Lauren Davis
McKay Student Ambassador
Early Childhood Education
The BYU Museum of Art (MOA) is a great place to enjoy art pieces that each tell a different story as each artist expresses themselves so differently. I have grown to love the MOA over time as I have visited it for many different reasons. Whether it is for a class assignment, for the Mac n Cheese (which you must try if you haven't already), with friends, or on a date to Art after Dark. I love how frequently they switch out the art exhibits! There is always something new to see.
The MOA is a great place for field trips and is filled with many resources. The MOA is completely free making it a great place to take a class. They also offer virtual tours if you are unable to take your class. Click HERE to plan an in-person or virtual tour. Another available resource is lesson plans with activities for any age group. Here are three of my favorite lesson plan ideas that I could use in an Early Childhood Education (ECE) setting.
Triforia by Jeanne Leighton-Lundberg Clarke
This painting depicts an aerial view of a stylized dining room table filled with a variety of bowls and platters filled with fresh fruit, a pitcher with blue liquid, a potted plant, and floral arrangements. There is a lot to look at in this painting, and a lot to find.
A great activity to play with young kids in front of this painting would be I-Spy. Depending on the age groups you could ask questions such as:
"How many different kinds of fruit can you see?"
"Can you name them?"
"How many people can you find? How many different patterns do you see?"
This will help students understand how to evaluate art as an observer and to pay attention to small details. HERE is a link to this resource.
Premier Chagrin (First Grief) by Daniel Ridgway Knight
This sentimental painting of two young French peasant girls displays Knight’s early 1860s Parisian training in depicting the human form. You can almost feel the grief that the girls are experiencing just by looking at the paintings.
An activity that can be done with this painting is to have your students create a short story for these two girls. Asking questions like:
"Where were they before this?
What are they talking about?
What are they sad about?
Where are they going after this?"
Depending on the age group you can have them pair up with a buddy and whisper their story to each other or have them write it on a piece of paper. This will help develop their storytelling skills as well as critical thinking. HERE is a link to this lesson plan.
Mrs. Edward Goetz by John Singer Sargent
Sargent’s portrait of Mrs. Goetz in elegant clothing and dignified pose indicates her privileged status. Portraits were often used to show off wealth.
An activity that could be done with this painting is to have each student draw their own portraits. Have them include things that are valuable to them and that represent them as an individual.
Prompt them with questions such as:
"What is your background going to look like?"
"What outfit are you going to be wearing?"
"What props do you want to include?"
This will help them be creative as they reflect on what their personalized portraits will look like. As well as their fine motor skills as they draw and color. HERE is a link to this resource.
Click HERE to get access to all of the different lesson plans provided by the MOA that can be used in or out of the mueseum as well as many other teacher resources. Art is highly beneficial to learning, especially for young students. Teaching with and through art nurtures creativity, which supports their development in numerous ways. No subject makes students light up more than art!
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