Happy Chanukah with Still Life Studies from the Blue Room

Our preschoolers regularly practice careful observation. This is a life skill, preparing them for really looking at what's in front of them, a great skill to have in Science classes later on, and in life in general.

For Chanukah, the four-year-olds in our Blue Room classroom studied Chanukah menorahs and drew their forms utilizing light tables. Drawing, in turn, builds fine motor skills. How much can children transform what they see in front of them into lines on a piece of paper? And of course there is the aspect of learning the characteristics of a Chanukah menorah: How many spots of lights are there? And how are they arranged? Why is one higher or apart from the others? How is one menorah different from another?

Then, water coloring followed their drawings, and that incorporates learning how this different art material behaves on paper. Does it do what you want it to do? When you think about it, a lot is involved in creating a still life like this, especially when you're four years old.

Who knew that Chanukiot could look this whimsical, and this beautiful? Happy Chanukah!