Kindergarten Patchwork Color Mixes

In making up for lost time I will let you know what my kindergarteners have learned about the past few weeks.
We read the book "Mouse Paint" by Ellen Stoll Walsh. I adore that story about primary and secondary colors. Then we created our own mixed colors like the mice in the story.

As prep I pretaped 9 x 12" white paper with masking tape with three pieces that crossed to the other side. This created a window/patchwork effect.

 

Then at each table I placed a cup of liquid watercolor for each primary color: red, yellow, blue.

 

Students painted each primary color into 2 squares. Then we added another primary color to each box to mix the colors. Most students did well with this, but my kids who don't always follow directions did get all six colors we wanted to see. On a positive note everyone had a beautiful picture no matter the results.

 

 

As we prepared to leave I sprinkled a tiny bit of salt on a few squares of each paper and asked students to watch and see if "snowflakes" would appear on their paper. This they LOVED!  After papers dried I peeled off the tape and returned them to the students.

 

This project took 1 forty minute class with kindergarten students.

We used the following materials:

1. 9 x 12" white paper

2. masking tape

3. liquid watercolor in red, yellow, blue

4. paintbrushes and water

5. salt

 

**Issues I faced with this project was that taping is very time consuming... prepare way ahead of time. Secondly, the tape can tear the paper so a strong paper would be best or a weak tape. A few tore a little bit, but a piece of scotch tape across the back of the tear took care of those problems.

 

Happy Painting!

Busy Month! - Fun Line Names Continued

Its been a really busy month and I am finally finding time to blog a bit about what we have been up to. My first graders finished their Fun Line Names. They all turned out fantastically.

If you recall from my last post, students began by drawing their name large. We traced hard with black crayon. Then they added a variety of lines around each letter. The second week we painted our names with liquid watercolor. (In fact this is the watercolor I made from markers) I encouraged students to spread their colors into many different parts of the picture... let them flow into each other and see what happens.

 

The third week we glued our names to the center of a piece of black construction paper. It measured about an inch and a half to 2 inches wider than the white paper.

 

 

This last step was a bit tricky for some of my students so I went ahead and hole punched a series of holes around the edge (before I met with students) and from there they sewed color yarn through each hole occasionally adding a bead or a piece of patterned wall paper scrap. I mentioned that this was the "final line" we would be using to complete their work.

 

 

 

I loved the results from this project and it was really a great success for everyone. However let me emphasize that there is a LOT of prep work for this project. I found myself cutting lengths of yarn over my weekend to make sure I had enough for over 100 first graders. I think the results were worth it.

 

This project took 3 forty minute classes to complete. Sometimes you may need an additional week.

Materials:

6 x 15" white paper

10 x 18" black paper

black crayons

color crayons

glue

hole punchers

yarn in various colors

beads

pieces of random interesting paper

liquid watercolor and paint brushes

 

Fun Line Names

This past week I started my first graders on a project that could review line while tying in with their current classroom curriculum of "All About Me".

We began the lesson by drawing in the air together with our pointer/drawing finger. We told a silly story while we drew different kinds of lines in the air. Fun fun! We walked to the mall (horizontal line), we went up elevators and escalators (vertical and diagonal), we even traced some alligator teeth (zig zag) without a single student losing a finger.

After our silly story, I then explained we would use these lines to make our names special.
Students first drew their name very large with a pencil onto a piece of 6 x 15" paper. We also turned the paper horizontally, but a vertical approach could be interesting too.

 

We traced over our names with a black crayon to make the name very very dark!

 

Then together we put lines on our papers. I would tell each student to pick a bright color and then put a specific type of line somewhere on their paper. It could be inside or outside a letter. Then they would pick a new color and we would repeat the process with a different type of line. After we drew some together I let them loose on their own to fill the remainder of their papers.

 

The first two above just have a little more to do. The third paper is complete.

 

Next week my plan is for them to finish drawing their lines then we will watercolor wash over the paper using multiple colors. The last step will be to glue their names onto a piece of black paper to mount it. Hole punch into the black paper and tie yarn and beads around their names. I am really looking forward to seeing the finished products!

 

 

(On a sidenote: Pinterest has really been an awesome source of inspiration this summer. I was able to create new posters for one of my classrooms and this one has become the favorite. Thank you Pinterest, you rock!)

 

Sketchbooks!

This year I decided to start off my intermediates (3rd - 5th) with a project that could keep them busy for the next two weeks while we are taking creativity tests. We began sketchbooks. This idea came from another elementary school teacher in my district. I think it was quite ingenious!

We start off with the following materials: old manila folders (cut in half), pre-cut white computer/scrap paper, markers, and a stapler.

 

I give each student a pre-cut half of the folder and my one rule is to write their name and their teacher's name on the folder. But the rest of the decoration is up to them. I prefer them to create a sketchbook cover that describes themselves in some way.

