Planning
Structure and presentation
The content of the visual arts curriculum for infant classes is presented in two sections:
- a section entitled "Concepts and skills development", which outlines the concepts and skills the child should develop as he/she engages in visual arts activities
- a section comprising six strands, each of which is a medium for visual expression. Two interrelated strand units form the strands, the first of which suggests a range of ar t-making activities. The second suggests activities in looking at and responding to the visual environment and to art works. Activities in one strand unit inform activities in the other and together they provide the context for learning in art. Exemplars are shown in italic type throughout the content section. They are suggestions, and therefore not prescriptive.
The strands for infant classes
The child at infant level will enjoy looking at, touching and poking at interesting objects and will enjoy a stimulating classroom with colourful displays that include objects with interesting shapes and textures. At first, a variety of marks, lines and shapes will be used to express what he/she knows and sees. Through experience, and using different drawing and painting instruments, a set of symbols will evolve for what he/she wants to express visually, for example self, family, friends, home and play.
The child's use of colour may not bear any relationship to how the painted object or figure actually is. For example, a cat may be painted red, and this process should not be interfered with. He/she will learn to distinguish between lighter and darker colours and to create pattern and rhythm in drawing and painting. Print-making will involve experimenting with simple shapes using the simplest techniques.
The child will enjoy pounding and pulling clay and through these experiences will find ways of expressing ideas in three-dimensional form. Activities in construction can sometimes be on a large scale to give the child the experience of creating space and of being in that space. Exploratory work in fabric and fibre will help to reinforce the child's understanding of, for example, colour, pattern and texture and help to give an insight into how fabrics are structured. Work will be enriched by opportunities to look at art works that relate to the child's own work.
Selecting content
The programme should be broad and balanced and should be planned to ensure continuity and progression and to obviate significant gaps. During the two-year period the child should experience interrelated activities, as suggested by the strand units, in all the strands.
Linkage and integration
Opportunities for linkage (i.e. within the visual arts curriculum) and for integration (i.e. cross-curricular integration) are indicated at the end of each strand. Linkage can be achieved in the following ways:
- through concepts and skills development using different media, for example developing awareness of colour through painting and printmaking and through activities with fabric and fibre
- through activities that develop a theme in a number of media, for example interpreting the theme of "my friends" in drawings, clay, and in a mixed-media collage. Opportunities for integration (especially with music, drama and dance) should be identified when the visual arts programme is being planned. Careful planning will ensure that visual arts objectives are clearly defined within integrated activities.
Concepts and skills development for infant classes
Through completing the strand units of the visual arts curriculum the child should be enabled to
An awareness of line
- begin to discover that lines can have a variety of qualities and can make shapes
- create movement with lines
- begin to represent familiar figures and objects with free lines and shapes
An awareness of shape
- begin to develop sensitivity to qualities of flat shape
- invent and work with shapes that have a variety of characteristics
An awareness of form
- become aware of the three-dimensional nature of form and of form in objects volume in a toy, an animal, a ball, a box, in his/her head
- handle, feel, manipulate and begin to form clay
An awareness of colour and tone
- become sensitive to colour in his/her surroundings
- recognise and mix primary colours and tones
- distinguish between obviously light and dark colours
- use colour expressively
An awareness of texture
- begin to explore the relationship between how things feel and how they look
- create texture with a variety of materials and tools
An awareness of pattern and rhythm
- become aware of pattern and rhythm in his/her visual surroundings and in his/her work in repeated use of line types and shapes raindrops in a puddle, clouds in the sky, markings on a stone, bricklaying, railings, fields
An awareness of space
- become aware of how people and objects take up space
- examine simple structures in the visual environment
- begin to make basic structures balance open and closed boxes on each other.