Trees in the Style of Piet Mondrian-–The 4th/5th graders drew trees to complement their studies in Science class. How can line be used creatively to make a stylized picture? How can we capture a mood using color? How can oil pastels be used effectively? These are the questions we will explore during this unit. Theyhad a color mixing and blending review. They learned to use line creatively and made stylized art. Piet Mondrian’s abstract trees were viewed:
I started out the year with the Primary students (1st grade) drawing small, quick self portraits. One kid drew himself as a pirate! lol. The 4/5s (4th/5th graders mixed) looked at gears and drew them from observation. I also had pictures of gears and machinery for them to look at. I showed them basic steps to add shading and value. After they had drawn 3+ gears, I told them that we would be turning them into inventions. We had things … Read more…
Weaving on Straws Here is a really fun and addicting way to weave… on plastic drinking straws! There’s no reason to re-write all the directions out, so here is a link to how to weave on straws. If you get stuck, there are plenty of websites with full directions and even videos… simply google “weaving on straws.” With this project, I set up the straws ahead of time for the kids. (There were only about 6 or 7 kids … Read more…
Part 4 of my Weaving Wonders Camp: Some of the kids tried finger weaving or finger knitting. It was too hard for the youngest kids to figure out, but 3rd grade seems about the right age to start. Detailed directions are here: Knitty, which is a really cool knitting blog if you are a knitter.
We are having a great time at the summer Clay Camp for kids that I taught in DeForest, WI. The second week we made clay monsters. To make a monster, first, start by making a pinch pot. See this website for a demo of pinch pots if you are not sure how. Next, gently squish the pinch pot so it is slightly flattened. Turn the pinch pot on its side and add teeth, eyes, legs, feet, horns, ears, nose, tongue … Read more…
This summer I have also been teaching a clay class for kids through the DeForest parks and recreation dept. It is only 6 sessions, one hour each session. I have 2 groups of kids: K-3, then 4-7 (roughly, there are some overlaps). Some of the weeks I am teaching the same projects and other weeks we are doing different projects. The first week we made leaf dishes. They are very simple and a good way to teach about rolling slabs. … Read more…
Styrofoam Weaving At the beginning of this summer, I taught a “Weaving Wonders” camp at my school. Kids entering grades K-4 could sign up. The camp took place from 10-12:30 each day. A different weaving technique was taught each day. Campers could sign up for any of the days or the entire week. Weaving on Styrofoam was one of the projects. A restaurant supply store near our school had a huge package of styrofoam plates for very cheap. Slits … Read more…