We use markers to draw on our sketchbooks, but crayons or colored pencils could work great as well.  As students work on their covers (the cut manila folder), I circulate around the classroom sliding the computer paper into each cover and stapling across the fold of the cover to attach the paper. Students could staple themselves, but I only have 1 really decent stapler so I'll do that work.

 

They open and close perfectly.

 

Surprisingly enough all my students are very excited about their sketchbooks and want to take them home already. I'm planning to keep them in the school for a while so that if I have any early finishers they can go work in their sketchbooks instead of finding something less constructive to do with their time.

 

Many of our teachers throw out old manila folders each year so this is an excellent opportunity to recycle and save some of my classroom materials.

First Week Likes

1. I like what I've done with my classroom. I've worked in it for 8 years previously and it didn't change all too much. Now that I've moved to be there more full time I made some changes.

Before: Lots of stuff on the shelves felt cluttered to me

 

After: I put panels of fabric on the shelves with velcro. I can lift and pin up the fabric to access each shelf. I like it! It just seems a little more organized.

 

Also added fabric panels that are hung with curtain rods under the bottom window shelves. Woo! Less clutter visible and the kids have less interest in going over there.

 

2. I like the activity I chose to do with my primary kids this week. We did the usual rules and such then read the book Pete the Cat - I Love My White Shoes. My students then designed their own shoes that "stepped" in anything they wanted... stripes, polka dots, hey even pizza if they chose to. I'm starting to hang them outside my classroom next to my own Pete!

 



 
3. I like my sign that I use the first few weeks. Its terribly effective!

4.. I like my class incentive plan I'm going to put into place with my 1st and 2nd graders.

 

I found this on Pinterest! Great idea! Each class has a paper crayon box that will be adhered to the classroom wall with the teacher's name on it. Each week they work quietly in the art room I will add a crayon to their box. Each time they reach 8 crayons I will give their class 3 box tops! (Our school collects them and it has turned into a large competition).  At the end of the year the class who collected the most crayons over time will win a prize from me.
First week has been hard though. Kindergarteners are still learning the routines and are lost about 90% of the time. Any time you step out of my door you are more than likely to find a lost child. Thank goodness for our 1st and 2nd graders to help remind us all that there is an end in sight. :)

Made that Summer Count, School is back in session

School started this week here! I had a fantastic summer and really made it count. This next school year calender is lacking a lot of the usual time off to accomodate a recent state policy. Though the policy is well intentioned, I'm not a fan.  However, I am so grateful for the extra week we had off before returning to work.

I traveled... oh did I travel!

At the end of July, I went on a mission trip to a Native American Reservation in North Dakota and learned so much about the people there. The children are beautiful. I would have taken so many home with me if I could.

Our team worked on building decks so that the residents could get in and out easily of their homes. So many of the house doors were 3 or 4 feet above the level of the ground.

North Dakota is amazing. Such big skies!

Showing that wheel chair ramp who's boss

Drilling!

The poverty and desperation there is huge, but the pride of the people and their culture is so very much intact. I loved every single moment. 

We did a little art with children in one of the communities. Put food coloring in bottles of bubbles then had them blow bubbles onto their papers. Later when they were dry we colored with crayons. I'm not sure whether art makes it onto their plates or not there, but I saw several with very creative inclinations. Oh how I wish I could have brought so many of them home.

My favorite part of the week was the Pow Wow. I learned about all the different types of dancers and their style of dress. Each person took such pride in their costumes. Oh and this was the place to try a bison burger if the urge has ever hit you. Tasty tasty!

The second day after I returned home from N.D. Mom and I hopped on a plane to Italy. We saw Venice, Florence, and Rome. It was art teacher heaven!

Reflecting back on my art history classes made me realize they only scratch the surface. To see these amazing monuments in person leaves one truly in awe.

Pantheon. So much larger than I imagined.

Trevi Fountain

I'm having Italy withdrawls.

North Dakota has left me feeling the urge to do some "Western" art this year, perhaps closer to Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what Italy has done to influence my classes yet.

Perhaps Italy can just me for me.

The experience has left my heart and mind open to new possibilities.

Boston MFA

I had the privilege of visting Boston this week and it was a whirlwind!
The Museum of Fine Arts is entirely too expansive to try and squeeze into one day. I did get a few ideas on how to enhance some of my curriculum from this trip.


Renoir's paintings of dancers were on loan from Paris and it was truly spectacular to see them in person. When I discuss movement and dance in future projects I think I will refer to these pieces. They can make a great comparison.

In the Ancient Art works section I found the greek pottery display. After seeing this I feel more inclined to try out a lesson on a 2D pottery drawing. I've put it off for a while, but after seeing the real thing in person I am feeling more inspired to give it a go!

I love contemporary art. I know a lot of it can be really zany or out there, but sometimes I just need something fun or outrageous to look at. I found this absolutely splendid example of food art:

Reminds me so much of my sky high cheeseburgers. This Dagwood Sandwhich even has anchovies... Ooooh we are going to totally have that as an option with our next project!

Toodles for now! Off to some more summer adventures!