Vocabulary Word Wall

Did you know that you can view the vocabulary your child is learning in the art room? Paint splotches on the wall will show what students are learning! Stop in any time to see new words as well as learning targets for the whole year. It is a visual tool for students, and they like to see what words other grades are learning too.

Sixth grade vocabulary and learning targets

First grade vocabulary and learning targets

Weaving with Second Grade

Ahhh...weaving. Kids love it! We use cardboard looms with teeth already made. We talk about the history of weaving and where it exists in ancient and modern cultures. Then they make their warp threads out of rug warp, and off they go!

The toughest part for some students is figuring out the over/under pattern without skipping a string. For most, the toughest part is tying knots - a skill that will be with them for the rest of their life...

We also figure out rya knots (fringe) and some kids have a great time adding it to the top, bottom, or somewhere in between. They even frizz it out for fun!

When it is time to take it off the loom, they cut the warp carefully on the back of the loom and tie two strings at a time to finish it off. Then they are so excited to bring it home! Look at those happy faces!

I am very pleased to hear from students that they got a loom for Christmas because they enjoy it so much. Two parents even shared that they made wooden looms for their children this year! Keeping the Arts alive.

Color Mixing Caterpillars

First grade has been working on color theory - primary and secondary colors, color mixing, etc. We created these color caterpillars using masking tape rolls as the circle template. Sponge painting for the background, wiggly eyes, and pipe cleaners for legs and antennae made them come alive. Fun!

 

I am having a hard time with Blogger - they don't give me the option to rotate any photos! Sorry if your neck gets strained trying to view these!

Sixth Grade Letter Design

Sixth grade reflected on their experiences at Camp Whitcomb and came up with new ways to design letters. The results were pretty cool - check them out!

Students worked on developing block letters and making them as even and clean as possible. They then developed a list of things at camp using the 5 senses (things they smelled, saw, tasted, heard, touched), Using this list, they changed the letters into different things. They were encouraged to "think outside the box" and create interesting shapes on each letter. They had a lot of fun!

 

Pinterest and Art Class

Have you heard of Pinterest? It is a new social website that is revolutionizing the way teachers and parents get new ideas for education! People post ideas and photos for anything from education to craft ideas, home decorating, recipes, fitness, art, gardening, travel, etc. Most pins are linked to a website or other virtual place that will give you directions/prices/variations to try. SUPER fun! You can look around the site for free; however for full access you must sign up to be a member.  Membership is free. Then you can save "pins" (ideas and photos people post) onto your virtual bulletin boards. Pinterest is useful as more than just a place to find photos and ideas, though...I have made some professional contacts and gotten so many new ideas for the art room from other art teachers because of Pinterest. You can follow other peoples' boards and see what they post - build yourself a network of people who inspire you, for whatever reason, and you can see what they are following too. I am following some really creative people that have cool things to share every day. As an art teacher, I find inspiration all the time in all different places, but this website gives me an opportunity to not only find new ideas, but keep them all in one place and available for sharing. It is exciting to see that another art teacher has re-pinned an idea from one of my boards - I am happy to share! As an artist, I am excited to have creative inspiration for my personal art too.



My Pinterest "Art Lesson Plans" Board

Pinterest is like paging through a glossy, expensive magazine - lots of beautiful pictures, lots of successful and gorgeous final products, lots of pretty people selling pretty things. As an educational resource, you do need to filter through lots of pins and ideas before you find something you want to use. But there is so much to see, it is fun to look! And it is free! 

As a parent, I encourage you to use Pinterest to find artistic endeavors to try at home with your family. Ideas range from cute holiday crafts for the little ones to professional photography tips and some amazing fine art. Kids and adults can always benefit from a little creative inspiration. Gifts that are homemade are always so special, and you can find so much to try here. Don't be afraid to make mistakes when you create something you find on the website - as I tell my students - in art, it is not a mistake, it is an opportunity, and you may just discover something you love! No one is grading the artwork you make at home together!

Check it out at www.pinterest.com

First Day of School!

Welcome to the first day of school! The art room is scrubbed shiny and clean, waiting for eager young artists to walk through the door. I am excited too for my 17th first day of school here at Erin. May all your first days be amazing!

 

Summer Photography Fun

We use the camera as an "I'm bored" solution at our house. I can trust my child to walk around the yard (with the camera strap around her neck for camera safety) to take pictures to her heart's content. Gotta love digital photography - no more wasted film. Ansel Adams once said that you need to take 10,000 photos to get that one perfect shot. If Ansel were alive today, he would love digital photography.



C is for ... acorn

On a camping vacation, we were looking for something to do and decided to find things in nature that were shaped like letters. So simple and so fun! We looked everywhere - the sky, the ground, the lake, the woods ... everywhere. Our self-made "rules" were simple - the letter must be nature-made, no shaping the object yourself, and the letter must be pretty obvious. 





M (W? H?) is for ... bark

We thought about composition of the photo, played with the macro (and super macro) capabilities of the camera, experimented with the flash, and had a good time learning together. We ended up with almost the whole alphabet - and spent almost 2 days doing it. We also ended up using some of the photos to make a personalized gift for Grandma, printing up the letters of Grandma's name and putting them in a frame (I cut the mat in a matching green tone).

I is for ... stick under water



G is for ... seaweed

Don't be afraid to give your child a camera! Kids have a unique perspective on what they see, and you may be surprised to see what they think makes a good photo. If you print up their photos, you can make great artwork for your home that is a real conversation starter! You could also use those photos as notecards, fridge magnets, and mail them as postcards to loved ones.

Happy creating!