Kids of all ages have a natural curiosity and desire to learn. That’s why SHARP Literacy – a STEAM-based program – developed a physical science-based curriculum for K3 learners. The goal is to support K3 learners’ development in early literacy skills, science inquiry, creativity and critical thinking through art. Topics covered include buoyancy, gravity, force & motion and light, and each lesson includes reading a book, looking at art, and then creating art.
Here are a few examples:
The Push & Pull Project
The Push & Pull Project involved learning about Jackson Pollock and then using tools – straws, brushes, etc. – to make art by pushing and pulling the objects across the paper. This provided a great sensory experience for the children, and they enjoyed using the various materials to mix colors and spread the paint. Students loved the experiment and several kids tried recreating the lesson on their own. One student even used the push/pull concept and vocabulary when later playing with cars in the block center.
The Gravity Exercise
The Gravity Exercise took place right after the Push & Pull Project and had participants dip balls of different sizes and textures in paint and then drop them to create art. The students greatly enjoyed the exercise, especially the variety of materials their teacher, Ms. Meagan, brought for them to use in their paintings.
The Rainbow Project
The Rainbow Project included stations where kids could sort objects like prisms, flashlights and CDs by color and then put them on a poster to form a rainbow. The students enjoyed filling each section with the correct color and were excited with the finished masterpiece. The class also sang the rainbow song and made rainbows on their own for the next few weeks. Even students who are normally reserved or easily distracted were fully engaged with the lesson and excited with the finished project.
To learn more about SHARP Literacy’s engaging lessons both in and out of the classroom, visit Our Programs page. To learn more about how you can help support SHARP Literacy and the many students we serve, visit our Support the Future page.