Painting with Yarn

I am a firm believer in the importance of Process Art activities for preschoolers.  Process Art focuses on creativity and exploration rather than on the final product. Yes, we do occasionally do crafts where the children are provided a model to follow because I feel it is important for them to learn to follow directions.  I also know that they will be expected to do these types of activities in most Kindergarten classrooms and I want to expose them to it.  Plus, some crafts are just too cute! Primarily, though, the emphasis in my room is on art projects that provide opportunities for the children to create, explore and engage their minds. Even though the emphasis isn't on the end product, the final results are usually beautiful. They are definitely unique!

My preschool does follow a "Letter of the Week" curriculum and I often provide something for the children to paint with that coordinates with the letter.  For Yy, we paint with yarn.  This is messy and fun.  I've learned through the years that it helps to attach a clothespin to the end of the piece of yarn to minimize mess, but some children actually enjoy the sensory experience of touching the yarn coated with the paint. 

Yarn is something that many children haven't touched before.  I show them how yarn looks on a skein and we put some in a sensory table for the children to cut up into little pieces and pull apart the strands.  It always surprised me how much they enjoy doing this! Sometimes the simplest things are the most engaging!  This also gives them a point of reference when we read books about mittens and other winter gear.  Since we live in Florida, even wearing sweaters is rare! 

Here is a great link with an article from naeyc about the importance of process art in the preschool classroom.
http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/process-art-experiences

Here is a link to my Process Art Board on Pinterest with many great ideas for open ended art activities
https://www.pinterest.com/cindibernasconi/process-art/