This Naidoc inspired dot painting spelling word activity is a clever and creative solution that will turn your homework struggles around. Parents often despise homework! It causes unnecessary arguments and stress. Some schools opt out of homework, some schools say it isn’t compulsory, some only give sight words, spelling words and home readers, yet some give excessive amounts of homework with high expectations. I started the No homework series to give parents a solution to manage spelling lists and sight words effectively and easily. It really isn’t like homework at all. However, it does consolidate the words children are learning at school and it is beneficial for kids to do literacy activities in a tactile, multi-sensory way.
No matter what your opinion is of homework (Yep. I hate it too), the fact of the matter is that it is on children’s report cards and it is something we will have to face. I am totally against boring work sheets and extreme levels of homework that require ongoing ‘parental supervision’. However, I do think there should be a tangible link between home and school! Dimples teacher this year has been amazing! Although homework is given, it is not compulsory and she has encouraged us to do it our own way. It is still a means to practice the spelling words that week and she still classes it as homework. It isn’t though. We paint all the time, so for Dimples there were no complaints.
Naidoc inspired dot painting.
This week being Naidoc week, we did Naidoc inspired dot painting to revise the spelling list and because it is visual, creative and enjoyable it was as if we had no homework. I understand how busy parents are. I really do! As such, I aim to do easy, practical and doable play-based activities that parents won’t cringe at. This Naidoc inspired dot painting spelling task was really simple and not messy at all. If you have a recycled container, box or egg carton, it is so easy to make a disposable paint tray. Simply lay down a sheet of newspaper, put small amount of paint into the tray and a Q-tip or cotton-tip for each colour.
- Our favourite Acrylic paint is this Mont Marte Set, it is so beautiful and vibrant.
- Miss T got this 174 piece Studio Mont Marte Artist Set for her Birthday, it has everything she needs to be creative.
- Sometimes, only sometimes, I let the kids use my good set of Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Color Paint
We used Red, Black, Yellow as they are on the aboriginal flag. So that it didn’t get messy, we kept it simple. However, when I think of Naidoc and the history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, I think of their culture, nature, living off the land, earthy colours, and animals from dream-time stories. So dusty oranges, shades of green and brown.
The Naidoc inspired dot painting words can be either spelling words, sight words, or even your child’s name. You can tailor it to their skill level, so if they are writing you could let them free-paint the words on a blank piece of paper, or if they are still reading and not keen on writing then you might lightly write their sight word in pencil so they can dot paint over it. I found that the best thing to do is to start small. Don’t expect too much and don’t make it stressful. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just should be enjoyable! Even if they do one of two words, praise their efforts. Once dry they might want to take it in to class to show their teacher.
We started with a lightly written spelling word, like the one above. So, Dimples could follow the letters. then we moved on to a word without a written spelling word visually underneath. That was trickier. Then we did this Naidoc inspired dot painting spelling word with colours to match the sounds Dimple was saying as he spelt it out to me. This was a helpful visual reminder of how the word was spelt and it was one of the words he first was able to memorized.
Some of our favourite Aboriginal stories are “How Kangaroo’s got their tails” & “Big Rain coming”
Naidoc inspired dot painting Art.
After Dimples did a few words and started getting bored of his spelling list, he grabbed a piece of paper and asked if he could just paint. Yes! Of course… Once the No Homework creative literacy activity is done, it is always nice to let them have some free play, or in this case, free paint. I just adore this painting he did of a resident wombat, who we see every afternoon on our farm hill. We see him so often we are going to have to name him soon.
Here are my favourites from Dimples.
& this Witchetty Grub Aboriginal painting from Miss T (4). She currently has two big grub pets, that we found in tree bark while chopping fire wood…
The No homework series.
If you missed it, first we had this Magic themed tactile salt tray.
Then for International Mud Day, we did this Nature Writing with Mud.
Join me.
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