Blog Award

I just got back to my computer after a week or so of being away. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY POSTS I HAVE TO LOOK OVER. I don't want to skim them because I might miss some terrific ideas, so it is going to take me awhile to get caught up.

However, I do want to thank 2 sites that sent me a Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you to Joanna at We Heart Art (check out her blog here). I especially liked her stamped branches on her Apr. 7 post and am planning to adapt that technique for a project this coming month. Thanks also to the Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School here for the same award!! Check out their posts on cats.

After thanking and responding to the blogger who nominates you, the other part of this award is agreeing to share 10 blog sites that you have recently discovered and then to share 7 things about yourself.

So, here are some Art blog sites that I have recently started following:
1. Art Dish, click here.
2. Art on the Move, click here.
3. Imagine, Explore, Create (actually I have followed this one for awhile) here.
4. Lines, Dots & Doodles, click here.
5. Outside the Lines Young Artists' Studio, click here.
6. Shine Brite Zamorano, click here.
7. Suffield Elementary Art Blog!, click here.
8. The Art Room, click here.
9. Texas Art Teacher, click here.
10 Happily Ever After - An Art Teacher's Fairy Teal, click here.

The last blog award I got, I think I got a bit wordy with the 7 things about me, so this time I am going to be very brief!!
1. I am completing my first year of official retirement(after 40 years of teaching) -- I am now the volunteer who teaches art 2 days a week at my school -- SO FUN!!!!!
2. I am currently engrossed in the NBA playoffs. I live in California, so you can guess my team!!
3. I am in the middle of crocheting a granny square quilt in Spring colors.
4. Reading is a passion.
5. My mom has been going through recent eye surgeries, so I have been called into duty as "the driver" and companion. We've had some good moments re-bonding!!
6. I am still loving the Sketchbook Challenge - check out my sidebar for details.
7. My month with Kindergarteners is coming up. It has been awhile since I've taught this age and I am looking forward to it!

The Little Things #2 - Scissors

How many times have you been walking around, monitoring students at work, when suddenly you catch sight of a child wound around him or herself in some unbelievable contortion, trying to cut something out for a collage? I am not surprised to see this with young children, but when it is a 4th or 5th grader, I wonder how s/he got this far in his or her education without mastering this basic skill of cutting efficiently with a pair of scissors.

These are 3 things I have seen kids (older kids!!) doing:
     #1) Holding the scissors upside down, with the thumb in the finger hole and the fingers trying to squeeze into the thumb hole.

      #2) I see this most often. Instead of turning the paper to cut curves, children try to turn their cutting arm and end up cutting toward themselves instead of away from themselves.

      #3) I see this a LOT, too. It is hard to see in this photo. But this right handed child's pair of scissors is on the left side of the cutting line, blocking her view of the line. If she moves the blade just to the right of the line, she can see it clearly as she cuts. I have found that kids don't always "get" this concept right away when I show them the difference. It usually takes a bit of monitoring.

So, what is the cure when you are the art teacher who may not see the child consistently, or, as in my case, more than a few times a year? When there is time, I will stop, sit down and model for the student, making sure they are on the right track before I move on. Since I know I won't be able to follow up in the regular classroom, I jot it down on a post-it to mention my observations to the classroom teacher, who can then pass it on to the parent (who can be watchful and monitor at home).

I probably have overlooked some other behaviors that you have seen in your own classrooms. Anyone have any other tips for mastering "Scissors 101"?

Spring Break!

Pier Reflections Results

Our 102 year old pier is a popular destination for tourists and locals. When I asked the kids in each class who had been to the pier almost every hand shot up. They were enthusiastic to recreate it as a piece of art.

We started looking at 6 photos (from Google images) showing reflections and I asked the students to tell how the photos were alike. They got that each had buildings and water and there was someone in each class who noticed the reflections. We discussed the "wiggly" lines in the reflections. Next, we looked at and discussed photos of the pier with its colorful buildings, the carrousel building with arched windows/doors and the ferris wheel.

Then the kids got started on their buildings with me reminding them to PRESS HARD with the crayons. The last step was to use liquid watercolor and a sponge to make the sky and water. I had them use the sponge square to "stamp" the sky and then wipe on the water (so we would have different textures).

These are a a few drying on the drying rack. I guess I could have displayed these all strung together in line like the bottom three. Maybe next time!

