Arctic Animals - Connections with the Curriculum

student work

As a part of our PLC groups, I was task to connect with Science standards in Kindergarten and 1st grade.  I have searched everywhere trying to locate the source of my inspiration for this project so apologize to the person who posted it first for not referencing you here.  Students cut out shapes to form the polar bear to connect how geometric shapes are combined to create organic shapes.  Shapes and lines were used to add the small penguin friends.  The back ground was created with watercolor and a little Kosher salt.

student work

student work

Directed draw for penguins

Shapes for bear

Reindeer looking for the snow!

Some reindeer are green.

 Kindergarten students were hard at work today drawing photos of Rudolf in the snow in the last few days before winter break.  With a concentration on shapes, students drew just the head of the reindeer and most added a blue sky and snow flakes before they were complete.  The snow was hoping we might actually see some before we head back to school in January.  This has been a very warm winter here in the northeast and we have yet to see any accumulation.  So, we are sharing some wishes with all your readers that you will have the kind of holiday break you are all searching for, too

student work

student work

student work

student work

Thanks to Mr. E! A Pout Pout Fish Lesson

Back in November, Mr. E over at Art with Mr. E ran a giveaway for copies for the Pout Pout Fish book series, and I won! I read the books and couldn't wait to figure out a way to use them.  Well, I finally came up with an idea a few weeks back and here are the wonderful results made by my kindergarten students.  They began the project by cutting shapes and assembling them into a fish.  Week two was about texture as students added scales and other details to the fish.  We also investigated the under sea habitat of a fish and used crayon to create the bottom of the sea.  Week three, students finished any coloring from the week before and added the sea to their work with liquid watercolor.  Once dry, shape fish were added to the composition.  So, here is to Mr. E.  We loved the books and with the three book series were able to enjoy a new one each week to accompany the steps of the project.  My personal favorite was the one about school but I think my kinders really enjoy hear about the Deep Deep Dark!

lots of coral and sea weed in this sea

This one imagined a clam with pearl and a star fish

I love the castles in these two girl's work (top and bottom) and the
unicorn fish.  You can tell they sit closely together.

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!

Kindergarten Early Birds

What shapes can we use to create a spring picture showing the early bird trying to capture a worm?

Kindergarten students experimented with shapes to create this cute composition of two early birds struggling to capture a worm.

Creating James Rizzi Cities in First Grade

My students love learning about more current artist.  James Rizzi was a great hit for a current lesson with first graders.  I began the lesson by concentrating on shapes and creating space through overlap.  Students then built their cities in the style of the examples I had shared of Rizzi's work.  I encouraged them to take their time and draw all those many windows necessary to create the buildings and also not to hesitate to have fun by creating some wacky faces on a few of the buildings.  Color pencils were used to add color with my again stressing Rizzi's use of color and that the buildings should not look like "normal" buildings but instead we would be working for wacky and fun.  I was pleased with all the variety and individuality students brought to their Rizzi Cities.

Student Work

Student Work

Student Work

Student Work

Student Work

Shape experiments to learn to draw people

Student Work

Several pages in the Kindergarten Shape book focus on combining shapes into identifiable forms.  By this point in time of the school year, the majority of Kindergarten students have master the drawing of basic geometric shapes and can easily identify them along with their attributes.  They have draw and colored shapes, textured shapes and cut and collage shapes. For this lesson, they created three different "people" forms using shapes.  The first drawing is of the infamous super hero "Oval Man".  He can only be drawn using an oval and his relative the circle.  This is a directed draw but the students are actively directing what is happening.  As a group, students identify the shape needed for each part of the body in response to my questions.  Some classes unanimously believe the head should be a circle while others opt for an oval.  I follow along as per their suggestions as long as they are reasonable and model the creation of oval man.

student created Oval Man

Student Created Rectangle Robot

For the next drawing, the process is repeated but this time only using rectangles and his relative square for all the designated body parts.  Robot Rectangle is brought to existence through this process.

It all comes together in the final drawing when all four shapes can be used to create a more realistic body of a person.  No stick people in this art room!!!

Student work for Strong Body

Finally, the outlines of clothing are drawn around this final figure so that "Strong Body" will be more realistic.  Of course details like hair are added as well.  Crayons are used to color in the clothing and the transition has been made to drawing real people in Kindergarten.

Creativity unbridled

Kindergarten students create a shape book each year.  They draw shapes, color shapes, stamp shapes, cut shapes, etc. throughout the year and the lessons are combined and stapled inside of a cover that goes home at the end of the year.  This year I focused only on the cutting and allowed students to glue the shapes onto the paper without any direction from me. I have to share a few of these with you.  I really love how naturally creative student can be when we allow them to be.

Abstract with balance

some type of creature

A bird looking over it's shoulder

Toothy creature

Flying bird

A face

symmetry

Kindergarten Snow People

My kindergarten focus each year is on shape and color.  I hope that students will easily draw, color and cut basic shapes and also have a mastery of primary and secondary colors.  With that in mind, kindergartners trace circles and sponge painted to create snowmen.  For week two, they explored basic shapes and how they could combine to create the parts of their snow people.  For example.  Two rectangles of different sizes could create a hat or a rectangle with a triangle could create a different type of hat.  Cutting circles for the eyes and buttons is also a skill they are working on.  Students had complete control over the finished look of their snow person as long as they used cut shapes to create the collage items.  Here are a few of the really precious results.

It's Model Magic Snowmen time!!!

I've posted about these cute model magic snowmen before here.  So I will spare your some of the banter.  But I really felt the urge to share some of this years completed projects.  I think this is one of my favorite projects for Kindergarten.  It extends my shape unit by adding form as students create spheres, cones, and coils.

a terrific specimen

Looking for new snow to fall

There is something endearing about a melting snowman

love all the extra "buttons"

Don't you love when creative individuality shows up?!!

Ready to surf down a hill