Food for Thought

“Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way.” ~~ George Evans

Another One of My Crazy Ideas...

I am working on another one of my crazy ideas that will take place this spring.  But before that can happen, I could really use your help.  We could use clean, empty clear plastic water bottles.  Like this....

I am not sure how many we are really going to need, but I have a feeling that we will need A LOT!!!

The Art Room is always a great place to recycle items you no longer need.  These are some of the items that we regularly recycle in a creative way....

magazines and calendars
leftover crafts from finished projects
leftover acrylic paint
tp and paper towel tubes
plastic containers
yarn
beads

Basically.....If you think we could use it we probably can.  My students find the most creative ways to use these items and if they can't use them we will find them another home.

When we can receive items that we can recycle and use in creative ways it really helps our budget and supplies stretch.  Thanks for all your help.

Whew! What a Week.

Even though the week was only 3 days long we were very busy in the Art Room.  1st and 2nd Graders were working on portfolios to store their artwork in for the year.  This way when it is time for the Art show students will have a variety of pieces to choose from to display.  Kindergarten worked on drawings.  It is always interesting to see where they are art when it comes to fine motor skills and artistic experiences.  They have some wonderful pictures that they created and you can check them out by visiting our Artsonia Gallery.

What I love most about working with students this age is they are fearless and not hard on themselves if their picture is 100% realistic.  They are free to explore and create whatever they want.

I have yet to meet my Monday and Tuesday students so I am really looking forward to this week.

The last thing I have to share about this week is some sad news about our markers.  I personally don't love markers for every project, but I know that my students love them, because they are so bright and colorful.  While it was only 1st and 2nd grade using them last week they have just about depleted one brand-new box of markers.  While I still have some other markers, I didn't expect to go through a box of markers the 1st week of school!  So R.I.P. you beloved and beautiful markers....

I have yet to meet my Monday and Tuesday students so I am really looking forward to this week.

Day 1 of a New School Year

Day 1.........

What can I say, but where did the day go?  It went by in a busy blur.  I was amazed how my 1st and 2nd graders remembered our routines and got right back on track.  And as always the Kindergarteners are hard to keep up with.  They have so much energy and so many questions.  Usually to keep the Kindergarten classes busy the whole 50 minutes I have to plan several activities during that time.  However, I ran the normal routine of coming in and getting started with our Art Talk, then going to tables and working on art, and finally coming back together to share and discuss their art.  They were engaged in the art making and our discussion the whole time.  I was really impressed. Even for Kindergarten on the first day of school, our Choice-Based classroom really works!

I think we are really going to have a lot of fun this year.  I plan to start off slow when introducing or (in the case of my older students) re-introducing our art supplies.  I want to make sure that all my students understand our routines and know what is expected of them for the year before we get too many supplies out.  This slow introduction of supplies (drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture supplies) was stretched across 1st semester for all my students.  This plan may get changed pretty quick since the 2nd and 1st grades are falling back into our routines so well.  (Kindergarten will stay with the longer plan and have more access to additional supplies as the year moves on.  They have a lot to learn their first year when it comes to discovering and using all the different types of supplies.)

Look for another update on Friday to see our artwork from this week!

1st Grade Art Show

Yesterday was the 1st Grade's Art Show.  It started off a little slow in the morning,  but had quite a crowd in the afternoon.  I know that the students were really excited to see the pictures they selected for the show hanging up in the gym.  To see the students' work from the show check us out at www.artsonia.com and search for Kirksville Primary.

A lot of catching up to do....

Since my last post, I have met 7000 fellow art teachers, trekked the streets of NYC, spent too much time in an airplane, reorganized/cleaned an art room, and started preparing for an art show; all this in addition to what goes happens on a regular day in the art room.  The thing that I perhaps love the most about my students' art is hearing all the stories that my students attach to their work.  When they talk about their pictures their faces light up and they become so animated.  Here are a few of the stories that have stuck in my head.  I wish I could remember more of them.

 This collage was inspired by a video on Henri Matisse that my students viewed while I was gone to my conference in NYC.  The video was short (just 10 minutes), but this student loved the shapes of Matisse's cutouts.  In the lower corners of his picture you can see a boot on the left and a shoe on the right.  After making the rest of the picture these happened to be two left over shapes that looked like footwear.  Adding the laces to the shoes was the perfect finishing touch.

This sculpture was originally started as separate projects, but as the two boys worked near each other the projects merged into one.  We are witnessing a ghost hunt in a very haunted jungle!

This student was the 1st and for a while the only student in his class to work on a project like this.  (Since then his project has inspired others.)  This project started when he found one of the sticks and thought to himself that it could be used as a mast for the sails; it grew from there.  With a little help, he was able to create a fantastic pirate ship on the high seas complete with a shark following the ship.

This Lego creation depicts a shark chasing after a yellow boat.

Even though my memory does not help me to remember all the stories about my students artwork, you can still learn a lot from your child when they bring their projects home.  You will be amazed at what they will remember and share with you about their project.  Here are some additional works of art that I am sorry to say, my memory is a little foggy on the background stories.  That doesn't make them any less wonderful to look at. So enjoy!

 These are biodegradable packing peanuts.  When dampened they stick together.  They make such wonderful sculptures, but after 2 classes my stash was reduced by half its size.

Whew!  I think that catches us up.