Kindergarten classes loved making these mixed-media pumpkins. Check out the different expressions on each pumpkin.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Dia de los Muertos is a time to remember and honor ancestors and loved ones who have passed. But it's not a sad holiday at all! This celebration, which is historically a Latin American tradition, is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd of every year. Flowers are placed on altars placed in homes or public places. The altars are also decorated using sugar skulls, marigolds, candles, religious symbols, photos, as well as favorite foods and beverages. The sugar skulls,(calaveras), symbolize death.
Second grade students viewed and discussed examples of calaveras before designing and making their own. We discussed symmetry in both design and color choices. Templates were used to create the skull shape and then students drew and colored the skulls to complete the lesson.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Autumn Trees
Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the feeling of getting out on a crisp, cool day and admiring the beautiful foliage. The colors of the autumn leaves against the azure blue sky is simply magnificent to see. Our self-contained class attempted to capture some of that beauty on paper. I think they did a beautiful job!
On day one we first painted our grass and then we rolled our trees. I hot glued foam strips to paper towel rolls and then we added brown paint to the foam and carefully rolled the tree trunks, beginning at the horizon line.
On the second day we dipped cotton swabs into orange, yellow and red paint and added our leaves, both on the tree and on the ground. You could discuss warm and cool colors before starting the painting of the leaves. I hope you enjoy the results!
Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the feeling of getting out on a crisp, cool day and admiring the beautiful foliage. The colors of the autumn leaves against the azure blue sky is simply magnificent to see. Our self-contained class attempted to capture some of that beauty on paper. I think they did a beautiful job!
On day one we first painted our grass and then we rolled our trees. I hot glued foam strips to paper towel rolls and then we added brown paint to the foam and carefully rolled the tree trunks, beginning at the horizon line.
On the second day we dipped cotton swabs into orange, yellow and red paint and added our leaves, both on the tree and on the ground. You could discuss warm and cool colors before starting the painting of the leaves. I hope you enjoy the results!
Under Water Worlds
This project is always a lot of fun for my first graders. We started off by reading the book, Pattern Fish, by Trudi Harris. The kids enjoy identifying patterns as we read along. After finishing the book, students eagerly began drawing their own patterned fish, taking care to add details such as fins, eyes and of course, patterns!
Students were then challenged to color their drawings using a pattern. Bubbles were added around the fish using white oil pastel. We finished our pictures by adding shimmery watercolor over the entire picture.
This project is always a lot of fun for my first graders. We started off by reading the book, Pattern Fish, by Trudi Harris. The kids enjoy identifying patterns as we read along. After finishing the book, students eagerly began drawing their own patterned fish, taking care to add details such as fins, eyes and of course, patterns!
Students were then challenged to color their drawings using a pattern. Bubbles were added around the fish using white oil pastel. We finished our pictures by adding shimmery watercolor over the entire picture.
Nighttime Landscapes
It was time to create a painting and students were excited! We began our artwork by painting our moon and our ground. We added metallic silver to add a glow to the night sky. While our paintings dried a bit, we looked at Carnival Evening by Henri Rousseau and discussed the spatial components of the painting. Rousseau was self-trained and inspired many Surrealist painters, including Salvador Dali. Students next painted trees using care to paint some trees in the background and some in the foreground. The final touches were added. We included some fire flies and some metallic gold to mimic fire flies from a distance. The end results are magical! I saw this idea on line.
It was time to create a painting and students were excited! We began our artwork by painting our moon and our ground. We added metallic silver to add a glow to the night sky. While our paintings dried a bit, we looked at Carnival Evening by Henri Rousseau and discussed the spatial components of the painting. Rousseau was self-trained and inspired many Surrealist painters, including Salvador Dali. Students next painted trees using care to paint some trees in the background and some in the foreground. The final touches were added. We included some fire flies and some metallic gold to mimic fire flies from a distance. The end results are magical! I saw this idea on line.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Open-Ended Questions to Ask your Child About Art:
So it's the end of the
semester or school year and your child brings home the art that he or she has
been working on. What do you do next? Do you pull a piece to frame? Tuck the portfolio in a closet? Or maybe you could turn this into a
learning moment. Talk to your child about what he or she learned. You
just might be surprised!
1. Tell Me.
What can you tell me about your picture? Can you tell me some things about the artist,
book, places, or culture that inspired you?
2. How? What
can you tell me about the process you used to make this work or art?
3. Materials.
What kind of materials did you use? Did you use a new skill or technique?
4. What if? What if
you had used a different set of colors? Would it change the mood or
feeling of the painting? What made you decide on the colors that you
chose to use?
5. Self-Critique. What do you like best about your artwork? Is there anything you wish
you had added?
So it's the end of the semester or school year and your child brings home the art that he or she has been working on. What do you do next? Do you pull a piece to frame? Tuck the portfolio in a closet? Or maybe you could turn this into a learning moment. Talk to your child about what he or she learned. You just might be surprised!
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