Roll an Elf on a Shelf

We did a Roll a Turkey activity the days before the Thanksgiving break last month and one of my students requested we do an Elf on a Shelf the days before the Holiday break.  So, I came up with this for them.  I'm hoping it is not too hard for 2nd - 5th grade. 

 

Games for Visual Meetings

I have been having a virtual visual meeting with my students once a week for the past few weeks.  Numbers are growing but it is still a small manageable group.  My goal was to offer this time to help any students who were struggling with lessons.  Despite my poking and prodding, those students still are not showing up.  Instead the time has turned into an Art visit where students share what is important to them and we draw together.  Last week I took a suggestion and the students drew along with me as I used a white board they could view.  This week I was searching for something different and decided on a "Roll-a-Dice" I found on Pinterest.  It was for making "Silly Spiders."  Thanks to whomever created it cause my kids loves it and we had fun first drawing a number of spiders and then coloring them.  I was able to locate a dice that we could manipulate on line so my students could be a part of the choosing the number as well.  I found that here.The virtual visual gave us the opportunity to share with one another by holding our work up to the camera of our computer.  As we were leaving this week, I ask the group what they would like to do when we are together next week and they suggested a Roll-a-Dice Silly Animals.  So, I Googled and came up short.  There are many animal sheet available but they are usually themed by animal and my students wanted silly animals.  Very broad but I rose to the challenge and have successful created an official "Roll-A-Dice Silly Animal" for next week's session.  I'm sharing it here with anyone who would like to use it. Let me know how it goes, okay???

Really Big FlowersOil

Oil pastels on felt


2nd graders recently viewed some of the works of Georgia O'Keefe and discussed how she focused on making small details really big.  We then engaged in making really big flowers that you would have to look at and pay attention to.   Here are a few of the student's completed projects.

Student's work 2nd grade

Student Work 2nd grade

Jim Dine in 2nd grade

I located this project in an old Scholastic's Art magazine recently when looking for a new approach for Jim Dine and decided to give it a go.  The heard was done more as a directed because I was approaching dark and light values for the first time with 2nd grade.  They turned out amazingly well.  The background is tissue paper on card stock.  Drawing was completed with oil pastels.  This was a two week project.

A winter wonderland

2nd grade Student Work

Pinterest recently led me over to a post on Kitchentableclassroom.com demonstrating how to do evergreen trees with markers and water.  I was drawn to the originality and knew immediately I would switch up my next lesson on the Element, Space and incorporate the trees into the project.  We began with a directed draw for the trees and discussed size and placement to demonstrate the illusion of Space.  Students followed along on day one to draw the trees, a few lines to show hills and the horizon using sharpie markers.  Day two concentrated on diagonal lines to denote the needles of the evergreens using water based markers.  They also added a little blue along the hills and horizon to represent snow shadows.  Those that had time painted with water in the areas of the watercolor markers.  For day three, students personalized their compositions with a emphasis on overlap and size to further demonstrate understanding of space.  I was thrilled with how creative my students became as they planned their compositions. 

Student Work

Student Work

Summer is only a few days away

Okay, I have made a commitment to my students to post this summer on my student summer blog, here.  I intend to have weekly ideas for my students to complete during the weeks of summer.  They are also challenged to complete any of the assignments for their sketchbooks with completed sketchbooks fetching a "prize" when school starts back up.  So, I'm putting this in writing to keep me true to my word.

Jump on over and join us this summer if you'd like.  As for me, I'll be doing some creating of my own cause for me that's what summer is all about!!!

Did you know? Are you even interested????

A while back a co-worker handed me one of those plastic shoe box containers full of old crayons and other miscellaneous trinkets that her grown children had left behind in her basement years ago.  She knew I melted down broken crayons to use as prizes in the art room.  I was thankful to receive them but didn't get to the box right away.  My colleagues are great about sharing broken crayons with me so I had a fairly large stockpile.  A few weeks ago, I started peeling the crayons in the box to begin the crayon making process and came across some labels I had never seen before.  I retained one determined to learn more about what it was.

I didn't have to do much research to discover this terrific site that enlightened me as to the contest that occurred back in 1993 for students to name a crayon.  I know I have seen the crayon, Macaroni & Cheese in newer boxes for crayons since that day.  The site was truly fascinating with a complete history of crayola.  If you're into this type stuff, just over and check it out.  It was interesting to discover the visual changes that have occurred to this common everyday material in the Elementary Art Room.  

Recycled Robots

3rd grade creation

So I took on a 2nd grade/3rd grade Art Club for the month of May.  Not a lot can be accomplished in four short sessions so I focused on something I could not do in a regular classroom setting without a great deal of planning and hoarding.  I decided to turn to recycled materials.   For weeks I searched and hoarded things from home and the art room in preparation for the project.  Old glue stick containers - check, paint brush handles with no brush - check, pencil nubs - check, mint containers saved and begged - check.  The list could go on.  I made a quick trip to the Dollar Tree for some unusual miscellaneous things to add to the growing pile and then allowed the group to pick, chose and create.  I was excited to find small bottles of Tacky glue at the Dollar Tree as well that were used to assemble everything.   One can of silver spray paint was purchased to applied once the bot was created.  (20 robots - one can of spray paint)  Finally the feathers, googly eyes, buttons, and chenille sticks came out to add embellishments.  And yes, this is not my original idea...I saw it somewhere and just ran with the idea.  So here are a few of the finished masterpieces.  Really proud of these kiddos and so thankful to the staff that they pitched in to find the recycled materials!

