Make a trade

Hall bulletin board to explain to experience to those not involved at school

Thanks again to Nicole Hahn over at Mini Matisse for organizing this year's ATC trade.  What a terrific experience for my students.  I really enjoyed seeing all the varied cards and once the students understood they were theirs to keep; they were pretty psyched as well.  Here are a few photos from our experience.

A little close-up view

I posted this bulletin board in the hallway with photo copies of some of the cards we received.  The card wraps were posted with links to the states they came from.  This way non-participants were exposed to the experience and were able to read about the schools we received cards from.

Let me see your card, too!

Want to trade?

This was great...I love the art I received!

We loved trading.  The only dissappointment was the missing artist information on the back of some of the cards.  We were able to think like detectives in some instances to solve a few of the mysteries but wish that everyone had taken the time to add the information to each card.

Here is the worksheet we used to evaluate the cards.  In the center, students attempted to recreate their card.  The lower right circle was to contain three things students liked about the card or the experience of participating in the trade.

Most of all we can't wait to join in the trade again next year.  Thanks again Nicol Hahn!

It was a big Woo Hoo!!!

Back to school Bulletin Board

I received the absolute best compliment ever this week.  Our Superintendent of schools stopped by school to do a walk through.  He shared many compliments about what he viewed while there, the student engagement, the positive comments he received from children and the great classroom management he observed. But then he added this to the bottom of his email:  I attached a couple of pictures that I had to take - a brilliant bulletin board mixing art history with pokemon go..."  Here is the only pic I have of the Bulletin Board, not the one he took but I had to share 'cause this made my whole day! 

Today was great!

I finished the AOE class on Classroom Management earlier in the week and put all the pieces into place for the beginning of school.  I quickly made some new posters to reflect all I had learned.  I even have a "Woo Hoo" letter, shared with a kids accompanied by a exuberant "woo hoo", to be sent home with outstanding students.  I modeled, they modeled and we all practiced.  I'm feeling really positive for a new school year and a great new direction.

my new set up for students for photograph art for artsonia

expectations and consequences

Job chart

Minion bulletin board that was a huge hit in the hallway.

Fall Bulletin Boards

Kaileigh set to work yesterday to hang two new bulletin boards to welcome my students back into the art room for a new year.  Hard to believe we are back at work on Monday.  The summer sure flew by!

This first one features a hedgehog with a fist full of crayons ready to demonstrate his creativity.  Kaileigh has a pet hedgehog that has visited my classroom in the past so many of the students have "met" it.  I cover all the bulletin boards with a heavy plastic sheeting purchased at the fabric store so that 3D items won't be knocked off of the bulletin board by students walking down the hallway.

Here she made fake candy by rolling up paper inside of colored papers and tying them with twistees.  Inexpensive sheets are used for the backgrounds and are reusable year after year.

Finally ready at Capeless, too!

 Here is Kaileigh's i-Phone bulletin board for the hallway at Capeless.  It depicts a imaginary conversation with the iPhone owner and Peter Reynolds himself.  Since I will start the year off recognizing International Dot Day with a variety of Dot projects, we decided to make Peter Reynold's book The Dot the focus for our bulletin boards.  I had to ask her to translate the message for me.  I'm sure my students will all understand it but us "old folks" aren't always so savvy.   :  )

Bulletin Board 2 is inside the classroom and challenges students to make their own mark.  I will be using coffee filters with grades 2 - 5 to create dots to replace the white ones and of course fill up the empty spaces.  The colorful one in the center will be the lesson I will use with 1st graders.  I plan to use primary liquid watercolors and droppers and have the students create secondary colors.   It will be a review of our color lessons from Kindergarten with a new medium...liquid watercolor.

Back to School Bulletin Boards

You make the Purrrrfect Artist

Kaileigh has been busy at work on the bulletin boards over at Allendale.  Here are her new ones to kick off the school year.

Gallop Back Into Art

Let Your Creativity Bloom
and Your Inner Artist Shine

Bulletin Board for end of the year

This is the final bulletin board for the school year.  I had the 5th graders trace their hands one day at the beginning of class and just told them I needed some hands for something I was doing.  I cut them out and added first names to the wrist of each hand.  Kindergarten students then created kites.  Here is the quote:

You can't fly a kite unless you go against the wind and have a weight to keep it from turning a somersault. 

The same with man.

No man will succeed unless he is ready to face and overcome difficulties and is prepared to assume responsibilities.

-William J. H. Boetcker

Wishing all 5th grade students much success in Middle School as you fly your new kite.

The Kindergarten students were really excited to be making a bulletin board for the fifth graders.

Saige's hot air balloon project

     I've been beside myself all month wanting to post this blog but I have tried to be patient.  I'm so excited to finally share this with everyone.




     Recently our PTA president contacted me about a grant she had found on the American Girl Website.  The subject had to be hot air balloons.  I had recently pinned a work by David Kracov and knew instantly that this would be the inspiration for the project.  I began by researching the artist and learned that Kracov is a native of Boston and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.  This was terrific,  my students really engage when they find out about a current, living artist and this one was from our home state.  Kracov is an animator and a sculpture.  The work I had chosen as an inspiration is one of his metal works.
      Picking up the books about Saige helped me to gather a little American Girl history for the project.  The students, boys and girls really got caught up in the story of how Saige, a young girl from New Mexico, was upset when there was no Art program in her school and began a movement to start an after school art program.  This character could represent so many of my students and the disappointment they would feel at the loss of our art program.  Most of my students were alarmed to learn that some students really do not have an in school art program.  I think they appreciated me even more than normal!
      So the project:  I limited the participation to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students.  Working with Art Foil, each student cut out the shape for the envelope of the hot air balloon.  Working together we analyzed the direction lines should be placed on the balloon to create a perspective and roundness for the balloons.  Students then detailed the balloon in a personal way and used sharpies to add color.  Magnet tape was added to the back of each balloon after twistee wire and construction paper were used to add a basket.  From here, this became an interactive collaborative project.  Students placed their balloon on a bulletin board that had been covered with a blue cotton background and white paper clouds.  After a photo was taken, all students of all grades had the freedom to rearrange the balloons in a new configuration.  Three digital images were taken for the grant application.  The balloons continually changed the entire time the bulletin board was up.
     The balloons were colorful, beautiful, original, and individual.  This was an exciting project.  If we hadn't run out of Art foil since it's so late in the school year, I'm sure everyone would have wanted to make their own balloon!

Dr. Seuss Fish by Kinders

I shared my lesson plan for One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish with you a few days ago so I was eager to get a few of the finished projects posted for you today.  My kinders surprise me with this project every year and these things just turn out sooooo cute.   Enjoy!
You can find a not too good picture of the bulletin board on that page .