmers market and another to a helicopter (donated by the Maryland Air National Guard). Children's learning is enhanced by being able to visit on-site locations and speak with experts. This all connects and expands their classroom learning.