AUTHORS AND ARCHITECTS; PRESCHOOLERS LEARN LESSONS FROM FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, ERIC CARLE

Christine Finley, left, and Ian Spaeth showed a toy they made with straws to explore color and line.

Mike Alberson, left, and Kevin Hinton worked with building blocks to study shapes and patterns Frank Lloyd Wright emphasized.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright utilized the elements of shape, color, pattern and line in his buildings, explained Matthew Clements. Symmetry, too, is key to understanding Wright's work.

Matthew, who has been studying the architect for several months, showed how those same elements that Wright used are evident in everyday places like his classroom: The windows and doors are rectangles.

Classmate Katelynn James said symmetry also can be found in nature -- butterflies, leaves and flowers, for examples.

Katelynn and Matthew cut short their discussion of Wright's architectural style as their teacher wiped spaghetti sauce from their faces. The 5-year-olds ran outside to play before naptime.

Preschoolers at Christian School for the Young Years in Cape Girardeau have spent the past six months on a long-term project studying Frank Lloyd Wright and author Eric Carle.

Carle writes and illustrates stories about animals and nature, including "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." The students also learned the collage process Carle uses to illustrate his books and made their own collages.

Preschool programs rarely use long-term projects. But teachers Gail Jones and Teresa Tatum say they and the children enjoy becoming immersed in a single topic.

"We are really co-learning with the children," said Jones. "We are teaching things that are very basic and typical kindergarten skills in a way that we feel is more interesting."

When teachers learn alongside children, Jones said, they both experience the excitement of discovery. The teachers also believe that children are capable of understanding much more than adults typically expect.

Building blocks, a staple in every preschool classroom, were integrated into the Frank Lloyd Wright discussion. Students learned principles of architecture as they built cities of red, yellow and blue. They even learned how a cantilever works.

Mikey Alberson's dad, David, is an architect. He provided the children with an example of a professional blueprint, which hangs on the classroom wall. Above that blueprint is a blueprint the children drew for their dream house.

Katelynn explained the drawing includes a diving board off the roof high above the swimming pool. One door is a circle; another a rectangle.

Like Frank Lloyd Wright, the youngsters created stained-glass windows. They used markers on clear plastic. In typical fashion, teachers hung the artwork on the windows for all to admire.

As lunchtime approached, the children suddenly began to shout. Sun streaming through their stained-glass windows reflected the patterns and shapes throughout the room. As the sun moved across the sky, the patterns moved inside the room, an added lesson about Earth's rotation, Jones said.

Laura James said her son Tyler has taught her about architects and authors. But more importantly, James said, Tyler has taught her to notice little things she might have missed.

"When we're driving down the road, he will say to me `Mom, we need to look for triangles,'" she said. "Then he finds lots of triangles that I would never have seen."

After learning about author Eric Carle, Tyler wanted to know about the authors of his other favorite books and how the pictures in those books were made.

Jones said parents often worry if their children will be prepared for the rigors of kindergarten. "I think they best way to prepare children for school is to give them as many different experiences as possible," she said.