THE ART OF LIGHT

OBJECTIVES
• Investigate properties of light—
opacity, luminosity, reflectivity
and transparency—through
EXPERIMENTING WITH LIGHT AND TRANSPARENCY hands-on experimentation.
• Act as both artists and
scientists by describing and
documenting their findings.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How can the properties of light
be expressed through art?

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

• Transparent containers, bottles,
and tubes
• Light table
• Flashlights
• LCD projector

NATIONAL MEDIA ARTS

STANDARD
Producing: Develop and refine
artistic techniques and work for
presentation.

NAEYC EARLY LEARNING

PROGRAM ACCREDITATION
STANDARD
Supports or aligns to Science
2G.10.

Children constructed sculptures out of transparent materials.

Ryan Kurada

A
s a first-grade teacher who art. After traveling to the Loris
designs art-integrated proj- Malaguzzi International Center in
ect-based learning, I am Reggio Emilia and viewing their Ray
inspired by the innovative of Light Atelier exhibit, I was moti-
Children are fascinated by light.
educational philosophy that orig- vated to develop and implement my
inated in Reggio Emilia, Italy. own long-term project on light.
Students there are empowered to
investigate and interpret real-life Investigating Light
experiences and communicate This project stemmed from my stu-
interdisciplinary learning through dents observing an interesting reflec-

114 PART 5: New Media SCHOOLARTS COLLECTION 115

Children were excited to make light paintings, photographing stationary and moving lights in a dark room. Light and shadows from a fence were recorded.

tion (affectionately nicknamed “The Light Journals tunity to educate the greater school
Spider Web”) on our classroom wall Students took on the role of light community. There were a variety of
made by an LCD projector. This expe- scientists and artists as they docu- installations, including an experi-
rience piqued their interest in light, mented their ongoing learning in mentation area for families to take
which then led me to design a project their journals. They were able to part in. Hands-on activities used
around this topic. I encouraged them graphically represent and describe overhead projectors and light boxes.
to do research using a variety of artis- their observations and discoveries There was even a “mirror tent” and
tic processes and materials. about light. For example, following light tunnel constructed by parents.
an investigation of prisms, students The exhibit was a great way to
Drawing, Sculpting, Experimenting drew and wrote about the concept of conclude the project as it exem-
Students learned about opacity by refraction. Their light journals served plified the remarkable artistic and
drawing shadows of objects found as both a scientific notebook and art- scientific skills of my students.
on the school playground; explored ist sketchbook. More importantly, it made visible
luminosity using long-exposure pho- the interdisciplinary learning that
tography; experimented with reflec- Making Learning Visible occurred throughout the project,
tivity by creating foil-relief works; At the conclusion of the project, utilizing art as a primary vehicle for
and investigated the concept of trans- our class organized an interactive communication.
parency as they constructed sculp- light-show exhibit to showcase their
tures out of transparent containers, shadow drawings and transparent Ryan Kurada is a first-grade teacher at
University Elementary School in Rohnert A setup for light exploration. Children represented their discoveries about light. Artwork by Peighton.
bottles, and tubes. sculptures. This was also an oppor-
Park, California.

116 PART 5: New Media SCHOOLARTS COLLECTION 117