One cool thing that happened was when I was hanging some of these pictures in the hallway.  A group of 4th/5th grade girls came by on their way to instrumental music. They stopped with an "Oh my gosh, look at these -- it's the PIER!! They made reflections! These are SO GOOD!!" The girls stopped and had a whole discussion about which classrooms had done the art, whether they knew anyone in the class, what class they were in when they were in 1st grade and how the kids make the reflections look more real. DON'T YOU JUST LOVE MOMENTS LIKE THAT!!!!

Reflections

We are off to the Santa Monica Pier (artistically, that is) this week. I have seen a lot of variations of this lesson on various blogs and Artsonia. I know that Jacquelien at Kids Artists has one here, and Laugh, Paint, Create has one, too, here. Their versions are of the waterfront and Venice.

First, I have a few images of water reflections and our 102 year old pier for the kids to view and discuss. I especially want them to notice the brightly painted buildings and how the lines in the reflections are wiggly.
Then, I am having the kids start by drawing a line to delineate water from land.

Next, they'll draw the colorful buildings, using crayons.

The reflections of the buildings are also done with crayons, making the lines kind of wiggly, like they appear in water. (The half circle shape is the ferris wheel that is on our pier.)

The last step is a quick liquid watercolor wash,  with the water slightly darker than the sky. This sample doesn't yet have the water darkened.

Makes me want to take a walk down to the pier and ride on the ferris wheel!!

Happy Words Scramble - Results

What a fun week with 1st graders this has been!!! To start the lesson we revisited what we learned about Matisse last week and used that as a link to the art of Kim MacConnel. MacConnel's work is said to be influenced by Matisse (and Picasso). Using images on the Smartboard, students compared MacConnel's lines and colors to those of Matisse with a great deal of insight!! Yeah, 1st graders!! (see previous post for link to MacConnel's art)-- it is such a strong example of color and line design!! We talked about how artists learn from each other all the time.

The twist that we added to these collages was the use of letters to spell a "happy" word. Midway through the period, kids came back to the rug area and we played a quick game of "Hang Spider" (my non-violent alternative to Hangman -- I use a spider hanging from its web instead of a person) in which the word was s-m-i-l-e. We had a brainstormed list of other 5-letter happy words (kitty, puppy, proud, happy, mommy, dance, music, etc.). Students applied these letters to 5 circles in their collage in a scrambled form so the viewer would have to figure out the "happy word". Kids loved this puzzle aspect of the work.

I loved watching the kids create their colorful designs and all the results were pretty dynamic!! There were so many opportunities to make choices of color, line and placement during the process. I had not taught this lesson before and I think it is one of my favorites for this year!! ...And an added bonus, there are NO SCRAPS and hardly any CLEAN UP!! Whoo-hoo!!!!!!!

"Happy Word" Collage

I have used California Artist, Kim MacConnel's design work to motivate other student work this year. His work, seen here, is terrific for pattern, design, color and space. This week, 1st graders will be working with all 4 skills as the create a "Happy Word Collage." Earlier this year I went to see the work of another local artist, Steve Roden, and was taken with one of his mixed-media paintings where he used collaged letters as part of the art. I plan to have the kids incorporate this into their collage.

Before starting, we will brainstorm a lot of 5-letter "happy" words ( ie. happy, laugh, loves, smile, etc.)
For this project, we will be starting with a 9" X 12" piece of illustration board that was donated by a local art framer ( but construction paper would work fine, too ) as the background. I pre-cut contrasting colored construction paper smaller than the board
(maybe 7"X12"), which students will cut from top to bottom however they like.

One of the great things about MacConnel's artwork, is that he paints vertical patterns that start at one end of the page and extend all the way to the opposite side. I find that with this inspiration, I don't see as many kids starting or ending lines floating somewhere in the middle of their page.

Next, they glue that first piece (or, 2 pieces, now!) onto the background, creating a space where the back shows through. I have a lot of various width strips of colored paper at this time of the year and students position those to add to their design.

I pre-cut some circles from old wall art calendars that I have been saving for years and years. Students will place those in a line design and finally use letters in them to spell a "happy word."

In this sample I put whole words in the circles, but for the actual project I will pre-print the words that students brainstormed in Times Font and have the kids cut out the letters and glue one letter in each circle, randomly arranged, so the viewer will have to "unscramble" the word. I'll post the results later so you'll see better what I have in mind.