I look at the art activities I offer the children as all other materials in the environment. They should provide a foundation to explore without inhibition, nurture spontaneity, and create a constant sense of wonder. Montessori's quote always comes to mind when the question of "What should I put on the art shelves?" arises… "If the idea of the universe is presented to the child in the right way, it will do more for him than just arouse his interest, for it will create admiration and wonder, a feeling loftier than any interest and more satisfying." That said, offering the children (beginning at three years old) the fundamentals of Art (line, color, shape, texture, and form) through a variety of materials that stay on the art shelves year-round allows them to experiment at their own pace based on interest, and reflect on their discoveries with different media (tempera, clay, paste, glue, watercolors, charcoal, pastel, needlework, and more). In the twenty-five years I have been using these same introductory art activities, I have witnessed hundreds of variations of often just one introductory lesson. I LOVE the limitless possibilities of Art! Again, parallel to the growth we all observe occur with the Language and Math materials…the same is true with Art. If provided with these basic lessons in progression, the children begin using these skills by age five or six to illustrate their stories with a chosen medium. The illustrations come to life! And in turn, their writing flourishes. The children gradually develop a desire and ability to create representational Art. Once they have mastered the basic forms of media, they can ultimately use Art as an extension of their work and, even better, independently and sparks interest in all others.