Fantastic Fundraiser { thank you, APRYL }

What a blessing it is to be able to teach art as part of the curriculum in an elementary school and even bigger blessing  to work with some of the most generous and art friendly parents out there. They are so supportive of the program with kind words, a helping hand, running fundraisers, and cheerfully donating supplies. Myself and the students are so grateful to be able to teach/learn at a school that values all disciplines.
This weekend was no exception. Apryl Stott organized and a held a fundraiser for our art program during the annual Craft Fair. What a hit!!! This darling hands and footprints project turned out beautifully and was so fun to make. It was great to see the Moms and their wee ones getting painted up to create a little piece of love to hang in their home. There were even requests for Mommy and Me classes to do these again. Leave a comment below if you are interested in receiving more information about an upcoming class/gathering/workshop/#goodtimesinart.

Eric Carle Brown Bears and Panda Bears Art Lesson

The kinders have been enjoying the writings of Bill Martin Jr. and the illustrations of Eric Carle in their series of bear books. We started with a discussion of mammals and the life of a bear. We observed photographs of pandas and brown bears, focusing on their shape, proportions, and habitats. Now, we could build our own bears by cutting out and gluing shapes from our painted papers that we had completed a week prior.

While working, the kids love to choral read the repetitive lines of "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see..." and were delighted when I read "We're Going on a Bear Hunt"-- the fabulous trek through onomatopoeias and prepositions while a family explores the countryside looking for a bear.

WHAT WE LEARNED:
Observe a photograph for details, size, shapes, color, surroundings
What a mammal is- where bears live and what they eat
Painting with tempera cakes and tempera on a wide variety of papers
Cutting and Gluing
Creating a scene for a subject
Writing letters
Craftsmanship
Listening to reading and reading aloud in choral fashion
Predicting events in a story

Valentine Craft Fundraiser

Valentines Day is right around the corner which means its time for another holiday craft fundraiser. We focus on fine arts in the studio and these craft projects allow the students to create freely and make a gift to share for the occasion.

Each craft is $1.00 to participate and the extra monies will help to purchase additional art supplies or learning materials. This workshop is for 1st through 4th grades on Thursday Feb 7th during lunch recess; First come First Served. Space is limited. A second workshop will be on Monday, Feb 11th for those who missed the first date.

RECYCLED GLASS JAR LANTERNS ( student must bring in a label-free, clean glass jar)

PAPER FLOWERS

Andy Warhol Elementary Art Lesson

Our school-wide Andy Warhol project is well underway. They have enjoyed learning about Warhol and really enjoy his graphic, bright, and popular subjects. The kids say Warhol would have painted Justin Bieber, Salina Gomez, and Spongebob, if he were still alive. Warhol's famous screenprinting style can be found everywhere, including a phone app called Popstamatic. It's free, super easy to use, and gives Warhol quotes while your image is being Popstamaticized. I am always trying to offer a home + technology extension for extra credit. Let your child take a photo using the app, "Warholize" it, print it or post to our Facebook page wall. They love seeing eachothers' photos online.
The kinders through 4th are creating graphic, "mechanically" made, flat and brightly colored pop art creations. We have 400 Warhol inspired hands and soup cans being created.

As an Art + Community extension, I thought it would be a wonderful lesson to share our project with our city by donating our "models" to a local food bank. 400 cans of soup to help feed the hungry and 400 students learning to extend kindness and generosity to others in need. Thank you to all who have opted to participate in this community extension.

SECOND through FOURTH GRADES

We are learning: Pop Art style, process of "mechanically made" art, graphic design, shape, form, value, typography, and craftsmanship. They will be graded on:

• Neatness of Lettering
• Cylindrical Shape
• Shading and Shadows
• Painting Techniques
• Overall Craftsmanship and Effort

Stay tuned for future updates with final pieces and step-by-step photos for all the grades.

FIRST GRADE _ WARHOL HANDS
We are learning: Pop Art, graphic art, and "mechanically" made art. Cool and warm colors, complementary colors, primary colors, cutting from the "inside" versus the "outside" of a shape (this was rather challenging for some of the students), painting, gluing neatly and with the appropriate amount of glue, overall craftsmanship.

