Painting today

My classes are doing a lot of painting today-almost everyone is using a paintbrush.  Which is good when they are working together!  I have been working the last few months to have students get their materials for themselves and be more self-sufficient.  This is harder than it sounds when they are 6 and 7 years old.  The idea of my students getting materials for the people at their table and working together as a team is part of my professional development as a teacher.  I can truly say that it has gone pretty well most of the time.  Clean up becomes a challenge sometimes when they all want to do everything.  Reminding them to work together and that each person has a job is the hardest part.  Hopefully today will be the norm for the remainder of the rotation as my first graders paint May flowers pictures, my second graders paint surrealism pictures, and my third graders do landscapes.  I will post pictures soon of their great work.