Pinwheels for Peace

This is the second year we have participated in Pinwheels for Peace.

Last Spring I came across some old overhead transparencies, I had trying to think of a way to make our pin wheels water proof. We have an accu-cut machine, with a pinwheel die cut. So I cut them out, before they decorate them. So I tried colors on them with Sharpies. So that is what I gave them to color we had time crunch because we don't start school until after Labor Day. To assemble the pinwheels we punched holes in drinking straws, wrapped twisty one end around the straw and the other through the hole, then put free end through the middle of the pinwheel and layered the corners on the wire on topped it off with a bead to hold it in place. The students slipped the straws over skewers that we had placed in ground in the shape of a peace sign,

They looked beautiful glittering in the sun light I left them out for about 5 days, the students said they brought family over to see theirs over the weekend, it was a nice project.

My Favorite Color? or favorite neutral?

My personal favorite color is

RED.

A teacher stopped me to relay this story:

The teacher gave the students a beginning of the year survey.

One question was "what is your favorite color?"

A child raised his hand and said "I don't have a favorite color!!"

"OK" she responded

then the child said "but I could write my favorite neutral-Black"

"That would be just fine" she replied.

Then relayed the story to me. 

And I thought hey they listen to me!!!

Math+Art=One Rockin' Lesson

Due budget issues last year I team taught math with one of our kindergarten teachers. We came up with this project that blended art and math. I showed the student Jasper Johns work and we reviewed number formation. Then we talked about line vs. shape, and numbers as shapes. We used oil pastels and fluorescent tempera cakes. (I love my fluorescent tempera cakes)

This is the display in the hall:)

Musical Clay Busts

Every year our sixth graders research composers, musical artists, songwriter's and other people connected to music for an oral report. For the past couple years, we have had the students must a clay bust of their musical person.


I know this one had a faint mouth, it did not show up well in the photo, I love the necklace!! They are not realistic but they do capture the feeling of the person and the students love them.

Kindergarten Patterned Turtle Puppets

 At the beginning of year, the kindergarten teachers are working on shape and color recognition, plus patterning. This turtle's shell is a paper plate with a design created with pre-cut shapes. We cut the feet and tail from green construction paper. The heads are socks, we have collected, then we added eyes.

Pop Up Cards-Art Club

 

 We looked at America the Beautiful by Robert Sabuda and I showed the students some of the techniques from his web site, http://robertsabuda.com/
 The students had a great time, and were creative for the whole hour and fifteen minutes. They were amazed by each others ideas.

Boyertown Art Advocacy

My Daughter on a Saturday

My daughter is six and has some special needs (fine motors included), but she very bright. Lately, her free drawing has been really fascinating  to me. I bought some pastel colors in Sharpies, here is what she did.

Clay Slab Tree Stump Contianers

I adapted this project from Ceramics for Kids by Mary Ellis, the students love it. All my clay projects are created in one class period 40 minutes, except things that are two parts. The air in my room is just too dry, and the most often I have seen my classes is every four days, some years every six days, this year once a week.

Paul Klee Faces

Paul Klee is always fun to introduce "Head of a Man" gets these funny looks. I ask what is this? A Head!! Why?? "It has eyes, in round shape" We use paper plates to trace the head, then talk about vertical, horizontal,  and diagonal lines, they add lines in the head, a neck and shoulders. At the end they add the eyes, nose, mouth and 3 other details like beards, and eyebrows. Lastly I let them add hair. Then we go over it with sharpie, and then we paint with neon tempera cakes. More pictures to come.

Don't Mask my Personality

Sixth Grade Masks- I put out mask prints and we discussed masks and the cultures that created them from the ancient to modern. The students were assigned to create a mask that reflected their personalities.   Some of my favorites were already on display the students photographed these for me.

Kindergarten O'Keefe Flowers

Our Kindergarten students sing an artist song, at their recognition program that includes Monet, Klee, and O'Keefe.  We create artwork that coordinates with the Artists and display them at the program. I hope to post the song soon. These are some O'Keefe inspired paintings from a few years ago. I also hope to post Klee and Monet inspired art as we finish this years.

Warm birds in cool Rain forest.

I found the concept for this project in Dynamic Art Projects for Children by Denise M. Logan. The bird is in warm colors and the background is cool colors with neutral brown for the branches.

The 4th grade animal project.

This is a project I have been doing for many years, we go to the library and research animals. We discuss things like habitat, texture, and proportion.  The student chose an animal to draw, then they add color and texture with fabric crayons. I iron the drawings onto cloth and then they sew them for pillows, it is one those projects that parents collect, and the students wait for usually at least a few students ask at the 1st art class "Are we making those pillows this year?". Last year the librarian and I added more research, and had the create a Wiki to coordinate with the project, using their drawings as illustrations. I will post the one from this year when we get it set up and have this years pictures in it.

The students do need to use some artistic creativity because the fabric crayons only come in 8 colors. 

These pictures are from a few years ago.

Value Snowman

I found this snowman at For the love of art she had used it for sixth grade, mine are 4th grade. Because it fit better into their curriculum.

Gumball Machines

This is a Gumball Machine made by my 4th graders, while we were working on drawing forms and PoP Art.