The third annual Art Show and Spring Performance at Trevose Day School and Neshaminy Montessori took place on Friday, April 24th.
During this wonderful event, parents and children roamed the school to admire the fabulous artwork by our students. There was a lot to see!
This year, the children mastered a wide variety of techniques and mediums under the guidance of our art teacher, Ms. Lisa Brown. Our young artists painted in acrylic and watercolors using tools ranging from brushes and cotton swabs to fruits, vegetables and fingertips. They also experimented with drawing, paper collage, and sculpting in clay.
“I have seen artistic growth with all of the students and have especially noticed a difference with the preschool age children,” says Ms. Brown. “The students are able to maintain focus and put more thought into their work. As they develop their skills, scribbles are turning into shapes. Paint is being used for details — not to mix all the colors into a not-so-lovely shade of brown.”
Art is a great way to foster independence, self-confidence, and self-expression in our children, and as Ms. Brown observes, “The best part is that children who used to say, ‘I can't do that, can you do it for me?’ are now saying ‘Look, Ms. Brown, I did it!’ It is so exciting to see so much progress.”
In addition to creating individual pieces, each class teamed up with their teacher to make beautiful collaborative pieces that were auctioned off to raise money for our art program. Thanks to the generous parents who participated, we raised $934 — a fantastic amount that helps support our commitment to the arts!
Here’s a brief description of the masterpieces created by each class:
Montessori 1: Mrs. Hinesʼ class created two unique pieces. The first is a cheery flower that blossoms with every student’s personality; its petals are made of finger paintings, watercolors, and paint stamps by the children. For the second piece, the young artists took inspiration from the work of renowned blown-glass sculptor Dale Chihuly. They transformed recycled water bottles into a mobile of color, swirls and illumination – a lovely lʼobject du art!
Montessori 2: Mrs. McNallyʼs class created two beautiful paper mache bowls with the themes “Birds in Flight” and “Butterflies in Springtime.” To create the images for the bowls, the children used the familiar classroom exercise known as pin pushing, which helps strengthen dexterity, precision, concentration and the fine motor skills needed for writing.
Preschool: Mrs. Hackerʼs class crafted pillows adorned with a special tree made from outgrown clothing contributed by each child. The students helped trace and cut the fabric leaves and place them on the pillows, letting creativity bloom!
Kindergarten: Mrs. Turnerʼs artistic chefs created an apron and “toque de cuisinier” or chefʼs hat. They literally left their mark on each item, with finger print petals on the flower design!
1st Grade: Earlier this year, our first graders reported on the animals of the Amazon Rainforest. Still captivated by this vibrant subject, the class worked together on an Amazon Animals image using acrylic paints. They all really enjoyed learning about the rainforest and were very proud of their finished product!
2nd & 3rd Grades: Combining sculpture and painting in one magnificent piece, Mrs. Buckleyʼs class created a beautiful 3 dimensional flower pot complete with 17 hand painted flowers! The pot was decorated using paper mache and acrylic paint and the flowers were painted and decorated with red gemstones.
4th & 5th Grades: Using oil pastels, Mrs. Worrallʼs class created a one-of-a-kind interpretation of Vincent Van Goghʼs iconic Starry Night. Each student completed a different square of this piece, making it a truly unique composition.
The spoken word was another art form celebrated during this event. After soaking in all the art pieces, parents were invited to the barn to listen to each class perform favorite works of poetry. The parents were so pleased with the childrens’ poise and confidence!
The spellbinding performances reflected poems and poetry styles studied during National Poetry Month. Our youngest students recited “Chicken Soup with Rice,” “Trees,” “There Once was a Puffin,” and “Hey Diddle, Diddle.” The first grade students took turns reciting sections from a poem called “Monarch Butterfly, King of Butterflies.” Second and Third grade gave an animated performance of “A House is a House for Me.” Lastly, the 4th and 5th grade recited their original works, showcasing a crop of new poets ready to take the literary world by storm!
Our 3rd Annual Art Show and Spring Performance was an incredible success and we are so proud of all of our talented participants. We can’t wait for next year!