In the Atelier: Pine Needle Painting

We've had a good rhythm this week (so far). The best thing is that it's not last week's arctic weather. The children and I went for a nature walk and collected some pine needles which were intended for our painting activity.
Our weekly collaboration was inspired by this book. The book is all about teamwork and creativity. We finished the book in 3 reads...it's pretty lengthy - at least for the littlest ones.

In this activity the children got to:

• express themselves using new and interesting materials
• practice fine motor skills by controlling a pine needle as a brush
• work together to create one big masterpiece

* One child used the pine needles to paint her area, then dipped her finger in the paint to make dots, therefore creating a different kind of design.

At first the children looked unsure what they should do with the material (pine needle), after one child picked up the pine and began painting, the others followed without words/commentary.

The children all found their own methods of gaining a secure grip on the pine needles, and held the "brushes" with precision as they painted the surface.