Channeling Kandinsky

I will not take credit for this project idea, I found it on a fellow blogger's site Create Art with Me.
I had been exploring the work of Kandinsky with third graders when this lesson popped up on my blog feed.  Students had practiced listening to the colors in classical movements and drawing with markers as the first process.  I hadn't been sure I would be able to really achieve having them listening and creating successfully and had decided to test the waters, so to speak, with markers the first day.  Week two, they progressed to watercolors as they listened to music and then I saw this post and knew a third lesson would need to be added to my plans.  This lesson took a bit more direction and planning and more stop and starts.  First I instructed students to only draw lines and shapes as they listened to the music using a basic color pencil.  After about 4-5 minutes, the length of a musical selection, the pencils were put away and replaced with watercolor pencils.  The instructions were to add color but not to color in the entire page.  Students were reminded that this was not a coloring page and that in the third step we would be manipulating color and moving it so white space would be needed.  Again the music played for a selection and then the watercolor pencils were traded for water and a small brush.  Students were encourage to move the color thoughtfully and not to just add a water wash.  I am really pleased with the variety of results obtained and can hardly wait until all the classes have finished so I can post these on the hallway bulletin board!

Valupillars

Okay, that's not really a real word but it is what I have chosen to call this value project recently completed by fourth grade students.  I was given a large quantity of white model magic that had been around for a few years.  It was beginning to become a little stiff so needed to be used.  I decided to turn this into a lesson on value, primarily tints.  With a little blue model magic and a larger piece of white model magic, students started by dividing their clay into 5 approximately equal pieces.  This would help them as they began mixing so they would be able to budget clay use.  The first ball was a small blue one, then white and blue were mixed together to make an only slightly lighter ball of clay.  Each ball of clay became progressively larger and lighter ending with a large white ball of clay that became the head of a Caterpillar.  Thus, the name, Valupillar.  Not only were the students totally engaged in the color lightening process to create the tints of blue, I also had comments that this as the best project ever!

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.

Fun crayon collections continue!

 Crayons  has done it again with the special box issue of crayons.  These came fromTarget and are only a few of the varieties available.  I wouldn't have bought so many, although they were priced at "only" 79 cents a box, but I had my daughter with me and too many boxes shouted out at her.  No, she is not six but you would have thought so from her reaction!  Great marketing by Crayola this year and as always, I reach for Crayola brand crayons first.