My students love to paint! Even if they are the third class in a day to use the watercolor sets they never complain that the "semi-moist" colors have become incredibly gooey. I would love to give them high quality paints to use that will not be a frustrating mess by the end of the day.
When my Kindergarten through 5th grade students arrive in the art room and see the tables covered and the brushes out, I always hear an excited voice (or several) exclaim, "We're painting today!" Their delight in painting is obvious.
The process of painting with school quality paint on drawing paper is great, but it could be so much more engaging and successful with higher quality paints on watercolor paper.
My 300-plus students are a wonderful representation of the multicultural city in which our school is located. We are diverse in socioeconomic backgrounds, racial makeup, and levels of parent education. We have a strong sense of community at our school from which all the students benefit.
Our school is very fortunate because all of the children get to come to art class once a week. They come to art eager and curious. When we do projects related to their classroom studies, they love to share their knowledge and make connections.
My Project
With these paint sets, students will no longer be frustrated by the uneven color intensity and sticky quality of the paint after the paints have been used for an hour. (Although I remind them "It should feel like water, not paint," this is a difficult distinction for my younger students.) The paint sets I have requested have excellent quality pigment, but are in a dry form that never gets sticky.
With quality brushes their control of the paint will increase. By using watercolor paper, they can mix colors on the paper without creating a hole, and the color will be so much more vibrant. These paints, brushes and paper will create clear and rich colors giving the students the satisfaction that all artists crave: young and old alike.
From landscapes to abstract compositions, we will be painting all kinds of things in art class this year. When the kindergartners hatch duck eggs, you can be sure we will be painting ducks!
In this time of budget cuts and high stakes testing, supporting schools that support the arts is more important than ever.
Art class gives my students a chance to observe, envision, express and reflect. Painting with good quality materials will help my students engage more fully in this meaningful activity.
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