KINDERGARTEN - WARHOL COLORING
We are learning: Pop art, slowing down and calming down to create better art, staying within the lines, using warm or cool colors, color opposites. Advanced students are studying the shape of the can and free-hand sketching it and the label.

Faux Stained Glass | Winter elementary art lesson

I find myself telling the kids,"Slow Down. Art takes time. It's not a race." Four weeks later, we are trying to complete our Chagall inspired paintings. Do I make them rush or stay on the slow and steady course of quality not quantity? I opted to encourage them to continue to do quality work. In our fast paced world, it's often quite difficult for students to stay with a project over a long period of time, returning to it with the same interest and vigor in which they started is often a challenge for teachers and parents. I am most impressed with their commitment to their pieces. Visit the Chagall Lesson post to see our work in progress and completed masterpieces.
As a supplemental project for those who had finished, we studied Stained Glass. We discussed the traditional means of creating a stained glass window and observed the shapes -- were they geometric or organic?

For our version we used the following materials:
Printer paper
Pencil
Ruler, compass, protractor (optional)
Copier transparency sheet
Marker
Tempera paints and brushes
Elmer's glue with black paint mixed in or black sharpie
Hole punch ( optional )
Ribbon ( optional )

Steps One-Three. Student is working on Step 3 with a clear transparency over her drawing

#1. Sketch out a winter themed subject on plain printer paper. Keep it large and not a lot of detail.

#2. Divide the background into shapes, drawing wiggly organic shapes or use a ruler, compass, or protractor for geometric shapes.

Step 4 - painting on the transparency

#3. This step is optional but most students chose to do this instead of keeping the paper and transparency lined up together while painting. Place the transparent copier sheet over the drawing. Using a marker, trace the drawing. This creates the map to follow while painting.

#4. Using primary colors ( to practice color mixing) of tempera, paint in the shapes.

#5. To complete the effect, use a black sharpie to outline the shapes and/or subject. The black tinted Elmer's glue will create a raised effect mimicking the lead framework of traditional stained glass.

First Grade - stained glass before black edges completed

#6. Punch holes in the upper corners and thread some ribbon through the holes to hang in a window.

McKayla - 4th Grade 

Delaney - 4th grade

Home Means Nevada Art Lesson

 On October 31st, Nevada became a state in 1864 and each year we Nevadans celebrate its inclusion to the union the last Friday of October. The upper grades had been studying Paleolithic Cave art at the time and Nevada is rich with beautiful rock art throughout the state. The kindergarten classes learned about the ancient peoples of Nevada by studying their art and creating their own inspired by authentic ancient designs. The designs were provided by the Nevada Rock Art Foundation, "a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to documenting and preserving the rock art of Nevada through education and public outreach."

As a separate Nevada Day celebration, I took a class at the Nevada Museum of Art on pine needle basket weaving. There is a long history of native american basket weavers in our culture. I thought I would give it a try. This is my 1" x 1" basket that took me FOUR. Yes, FOUR! hours to complete. I have a much deeper appreciation for the amazing baskets on display at our state museum. 

Our Harvest Corn Field

Welcome to our Harvest Corn Field. The kinders and first graders celebrated Thanksgiving in art by creating a sculptural wall piece.

Close-up of harvest corn field - a study in shape, warm and cool colors, and mixed media

First, we studied the shape and colors of real miniature indian corn and decided which side of the color wheel they were going to use for their art pieces. Once they decided on warm or cool colors (Color Theory), they drew the corn shape, cut it out, and began to tear or cut kernels out of colored construction paper and glue onto their corn shape (Fine Motor Skills). To increase the challenge, some students were asked to place their kernels in a clear pattern (Math Connection).

To complete the corn, the students learned how to curl thin strips of paper around a pencil (Fine Motor Skills) and glued that or yarn as the corn husks.

Finally, the students found a partner and twisted up brown paper grocery bags to make the stalks for our hallway "corn field".
To add some literacy fun, here are some great corn themed picture books:


The Popcorn Book by Tomie de Paola



Corn is Maize- The Gift of the Indians by Aliki