Here is a Building and Representing People Vitamin
from the work of D. Cunningham, J. Berkowitz, and A. Mayer
Big Idea Guide – Me and My Friends
Essential Practice: Fine Motor, Drawing and Writing
Children will explore staightlines and curved lines, as tool to create representations of people
Teachers will integrate Mat Man handwriting materials with ongoing Me and My Friends /Self-Portait curriculum
Introducing, Extending and Integrating Mat Man
As we invite children to represent themselves and their families, they benefit from explicit instruction and varied experiences to think about and learn our various body parts. They also benefit from instruction that teaches the lines and forms that are used to construct and draw images of people.
If you have yet to introduce Mat Man, now is the time! Mat Man provides a foundational experience that can then be expanded to other materials and spaces. Here are some examples.
Teachers and children find a variety of materials to make these people their own. On the left, a child has made a self-portrait by looking in the mirror and using strips of paper and loose parts to represent her hair and barrettes/bow. On the right, a child has created a Mat Mommy, adding a heart and then “the wiggly things that take the food” to the body. Toes were also added using buttons.
Beautiful stuff and natural loose parts also work to explore long lines, short lines, curves, and the creation of people.
Drawing ourselves using a singular color serves to focus children’s attention on line and form as they work to include more and more body parts and details. This type of work also provides lovely assessment information for teachers.
What variations have happened in your classrooms? Please feel free to share them with us.