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!

Kindergarten Kindness Quilt

At the start of the year I plan projects that enable me to assess students' baseline skills. I always aim to reinforce larger learning concepts from the classroom in the art room as well. This year I was able to do both with the creation of a kindness quilt.  The Kindergarteners begin the year learning how to behave positively in the school community.  The story The Kindness Quilt touches on the idea of being kind to others.  In the story, the school children design quilt squares that show acts of kindness.  I decided to have my Kindergarten students to the exact same thing.  

The project was great because I was able to assess drawing, coloring, cutting, and pasting skills.  The students enjoyed creating their quilt squares and were so excited to see them assembled into a large paper quilt. Our Kindness Quilt is a wonderful visual display in the Early Childhood building that will serve as a reminder of kind behavior throughout the school year.

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.