Zimmer Preschool Art to be Displayed at Local Venues

Children from Zimmer Preschool [Infants – Kindergarten] will have art projects on display at several local venues in the coming months as they share some of their work with the larger community.

Art projects, which often incorporate recycled and re-purposed materials, are a natural out-growth of the learning process at the Basking Ridge school, which draws partial inspiration from Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.

Malkie Herson, the school’s Educational Director, described the projects as tangible demonstrations of a curriculum which plans for student interest and discovery, then gives children the opportunity to explore the paths those discoveries open to them. “Art encourages students to look at the world around them as a source of both inspiration and materials allows even the youngest children to explore and express in meaningful ways.”


By showcasing their art throughout the community, they begin to recognize their membership in the communities which make up their lives. This builds within them a sense of responsibility to share their talents and efforts with others.


The art projects vary with skills and concept building as children grow and become more adept. Kindergarten students created a woven wall hanging. PreK children used recycled bottles, plaster, card board, and paint to sculpt their imaginings. Preschoolers made pointillism self-portraits. Toddlers used traditional and unconventional or found objects in their work, encouraging them to look at objects in more than one context. The experimental nature of the projects and the joy in process, not just results, encourages students to try new things, venture an imaginative answer, wonder about an unconventional approach; in essence, the freedom to learn.