Penguin Process Art

Recently I was searching for ideas on how to incorporate more Process Art projects into our classroom.  The temptation to make "cute" projects for display, or for the parents' benefit is very strong.  Most of these craft project require a lot of teacher preparation (cut out all of the pieces, make a model, etc.) and take the students very little time to complete.  That's exactly the opposite of what we want!  Then I came across this fantastic blog post that looks at Process Art versus Product.  It really hit a nerve.  We need to allow the children more opportunities to create art, not just imitate crafts!

Our younger class got to be the guinea pigs today!  We gave each child a piece of blue construction paper, and provided black, white and yellow paper along with glue sticks.  

They did such a great job ripping the paper into small pieces and gluing them onto their papers.

Many students used a picture book as a model of what they wanted their penguin to look like.

This kiddo said that her penguin was looking up at the sky "in Antarctica" and that's why we can't see its head!

How do you incorporate process art in your classroom?  Do you feel pressure to send home art work that looks "perfect" or are you content to let your students enjoy the process without worrying too much about the product?

Enjoy playing and creating with your children today!