new quarter - new students

I am having so much fun watching the 6th graders work with a new medium! They are learning the techniques of working with clay. We watched a video on how to form a bird out of clay - now they are attempting their own! I think they are having a blast. It's a good thing they are able to work a little bit everyday as it is a challenge to keep the clay moist enough to work with. My office floor is full of the beginning of little clay birds!

Valentine's fever has taken over the rest of my classes. We have been trying to do something that involved hearts.
Kindergarten will be working on little heart baskets (that I will fill with candy hearts, of course) :)
First grade started working on a heart mosaic - which we will hopefully finish next week. They also did a panel of six hearts that they had to design (each one differently) - they did an amazing job! (Learning to frame them was also part of the project).
Second grade has been bombarded with hearts! First they made a "string" of hearts by learning to cut out four hearts without cutting them apart (good thing I brought extra paper :); next they did a collage of hearts using various materials such as: paper, string, material, paint, marker, special paper, newspaper, magazines, ribbon, etc. Finally, finishing up the week, they made adorable valentine cards. They used a lot of their cutting and gluing skills.
This month the third grade started out with a beautiful winter scene of pine trees and snow. It is a 3D project and they did a great job - check them out by the third grade room! This week we moved into hearts. They had to work with templates and geometric designs to create art on newspaper squares. After they drew their designs in black marker on the newspaper - they had to put one tissue paper heart on each square. They then had to glue all their squares onto a larger paper (measuring and lining up to make them evenly spaced).
Fourth grade got into the heart fever by recreating the above stain glass heart. They are turning out very nice and I think the fourth graders are really enjoying this project.
So, that is all for now - it is amazing that we are already in the third quarter - boy, does time go fast when your doing art!!

Sorry it has been a while since I have updated this blog. The students have been very busy with a lot of different projects. I hope they are having fun also.

Kindergarten students have been working on various winter projects. I have been trying to incorporate various skills that will help them in their future. They are so proud of their penguins. Check them out in the glass case by Polly's office!

First grade are learning that they can use their feet as templates for an art project. They are also working on penguins. We are using our cutting, gluing and tracing skills. We are also trying to use our imagination in creating. They had to trace their feet three times on black paper, cut them out, then create penguins using their traced feet. They loved using their feet as an art medium - plus they got to take off their shoes!!

Second grade is learning about complimentary colors. We used the color wheel  to see what colors are opposite on the color wheel. We talked about primary colors and how they are the only colors that can not be mixed by another color. They used their new found  knowledge to create a sun using complimentary colors only. They are awe"sun".

Penguins seem to be the theme. Our third grade is also working on penguins. They had to first create a background that looked like ice using various shades of blue. The next step was to build their penguins using a loose form of quilling. They are taking one inch strips of paper, forming them into circles (big to small) and gluing them one inside the other to create a 3D illusion penguin. This is a challenging project - but the third graders have proven they are up to the challenge.

Fourth grade are creating calendars. Their instructions were to be as creative as possible and to really use their imagination. They received copies of the 2014 calendar so they would know what the correct days are. I brought in a lot of different materials to help with their creativity. The have really picked up on the idea of how to build a calendar and are working very hard. Fabulous!

The seventh grade have art this quarter. They have worked very hard and it is hard to believe the quarter is almost over. Their biggest project was a painting project. I took a famous artist - Rousseau- and divided one of his paintings into 18 sections. Each student took one section and painted it. The idea was to have 18 different pictures to create one big picture. It was fascinating to see them learn how to mix and create the colors they needed. I will be hanging the "big" picture in the hall shortly. Now they are having a little fun with art. They were able to choose a cartoon character to draw. They had to find an interesting composition for this character.  The composition had to go off the page and be the focal point. It is also another lesson in learning how to draw with a grid. They have jumped at the challenge and are doing a fantastic job. I can't wait to see the final projects.

Kindergarteners are getting ready for Thanksgiving in art class. They are using their cutting and gluing skills making pumpkins (which are now displayed in the hall). The next project they are working on are Thanksgiving cards and they are really enjoying putting together their turkeys!

The 1st graders are also working on their Thanksgiving project. They are being taught how to draw a simple turkey and use watercolors to give their project "life". They are really using their imaginations and working very hard!

The 2nd graders enjoyed making pinwheels for Veterans Day that we decided to create another one for the Thanksgiving holiday. They are using their tracing skills, coloring skills, and using a ruler or straight edge to make straight lines. When both sides are drawn and colored we will use folding skills to put it together. I think they are going to look fantastic.

Check out the hall by the 3rd grade classroom and see the bird mobiles flying high! The 3rd grade class used their cutting skills, gluing skills, tying skills, and their imagination to create unique birds. They are quite amazing!

Our 4th graders have not had the chance to have too many art classes this quarter due to days off; but we are trying to do catch up. Check out the projects hanging by the 4th grade room. They have done an amazing job on their sunflower pictures and their watercolor and ink pumpkins. We just finished a 4 layer picture intending to show depth. It was a in-depth project, but they rose to the challenge. Sadly, they will miss class again this week due to the holiday, but spending time with family and celebrating what we are thankful for is so important!!

7th graders are up and running with their art class. Parents - your children have a sketchbook assignment every Monday. They have the complete list of sketchbook assignments for the entire quarter. They are allowed to work ahead and even do extra credit. These are an important part of their learning process as it teaches them problem solving, time management, visualizing, creativity and much more. Students also have to have each assignment signed by a parent as I feel it is important for parents to see how their children are progressing and all the talent our school possesses!
7th graders are in the process of learning color theory. They are creating color wheels by mixing the 3 primary colors to create all other colors. They are also learning about tints (white) and shades (black), and also color terminology - all in preparation for their painting unit. They seem to be enjoying this unit and are working very hard.