Art is central to the curriculum at TCS. Classroom teachers integrate art into learning at every opportunity and all classrooms participate in the school’s Great Artists program.
In addition, beginning in prekindergarten, all students attend regular art classes taught by the school’s art teacher, Carrie Orsborn.
The TCS art program exposes children to various art mediums, materials, perspectives and open-ended art experiences. In the early childhood program, classes focus on process rather than product and aim to create confidence in children. For older students, the focus is on the development of skills, and the use of more sophisticated art tools and techniques.
Toddlers - Art materials and projects are always present in the Toddlers program. Throughout the year, children have opportunities to explore their creativity through painting, drawing, gluing, stamping, by shaping play dough, molding clay and working with paper mache.
Preschool - Twice a week, the school’s art teacher visits the preschool in the students’ outdoor learning environment. Children are encouraged to explore different art mediums such as clay, paint, and pastels.
Prekindergarten and Kindergarten
Students attend art classes once a week. Children are introduced to a variety of mediums. While the focus remains on process, students begin to develop the following skills:
- Drawing lines and shapes
- Expressing one’s own ideas on canvas and paper
- Learning a variety of brush strokes
- Mixing color
- Observing famous works of art
- Creating hand-built ceramics
First-Third Grade
Students attend art classes once a week. Students build on previous skills with lessons and projects that increase in sophistication. Topics and skills include:
- Perspective drawing
- Figure drawing
- Introduction to the color wheel
- Introduction to the pottery wheel
- Observing and emulating different styles of art including abstract art, realism, and impressionism
- Art projects related to classroom curriculum are continued by the classroom teacher
Fourth-Sixth GradesStudents continue to build on these skills but they take greater ownership of their art projects. Students are exposed to more sophisticated art tools.
- Printmaking, carving and stenciling are introduced.
- Hand-built ceramics become more complex.
- Attention to detail, outcome of the finished product, completion of the project are all emphasized.
- Students learn more technical definitions of the elements of art such as color value, contrast, hue.
