tint and shade collage

This is yet another wonderful idea from www.thechocolatemuffintree.blogspot.com (sorry, Melissa! I don't know why my hyperlink isn't working in Blogger!), adapted for my Kindergarten and First Grade students! This weekend I was, er, shopping at a certain home improvement store and, um, "sampled" a few of their paint sample sheets. I am going to have to hit up another nameless large home improvement store sometime this week for a few (hundered) more!

First off, I cut all the sample sheets in half and put them in a basket on their tables. I had them lay them out in "favorites", primary colors, secondary colors, spectrum order, etc. We then discussed tint and shade. They were to then choose 4 sheets of color(s) they liked and arranged them in their personal space from lightest to darkest.

The trick was that they had to use EVERY SINGLE SCRAP from their four sheets. No one was to throw anything away! We talked about abstract art, also, as they were to NOT make a picture out of anything. We were focusing on color, not on a subject here.

This was really fun and I think I am going to do this next year, adaptable to Picasso faces or something of that sort with my older students! That means a few (twenty-ish) more trips to another unsuspecting home improvement store! Gheesh!!

torn paper eagles

I love torn paper mosaic projects because:
1. The students are engrossed in little, teeny, tiny, miniscule bits of paper.
2. All projects are successful
3. You can do this project with varying levels of difficulty and varying subject matters.
4. It's a great "filler" when your kids are in end-of-the-year-or-Easter-Break-mode.
5. It's semi-therapeutic (except for the clean-up!)

In light of the recent video-feed sensation of the nesting eagles, we decided to continue our American Adventure unit with a torn paper mosaic of an eagle. These are done on 9x12 paper and we did them in Third Grade.

I love the look of the torn paper on the eagles---this is also a great project to discuss implied vs. actual texture!

the versatile blogger award!

Awesome News! I was given The Versatile Blogger Award by a blog I just discovered: The Chocolate Muffin Tree. She is the mom of a preschooler, but you'd never know it because her crafts are right up my elementary alley! I love how she re-purpouses common household supplies for her projects!

First here are 7 things that you may not know about me:

1. I am currently 7 1/2 months pregnant with my second boy, Chase. My kids are juuuuuust now starting to ask questions!
2. I have also taught swimming lessons after school for the past 10 years. It's my "summer" job and I still love doing it!
3. I have a secret addiction to peanut butter and jelly!
4. I have two dogs, a Pug and a Boston Terrier, that snore and sleep in our bed. *sigh*
5. I cannot keep an indoor plant alive to save my life!
6. I am versed in just about every art form except crocheting, and some of my kids even know how to do it and I don't!!!
7. I have never started, pushed, or dealt with a lawnmower my entire life. I wouldn't even know where to begin to look if I had to!

Now to the 10 bloggers that I feel are worth such an Award:

Artful Artsy Amy

Art For Small Hands

Art at Chesterbrook Academy

Fine Lines

laughpaintcreate

MaryMaking

One Crayola Short

Use Your Coloured Pencils

The Elementary Art Room!

ARTolazzi

To accept the award, there are several steps:

-Thank the person who gave you the award and link them back to your post.

-Tell us seven things about yourself.

-Award ten recently discovered bloggers

-Contact these bloggers and let them know they've received their award.

2011 garden arts fest at venice united church of christ

Our efforts to make the VUCOC/Garden Elementary Arts Fest "bigger and better" than last year came to fruition last Thursday night! This year we had the YOUNG AMERICANS (our chorus) and the Gator Band play for all of the parents. Art awards were handed out, refreshments were had, and the VUCOC was a great venue for all!

The church did a wonderful job setting up the artwork, adjudicating the artwork, and promoting the show! We couldn't have asked for a better turnout!

I put about 1/2 of the glass sculptures in the show. The rest will reside at the South County art show in a couple of weeks.

It was quite a colorful show!

The students were very proud of their work!

Everyone received a ribbon...award of Merit, award of Excellence, or Emerging Artist. While the award itself means nothing to the students, the ribbon means everything!

I think the smiles on their faces tell the whole story!

On behalf of all our Garden Gators, we thank the VUCOC for their warm hospitality in hosting our Arts Fest. See you next year!

bunny sculpture tutorial

This is a quick "tutorial" on how to make the bunny sculptures I had in this post. They were quite the rage and I had kids in tears who missed art that week, so I had a few extra visitors here and there so they could make their bunnies!

A 9"x9" sheet of green. Fold the sides in and have the kids cut fringe to make it look like grass!

Roll two pieces of 3"x9" strips of white and glue them together to make the bunny's body.

Glue on ears, nose, feet, etc. I LOOOOOOOOOVE sticker eyes from Sax Arts. They are cheaper than the "googly" eyes and don't slide down from too much glue...just stick it and forget it!

Add a cotton-ball tail...

We added a little Easter grass for pizzazz...

...and called it a day!

happy spring!

I just love these Kindergarten Gardens at night!

my little chickadees

This is a great springtime project I learned about on The Chocolate Muffin Tree. We used cardboard scraps to stamp out the tree branches, potatoes to stamp the chickadees' bodies (you could use ANY color of paint and call them ANY sort of bird!). We used very skinny pieces of cardboard to twist the tails and heads. Afterward, I gave them some Easter grass (LOVE that stuff!) and let them tear it up and make some "leaves" on their trees with it. Of course this could also be used as a nest as she does on the link above. I will post some more student examples once I have my camera back in working order!

bunny sculptures

These are great centerpieces, egg-hiding-places, and just all-around wonderful paper sculptures of bunnies! I make these with my Kindergarten and First Graders each year and they love them every single time! Materials you will need: 1 9x9 sheet green paper (for "grass") 2 9x3 pieces of white paper (for the bunnies' bodies) -- you could sub toilet paper tubes for these 1 4 1/2x6 piece of white paper for the ears and feet 1 small piece pink paper (for nose and ears) 1 small piece blue paper (for eyes) wiggle eyes (I use the sticker eyes from SAX Arts) 1 cottonball some crinkly easter grass (just for fun!) I will post a step-by-step tomorrow. My camera is M.I.A and I had to take these from my cell phone!