"Under the Sea" Collages, Kindergarten

We start this unit by reading one of my favorite books, Swimmy by Leo Lionni. The language is poetic, the story is tight and the illustrations are loose, watery and magical.

I read to the youngest children in the art studio regularly. I like to read for the beauty of the story. Often it relates to what we will be making, but sometimes it doesn't. After the excitement of walking to the studio, the listening to the story has a calming effect on the children before the materials exploration begins.

This collage is an "accordian book" unit that spans three weeks. The first week is a color mixing experience of cool colors, as children paint their water. The next two weeks is devoted to adding the collage sea creatures to their pages of blue, green and purple.
This project was inspired by artist, teacher and friend , Melissa Dold, now teaching in Seattle.

3rd Grade Portraits

The 3rd grade students have finished their oil pastel portraits, focusing on the proportions of the human face. Do the eyes really fall at the halfway mark of the oval of a face? It seemed an odd idea to many of the students. I asked them to give it a try. Put the eyes half way down. See what happens, even if it feels incorrect. Some did, some didn't.  The drawings had expressive impact whether the eyes were placed centrally or not. I felt like the guidelines made everyone slow down and think about their preconceptions.

We had mirrors but I didn't ask that they draw themselves. It simply had to be "humanoid".

Some of these are currently displayed in the halls and in the "Petit Gallery" in front of our school.

5th Grade

We have a fabulous 5th grade class this year!

I received a Donor's Choose materials grant for a fifth grade "Animals and Environments" printmaking unit. Ms. Sheehan's class was the first 5th grade to make practice prints, focusing on line texture. We looked at Albrecht Durer's print of a rhinoceros for inspiration. Students analyzed in a group discussion the many line patterns that Durer engraved to show texture on his rhinoceros. Using a variety of tools, 5th graders scratched line textures into small foam plates to experiment with the range of potential line possibilities for their final prints. Everyone printed once to review the technical process.  Drawing for final designs has begun and we should have brayers rolling and animal theme prints pulled in the next few weeks! Look for them drying in every available spot in the MMR.

Favorite 5th grade question- "Can we start?" 

More later...