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Category Archives: animals

William Wegman: Photomontage Project for Kids

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William Wegman: Photomontage Project for Kids

My third grade students learned about the photography, films, paintings and children’s books by contemporary artist William Wegman.  I actually talked to Bill on the phone and had an interview with him, which you can read in this blog post. William Wegman is known for his anthropomorphic photos of dogs dressed in various costumes. Anthropomorphic means giving human characteristics to animals (or other non-human things.) We read his books, watched some of his short films and saw pictures of his … Read more… →

An Interview with William Wegman

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Two gray Weimaraner dogs with soulful eyes, sitting close together against a black background.

Wow, do I have a treat for you today!   I had the amazing opportunity to talk with American artist William Wegman on the phone.  Bill is well known for his photographs of Weimaraner dogs, dressed in all sorts of costumes and settings.  Did you know he has also written and illustrated children’s books as well as created films and paintings?   If you’d like to see some of his artworks, there is a wide selection on his Pinterest page. Two of … Read more… →

Fruit and Flowers, Mice and Me!

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Bright, abstract painting featuring large flowers, fruits, and leaves against a pink and purple background. This lively piece encapsulates the essence of "Fruit and Flowers.

Fruit and Flowers: I colored in the sketch that I showed you here.  I mostly used colored pencils, watercolor pencils and watercolor paints. A Mouse: My 5th/6th graders are painting animals and my go-to demo is always a mouse or hamster.  I love cute rodents.  The kids are always astounded when I show them how to make furry texture with a fan brush!  So fun.  Do you have go-to images you use when demonstrating techniques? Me: Here I am at … Read more… →

Paper Mache Masks — 3rd & 4th Grade

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Paper Mache Masks — 3rd & 4th Grade

These paper mache masks by the 3rd/4th grade received lots of compliments when they were hanging in the hallway. The class was studying Native American history in their Social Studies and we looked at some Pacific Northwest Coast masks and we discussed the functions of masks in general throughout the world. We started with a mask form (made of paper mache) that I ordered in a class pack from Nasco.  From this starting point, the students built up and embellished … Read more… →

Polar Bears and Snowmen

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Child's drawing of a white polar bear in a red hat and scarf, with snowflakes falling against a blue background.

I was inspired by the polar bears at We Heart Art so I taught a painting project with my 2nd graders.  The students could choose to paint either a polar bear or snowman with white paint.  Hats, scarves, snow and facial features were drawn on with oil pastels or cut from the scrap box.

Kindergarten Felt Collage

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Colorful felt fabric collage depicting various animals like rabbits, cats, and birds on a green and tan background with a blue stream.

This was a 2 day project.  We decided as a class what our theme would be for the banner.  We chose the jungle.  Next, we brainstormed types of animals in the jungle.  Each kid signed up for one animal to make.  We cut these out of felt.  Next, I hot glued them on to a piece of burlap and green felt.  The kids also raided the fabric scrap box for extra details. 

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