We recently finished a mobile that will soon hang in our window wells in the hallway. Third, fourth and fifth grade students created single strand mobiles using Twisteez wire, foam pieces, feathers, beads and other random materials. They made these at the end of the year last year when they had a few extra minutes in class. I got the idea from the Single Strand Mobile group kit on Nasco. However, we did not purchase that kit, because I figured … Read more…
Well, another school year has begun! We’ve had one week of classes and I have been pleased with my student’s behavior, effort and creativity thus far. What I was not pleased with was catching strep throat the first week of school! I had to stay home the second day. 🙁 My daughter got sick the week before, so I that is where I got my illness from. I am mostly back to normal now, so let’s hope the rest of … Read more…
Perhaps you are new to my blog or you would like to see some of my favorite kindergarten art projects from the past. Look no further! Here is a round-up of my 10 favorites. 1. Cool Hands, Warm Heart 2. Map of My Heart 3. Paper Mache Rattles 4. Texture Teddy Bears 5. Line Sculpture with Wire and Pipe Cleaners 6. The Dot 7. Clay Leaf Dishes 8. Paper Weavings 9. Line Paintings 10. Sunflower Observational Paintings Also, I updated … Read more…
I still have some things to share with you from last school year. Towards the end of the year we had an editorial cartoonist visit our school. Every year our students draw editorial cartoons as part of the art curriculum. You can see some of the cartoons my students drew in 2013. When teaching about editorial cartoons, it is very important to show cartoons from both sides (in the U.S.= Republican/Democrat). It is also essential that you do not tell … Read more…
There are still five more days to enter the back to school giveaway! I will announce the randomly selected winner on August 22. What are teachers looking forward to most about starting a new year? I picked a selection of the answers teachers gave when asked this question. 1. Carrie: “The best part of going back to the classroom is seeing all of the kids. It’s all about them and allowing them the opportunity to explore, create, imagine, and … Read more…
We went to Saugatuck, Michigan last week (bet you didn’t know that, because I pre-scheduled blog posts for that time. You really should be careful what information you give out when you are leaving town. You don’t want to come back to a ransacked house!) Anyways, we were gone for about 5 days and went to the Indiana Dunes and stayed in a cabin in Saugatuck. We went with my brothers, nieces/nephews and my parents. We had a blast riding … Read more…
I was sent a free copy of this new children’s book to review and share with you. It is called Too Much Glue, written by Jason Lefebvre and illustrated by Zac Retz. It is a very cute story of a boy who uses TOO MUCH GLUE on his artwork in art class, does a flying jump into the puddle and gets stuck there. What I love about the book: It’s a unique story, I have not seen a story like … Read more…
We took a trip this week to our local children’s museum in Madison. I was busy chasing around my daughter, but I managed to snap a few pictures of the awesomeness in this place. The museum is amazing. The lower level has a lot of things geared for dramatic play, such as a pretend garden, a water room, dress-up, puppets, etc. There is also an amazing “bone” bridge to climb. The upper level has building materials, like Tinker toys, Legos, … Read more…
***** Giveaway is now closed! *** Hi, friends! Back to school is almost here and because I love giveaways (and have been very lucky winning things from other blogs) I put together a “back to school kit” for one lucky teacher or parent. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and tell me what you like best about going back to school. Roaring Spring Paper sent me a box of different notebooks as a free sample. … Read more…
At the end of the school year, my kindergarten art class made some really colorful fish after reading the book Rainbow Fish . The students drew their fish on large posterboard (these were BIG fish). Then, they cut out paper pieces (I encouraged them to cut circles) from a variety of patterned and foil papers. Then, some of the kids chose to use paint dotters to add additional color. I I did this project again, I would have the kids … Read more…
One of our projects for the school fundraiser this year was this lovely fingerprint butterfly by the kindergarten class. I was inspired by this fingerprint artwork! I cut out the shape of a butterfly as a stencil and each kid used a different color to add their fingerprints. This was then cut out and glued on to a blue piece of paper. The artwork was a hit and the families loved it! It turned out very cute and was a … Read more…
I love these charming birds by the 1st graders! So colorful and a beautiful experience with watercolors. We read the lovely book The Boy Who Drew Birds, which is about the naturalist/artist John James Audubon. It is a great book that tells the story of how he loved to study birds and spent his free time as a child drawing and observing nature. Audubon banded birds to see if the same birds returned each year. It is a great book … Read more…
I gathered up all of the art journals and sketchbooks I could find in my house (I’m sure there’s more, as they are scattered here and there.) Some are finished and many are in various stages of completion. Don’t they look yummy all together?
Here is an easy Starry Night inspired project that I like to teach to my kindergarten art classes. There is a great Van Gogh book for kids called “Getting to Know the Greatest Artists”, by Mike Venezia (my favorite series of art books for kids.) After viewing the swirling lines, dots and dashes that Van Gogh used, the students create a wild and swirly night sky scene with markers. A silhouettte landscape or city scene is added on the bottom … Read more…
I got the idea to write this post based on a recent discussion about teaching portfolios in the Facebook Art Teachers group. I thought sharing parts of mine might be helpful to a prospective teacher who is building their portfolio. These are all my opinions and you might have a better way to show your teaching experience. Another teacher suggested bringing an iPad to the interview with digital pictures. I think that would be a fantastic way to show your … Read more…
