Hot Air Balloon Ride

Ever since I was a young girl, I've been fascinated with hot air balloons.  There was a annual festival near my hometown and we would see the balloon floating through the rolling Green Mountains during the month of June.  I found this video clip and had my 3rd grade students watch how magical this experience is.  We "ooooed" and awwwwwwed" at the balloons lifting up into the sky and flying through the lush Vermont landscape and tried to replicate what we saw through a watercolor painting.

Day 1: Working on making rolling hills using watercolor technique

Day two will be devoted to adding the sky and making the hot air balloons.  Stay tuned for more pictures and final products!

Bugs In A Jar

Doreen Cronin has hit a home run with this trilogy!  These captivating books bring a touch of humor and insect facts in a diary style format.  My students always enjoy listening to these books and they lend themselves to an art project.

With summer approaching, we discussed ways we could turn off technology and connect with nature. Collecting bugs is a great way to observe the insect world and have some fun getting messy by flipping rocks, digging in the dirt or busting out a butterfly net to catch some flying creatures.  With that in mind, we designed bug jars and filled with with thumb print bugs.

Each color represents a different bug which needed to have a minimum of four bug details:

wings

legs

eyes

stinger

antenna

stripes

dots

hair

claw/pincher

The final piece to make this project complete is a math word problem.  I designed a template for students to use which made editing and proof reading a real breeze for this projects.

In my bug jar I have ______________   ______________ bugs,

______________   ______________ bugs and 

______________   ______________ bugs.  

How many bugs do I have all together?

______________ + ______________ + ______________ = ______________ bugs

Spring Arts Showcase!!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

The spring arts showcase is here:

Thursday, May 28
4:30-6:30pm

Tessellation Exploration

6th grade students have started a tessellation project.  After watching this youtube clip, we then admired the work of MC Escher.  We discussed the use of repetition and pattern in art and how its effects can be an optical illusion.  Students were then given a 4" x 4" square to create their tessellation template.  Once formed, they then traced their template across the entire 9" x 12" paper.

We then talked about complimentary colors and how they are opposite each other on the color wheel.

This image helped students better understand the pairings of complimentary colors

Then it was up to the students to choose which pair of complementary colors they wanted to use for their tessellation picture.

I can't wait to see their finished work all hung together.

Pinch Pot Gnomes

7th and 8h graders are exploring clay building by making garden gnomes.  The objective for this project is to make three pinch pots to stack on top of each other to represent the body, head and hat.  In addition, students will use the technique of scoring (with slip of course) to adhere the three pots, limbs and details of their gnome. 

Here is a sampling of the works that's begun!  I can't wait for these gnomes to get fired and glazed!!

Book Making - Things That Come in Groups

In collaboration with the 3rd grade math curriculum, students began a collective art project on multiplication and book making.  Students were divided into small groups and were asked to brainstorm a list of objects that come in groups of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, (skipped 11) and 12.

Students were then asked to "tag" which group(s) they want to illustrate.

Here's what a finished chart looks like.

We then spent a class making various styles of printed paper.  We used 1) paint and stamping techniques, 2) tissue paper and bleeding techniques and 3) rubbing with a wash technique.

 From there we began collaging.  The catch, no pencils or writing materials allowed!  I wanted students to really pull from their imagination and use their creative thinking to branch away from the crutch of drawing before cutting.  It was a challenge for them at first but once they started, nothing held them back.

This is just a sneak peek of all their hard work.  Check back to see their finished books!

Foiled Figures!

Aluminum foil - it's uses are countless!  

From covering food to adding the perfect metallic layer on a homemade sword.  

For this group of 6th graders, aluminum foil was transformed into sculpture.  Thanks to this clever tutorial from the smART Class blog, students were able to take an ordinary household material and turn it into art!

Before beginning this sculpture exploration, I thought it best to ask - What is sculpture?  Students recorded their ideas by making a quick sketch of a sculpture, followed by adding three things they knew about this art form.  I collected their responses and will assess them again after the project is complete to see how much more they appreciate and understand this medium.  We then shared out our ideas and were able to agree that sculpture is 3D, it can be made from many materials and it is definitely different than paining or drawing.  We then addressed the focus of the project - making a foil figure focusing on the form (no stiff legs and arms) and then choosing an action and setting for your figure.

Day one: Construction of the foil figure

Day two: Adding clothing for the figure specific to the action chosen

 Day three: Begin work on the setting for the figure.

Can't wait to post the finished projects!