Bird Watching

I found this lesson on http://www.deepspacesparkle.com. I thought it was a great way to quickly assess the students for the upcoming conference week. I typically do not need to do formal assessments, but I like to provide the classroom teachers with any observations that I have about a student's fine motor skills and ability to follow multi-step instructions without doing art "under stress". The students were asked to imagine being the explorer who discovered a brand new bird species. Their job was to record the visual details of how the bird appeared. The students used a combination of oil pastels, Sharpies, and watercolors to document this newly observed bird! 

Wiggle Lines

After reading "Lines That Wiggle", by Candace Whitman, each student drew a random line on his/her paper. I collected all the papers and passed them out to different students. Students were encouraged to turn their papers around and figure out WHAT kind of wiggle line they had. Next we added glitter to make the line "pizzazzy" and drew an environment around it. Using our imaginations was the focus of this project.

Winter Class Quilt

Our school district is holding a silent auction to raise money for the Relay for Life event to raise money and awareness for Cancer research. The art department has been asked to make artistic contributions with the students to include in the silent auction. The event is Wednesday, December 18th. YIKES!

My fifth grade class that I see twice a week has started making a snowflake themed tapestry/quilt. It is exciting as I am learning a few new things myself! I will keep posting the progress. Last week we went back to our primary days and cut snowflakes from paper to use as stencils. On Tuesday we battled the wind and a hide-and-seek sun to expose our light sensitive fabric. We are using Blueprints on Fabric (http://www.blueprintsonfabric.com/).  I rinsed them out and ta-dah! I can't wait to start embroidering these tomorrow!

A Feast for the Eyes

In preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday, our students made their own placemats that they will use to mark their special spot for The Kids’ Place Thanksgiving Feast! Our art discussion was focused on the ABAB pattern, which reinforces what the students are learning with their classroom teachers. Emphasis was placed on color and shape patterns and how artists use patterns to create interest. The class discussed Native American symbols and had the chance to embellish their place mats with original imagery. Yum!

Another Quilt Finished!

This past summer I spent a week as the resident artist at Kirkwood Camp in the Poconos. The campers worked on several projects to celebrate the "Joy of Creation". Using nature as our inspiration, each camper worked on a 12 inch square over the course of a couple of days.  Today I finally sewed on the sleeve so that it can be hung properly for all to enjoy. A few pictures follow that document the process and remind us of those warm sunny days!

If I was a tree...

Inspired by the work of Tony Demura, students finished the statement: "If I was a tree...". Each student illustrated his/her idea using the media of his/her choice. The students were encouraged to take the perspective of how he/she would feel and see as a tree. Focus was planed on using their imagination and creating a unique image. (This was a project that I saw on http://newcityarts.blogspot.com/)

Don't Forget to Vote

13 Lines and 50 stars... of course that could make up the American flag, but we decided to deconstruct the elements and make our on designs to celebrate the upcoming elections.  The students use red paint to make 8 (or so) different lines and then added 50 (or so) blue shapes. The blue shapes were a combination of cut paper and painted dots. The class discussed how simple shapes and colors can be put together to make very meaningful designs.  Rock the Vote!

International Dot Day (week!)

September 15th is International Dot Day! After reading Peter Reynold’s “The Dot”, we decided to celebrate for a few weeks instead! Students spent a few classes working hard cutting and gluing dots and finding “dots” to reuse from the recycling bin (well-washed of course!). These colorful works of art remind us that even the simplest forms can bring the most beauty! Dot-o-licous!  

Georgia's Garden

Nothing says spring like looking Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings... No matter how many times I teach this lesson, I never tire of the results. I have taught this to at least 400 different students over the years, and I have yet to see 2 of a kind. As simple as it is, it never ceases to bring smiles to everyone! 

Not a Square!

After reading Perfect Square by Michael Hall (Author, Illustrator), each Kindergartener had to choose a colored square of previously painted paper. The assignment was to cut and/or rip up the square to create a new image. As the images developed, I went around and asked each artist to talk about his/her art and finish the sentence "I picked [chosen color] because..." . Although the dictation was spoken and then typed by me, I feel strongly that it is an important exercise for the students to begin early to reflect and talk about their artwork. This is a first step in later having the ability to reflect and to write about the process of art-making.