3rd grade

very creative 2nd grader

3rd grader

3rd grader

3rd grader

2nd grade

2nd grade

2nd grade

Sorry I've been Neglectful and ARTOME'

I will start this post by apologizing.  I can't believe I have neglected this blog since April.   The last several months of school seemed to be only slightly manageable...too much to achieve with so little time.  I was busy but there is no excuse for neglect.  So this post is my first attempt at catching up a bit.

I brought in Artome' to put on an art show at one of my buildings this year.  Frankly, I was very skeptic about having an art show at all.  I was certain that no one would show up and I would devote a tremendous amount of my time to an event that would be an embarrassment.  We've all been there, send out the announcements, invites, etc and only a handful of people show up.  The response was always, they would have come if you put out snacks.  Really, that keeps the people from administration from showing up?  For years, my principal didn't even bother to show.  I think that was the hardest blow.  I really felt a general lack of appreciation for anything I was doing.

So, when my "new" principal put the idea of an art show out there I was more than reluctant.  I kept hoping the idea would dissipate in the hectic ebb and tide of the school year.  Maybe she wouldn't notice if I conveniently "forgot".   I began to see postings on Art Teacher-ing pages about Artome' and everyone appeared to truly be pleased with their outcomes.   The idea of now having to mat each and every piece of work and frantically hang them with high hopes they wouldn't fall off of the walls was very appealing so I decided to dig a little bit deeper and look into the possibility.  After all, it could be a win/win.   My principal okay-ed the idea and the parent's group agreed to take on the money making venture.  I signed on and the process began.

Let me say, it was not as easy as I thought.  I easily spent between 20 - 24 weekend hours over the span of three weeks preparing all the artwork, labeling, checking for correct spelling and categorizing the way I wanted the work to be exhibited.  It was not a complete win/win...I had to put some work in.  But, the day of the show was fabulous.  The crew of two young men came in and quickly set up the show, filled me in on information I might need and defined their roll for the evening.  I walked down the aisles making certain all the art was hanging correctly and that I hadn't grouped too many like pieces together.  It looked pretty good and I was nervous but ready.  I still feared we'd be a wash out with few attendees.  Boy was I incorrect!!  It was way beyond my wildest expectations and the parent/teacher organization made some money as well.  Best of all was the attendance by a school council member.  I'd say this was a BIG WIN/WIN for the art department and I own some of that myself.  Feeling great about Artome'!!

The 5th grade chorus provided
entertainment toward the end of the
event.

The Orchestra provided a wonderful
backdrop to the show.

Buttons to identify student volunteers

Gallery information about the show

Welcome to our Art Show

Before the crowds arrived

It's clay time!

Loading the kiln

I pushed my clay unit off until after February Break this year.  Here we are at week four and the greenware is going into the kiln.  I taught a few of the old standbys with the kids and threw in a few new projects this year as well.  Third grade explored the Egyptian burial process and are creating Canopic Jars.  We stepped into Ancient Greece for fourth grade and they are created urns to be decorated with slip or underglaze with geometric patterns.  Clay is a favorite unit of the year.  In about a month I will post some of the completed projects.

Canopic jars - the Jackal was a very popular choice

A powerpoint for the Canopic lesson

District Exhibit for Youth Art Month

Student work top row center

Last night our local museum hosted the opening reception for our county YAM event.  The turnout was fabulous with people from the community as well as families and students.  It was great to see a few principals in attendance as well as our city's superintendent.  Hopefully, this is the begging of a great art movement for our county.  Photos capturing my student's work and some of the performers from last night.

Student work top row 2nd from right

Student work bottom right

Student work bottom round print
Top left

Student work top center

Student work top center

Student works - near bottom center
Bird and Bear

student work fish

High School band kicked off the night

One of my school's alumni now in HS band

Elementary Musicians performed

I have a new love

Diffusion geometric to organic

I have fallen head over heels for a new art "medium".  In the beginning weeks of school I venture into a local distributor and purchased a mega size container of coffee filters.  I intended to utilize them as dots for an annual dot day project.  Students used them to demonstrate symmetry and for mandalas.  Check out the link to our Artsonia pages to view those.  Along the way, they were used for a project to demonstrate the difference between geometric shapes and organic shapes  (draw geometric, spray with water and they turn into organic shapes).  At some point,  I became totally hooked on the diffusion qualities obtained with coffee filters.   My students have added them to Morris Burton projects, used them to make trees, as well as Artist Trading Cards.  The other day I decided to play with one for a project for an Art with Mr. E project for his #aheartadaychallenge.  The ideas are totally endless.  My newest effect was dropping on some Kosher Salt.

Morris Burton

Analogous colors for trees

Start with shapes

Spray with some water

Let it diffuse

Morris Burton using the paper the filter was sitting on to dry

Dropping on some Kosher Salt

If you haven't attempted these

Close up of  Kosher Salt affect

yet, pick some up and try it out

with your students.  The "WoW"

effect is totally worth the experience.  

For now, I'm off to do some creating 

with these new papers.