It Takes A Village

I found a project idea in one of the art education professional magazines (School Arts or Arts and Activities, I apologize that I cannot cite which one!).  The project was titled It Takes a Village and I loved the way it combined ideas of collaboration and community with art concepts.  Even though the project was designed for 6th graders, I felt I could adapt it to be a perfect culminating project for my second graders this year.  The project was a class favorite and a huge success!

Students first designed their own cottage on small paper.  They drew inspiration from cultures of focus in the 2nd grade social studies curriculum, and from artists of study in the 2nd grade art curriculum.

Students then created a village by tracing their own cottage on a large paper, and choosing classmates' cottages to trace and add into the scene as well. Students paid careful attention to overlapping and letting their work fall off the edge of the paper.  A horizon line was added at the end of the drawing phase, with plenty of oohs and ahhs!

Students traced their pencil lines with Sharpies before painting with watercolor paints. Here a student is using semi-moist watercolors. These watercolors provide a nice quality pigment, but if enough water is not added they do not fully dry and remain sticky on the paper.  In the future, I would not give 2nd graders the option to use semi-moist watercolor paints and would save them for more mature artists.

Students also added color using standard watercolor trays and tube watercolors were used to mix special colors.

The background was painted using liquid watercolors.  I absolutely love liquid watercolors as they are bright and intense!

These finished pieces are a true testament to the title. It took a village to create the scene. My students had to rely on one another and share their creativity in order to complete each individual project.  What a great way to end the school year! 

See the full class set of paintings on my Flickr page

Kindergarten Self-Portraits

I like to do a portrait project with each grade level in the year.  With Kindergartners, my focus is on students including all of the vital parts of a portrait (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, eyebrows, neck).  I remembered Bruce Blitz, the cartoon artist who was on TV when I was younger. He would use little tricks to help build drawings, for example using a letter or number as the base for a portrait.

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Nursery News

I am very lucky to teach the youngest students at our school. The Nursery students are 3-year-olds who attend half days. They come to the art room once a week for thirty minutes of exploration. Even though the Nursery students are young, they can still engage in well-rounded art experiences. 

We started the year exploring color and movement inspired by the great artists Morris Louis, Helen Frankenthaler, and Jackson Pollock.  

Students used primary color markers and spray bottles of water to achieve a blurred color mixing effect like Morris Louis.

Students used liquid watercolors and pipettes to pour and squeeze paint like Helen Frankenthaler.

Condiment bottles full of tempera paint enabled students to "action paint" by moving their arms and creating twisting lines like Jackson Pollock.

Note:  One of my favorite sites full of art experiences for young children is So Says Sarah. If you are a teacher or parent of young artists, you should check it out!

Integrating Science and Art

I was about to begin an artist study of Georgia O'Keeffe with my 2nd graders when I heard that they would soon be taking a field trip to a local botanical garden.  I met with the classroom teachers who explained to me that the field trip was targeted to enhance the 2nd grade science study of plants and animals.  One key idea of the science unit was symbiotic relationships.  As explained in this lesson, a study of Georgia O'Keeffe is a great way to teach the artistic skills of drawing large & filling the space of the paper.  In addition to teaching art skills, I knew that I could also reinforce science concepts with this project.  

The symbiotic relationship between a hummingbird and flower

Dr. Seuss

When I stumbled upon this Dr. Seuss project idea, I knew it would be a fun way to reinforce primary colors and introduce perspective to my Kindergarteners. It was also a great way to help prepare them for the upcoming Dr. Suess Day celebration organized by the librarian every March 2nd. 

SmockTip #4- Renew those magazine subscriptions!

Painting is messy.  There is no way around. BUT there are ways to reduce the mess.  

I remember reading on some blog somewhere that old magazines make great disposable palettes. I decided to try it out with a Pre-Kindergarten class.  They were doing some found-object printmaking with tempera paint.  I set up each table with two magazines in the center. I spread a thin layer of paint on each magazine and set out lots of common recycled objects.  The students had a blast dipping objects in the paint and printing on their paper, all the while mixing the two colors of paint on the magazine palettes.  At the end of class, cleanup with simple.  I tore off the top page of the magazine and threw it away, leaving a new clean palette for the next class!

SmockTip #3- An eggcellent idea!

At the beginning of the school year, I ask parents to save and donate certain materials to recycle in the art room.  I always ask for cardboard egg cartons.  Color mixing with a classroom full of first graders can get messy.  After several attempts of shared palettes turning into a mush of brown paint, chaotic clean up at the end of class while washing palettes, and many students upset that their partners didn't let them do the mixing, I knew I had to find a better way.

Using egg cartons for color mixing worked wonderfully.  I cut the egg cartons into trays of three wells, and pre-filled them with the colors to mix.  I was able to do this step at the start of the day prior to a string of back-to-back classes.  Each student LOVED having their own paint and the opportunity to try out the magic of mixing independently.  When students were finished, clean up was simple.  They threw away their egg palettes and tossed their paintbrush into the rinse bucket.  So easy!

***Note:  In the photo you might notice that I had my students mixing yellow, magenta, and turquoise instead of yellow, red, and blue.  I have found that with the Crayola washable tempera paints, the primary colors do not mix very attractively.  By substituting magenta and turquoise, the students get shades of orange, purple, and green that really pop eliciting lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" in the art room : ) 

SmockTip #1- Hang on to those pizza boxes!

SmockTips are simple tips of what works in my art classroom. I hope you find them helpful!