Kindergarten Circle Painting

Kindergarteners enjoyed working together on this collaborative circle painting. It was a great way to explore the differences between cool and warm colors, experiment with color mixing, and figure out how to work together to create one large work of art.

Invasion of the Quiet Critters!

Well, it's that time of year again when the little ones start getting noisier and noisier in the art room. So...I decided it was time to bring out these cute little fur balls. These quiet critters worked their charm with my Kindergarten classes this afternoon. Since quiet critters don't like a lot of noise (it hurts their ears), students took extra care to talk quietly so their critter could watch them work. Pure magic! Here's hoping it lasts until the end of the school year!

Another great idea from Pinterest! Read more about them here.

Non-Objective Art

 4th graders learned about non-objective art.

They began this project by working together to make all of their works of art connect to one another. Working at one large table, students put all of their papers up against each other's (I wish I had a photo of this, but I forgot to take one!). Using continuous lines, students connected their work by painting black lines with acrylic.

During the next class, we talked all about color and how to create intermediate colors, tints and shades. Students experimented with color mixing to create these colorful paintings.

Worry Dolls

This week, my 2nd and 3rd graders learned about Guatemalan worry dolls. We started by looking at a map to understand where Guatemala is and looked at examples of real worry dolls. Then, we set to work!

We started with 1 1/2 pipe cleaners to create a stick figure.

Then, we tied on some hair before wrapping their dolls like a mummy (I demonstrated this technique for my students, but here's a great video from Ronda Sternhagen that shows this process).

Making sure to keep the yarn taut while wrapping it around the body was difficult for some of the students, but they did a great job.

Afterwards, my students really got creative by adding dresses, pants, belts and other items, as well as unique hairstyles. Some even added googly eyes to finish them off.

They had so much fun making them, and I just love all of the different personalities!

Choice-Based Art

My Choice-Based Journey!

Well...it has been a VERY busy and interesting year so far! I have not been doing so well with last year's goal of keeping up with my blog...until now. I had been considering making the move to more of a choice-based art program for quite some time, and this year, I finally jumped right in!

Although it has been a lot of work (making posters, explaining the concept to students, opening centers, etc.), it has been well worth it. My students LOVE it, and I am getting some really amazing work out of them. Here are a some examples...

I just LOVE how different and unique each one is! 

Ugly Dolls

This year, 5th graders put their sewing skills to the test.

After hearing the story of how co-creators David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim began their business, and discussing what "ugly" means to them, students were excited to begin planning their dolls.

Students drew a few thumbnail sketches before deciding on a final version. After creating a pattern out of newsprint, 5th graders chose 2 pieces of felt and began cutting out their shapes. 

Felt glue was used to tack down pieces for eyes, teeth and other facial features before the stitching began. Students practiced sewing running or whip stitches to attach all pieces and close the outside edges before stuffing their creations.

Although this was a challenging project, these 5th graders did an amazing job!

Eye Spy With My Little Eye...

Artists find inspiration everywhere. A couple of weeks ago, as I was walking by our school library, a book caught my attention. I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs is a beautifully illustrated book that inspired this 3rd grade lesson.

After reading the book and looking at the illustrations, students chose an animal for their own "I Spy" book. They started by cutting out a hole so they knew where to place the eye before drawing the rest of their animal.

Using a wet-on-wet watercolor technique, students completed their illustrations.

Finally, they covered their books with a color that defined their animal, cut out a corresponding hole, and added text to the front cover and inside.