Lily Ponds inspired by Monet

Art teachers know that elementary students LOVE mixed media.  I only see my first graders once per rotation cycle, which means my time with them is limited.  Mixed media projects enable them to experience a variety of art forms in less time.  This Monet-inspired project included pencil drawing, painting, shading with chalk (both dry and wet chalk), tissue paper collage and cut paper collage.

They did fantastic work in only 4-5 class sessions!

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!

Van Gogh and the Elements of Art

The second graders ended the school year studying the elements of art in Van Gogh's painting The Starry Night.  Students then created their own night scene using oil pastels. The project rubric required students to demonstrate the use of each element of art. Some students accomplished this by creating a replica of The Starry Night, while others came up with their own unique scenes. I love how their individuality was expressed in this project. The results were amazing!

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

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto

I recently had my Kindergarteners work on a project that I saw in SchoolArts magazine titled Building a Better Robot (January 2012 issue). This mixed media project seemed to have it all- found object printmaking, pencil drawing, coloring with marker, and shading with chalk.  I was excited about exposing my students to a variety of media while also teaching them about the concepts of foreground and background.