Abstract Santas

What do you think? I think they are awesome! The kids had a ball with these, and many were surprised they did so well. I love it when that happens! This was a directed drawing, but I told the children that they could change it around however they wanted. If I don't give directions, they freak out. So, anyway, the students took off and made them their own, which is what I wanted. These are just a few, but I didn't manage to take many more pics before the break! I forget how crazy it gets before Christmas!

No Bullying Allowed Here!

This month is anti-bullying month. I needed to teach some art lessons on this, so I read "The Skin I'm In" to the 4th and 5th graders. We discussed what the poem meant, and what all stems from bullying. It is a tough world these kids are living in, and the school I teach in has a lot of kids who have a really hard time. This is the poster they made in one of the classes. The hearts are supposed to contain helpful words for their friends. In the younger grades, I read Chrysanthemum. We discussed how hurtful kids can be to each other. They then did an exercise where they wrote all the mean and hurtful things they have said or have had said to them on a paper with an outline of a person. Then I had them wrinkle it up as tightly as possible. When I told them to unfold it and smooth it out like new, they were freaked out. "There's no way, Mrs. Jackson! It's ruined!" Point made. I then told them that is what happens when they hurt people. You can try to fix it, but the damage is always there. On the back, they wrote ideas of things they can say to build others up. I think the lessons were pretty effective, actually. Maybe it will last a while...

Let 'em walk on (again)!

My Walking Horse zentangles went over so well last year that I decided to do them again, with a twist. This time, they had to use different colors. I tied this in with a lesson on LINE. I will upload more when they finish them!

Starting out the year right!

I decided to be proactive and get the kids started with place to show improvement. The children all have drawn a self portrait for me. The idea is that at the end of the year they will draw another one to show how much their drawing skills improve. I am looking forward to seeing how this works out! Each class has their own folder containing the pictures, so I am hoping I won't lose them by the end of the year! lol

I'm back from Tennessee Art Academy and Create 2012!

...And oh, what great experiences! I thoroughly enjoyed both of them, and learned so much! I can't wait to share! One of my favorite classes was on bookmaking. The teachers were wonderful, and very patient! I know that teaching a bunch of other teachers is one of the hardest things to do. Give me a bunch of kids anytime! They gave us the information we needed, and let us go to town. In the other class at TAA, we were given a myriad of lessons to use in our classrooms, and got to experiment with some Crayola products I have never used. It was great! This is my Model Magic eagle that will be used in my classroom. Not really sure what for yet! I thought about filling the jar with vocabulary words and pulling them out when I had a few extra minutes for review, but I am afraid of messing with it too much! It took a long time to make! He may just be an example...lol. Here are more examples of the lesson- some added paperclips on the back to put the lesson words in. I am so sorry that I don't know the artist's names to give them credit, but aren't they awesome? I do know that the adorable penguin belongs to my friend Megan Meli! I guess that is enough for now. I will upload more pics and projects later!

Summertime!!! Whoo Hoo!

I am finally getting my breath back after the crazy end of this year. I am in the planning stages for next, and I am so excited! I am going to the Tennessee Arts Academy in July, along with Creativity 2012. I am hoping to learn all kinds of cool stuff to come back and share with the other teachers. Thanks to the internet, I have more ideas than ever to use, I just have to get my bearings on what exactly to do to cover all the GLEs and SPIs. With all the goodies I grabbed at the ZeroLandfill Nashville, I am sure lots of them will be from recycled materials! Anyway, stay tuned for lots of ideas after I return from these conferences. I will be glad to share them with you!

Scenes from the Art Show

Our art show was a huge success this year! Over 1600 people attended, and it was a gorgeous day! All of the County art teachers were thrilled, to say the least.

Painting like Helen Keller

The kids in second grade are reading about Helen Keller this week. I help in one of their rooms in the morning, and I thought it would be really neat to do an art lesson based on doing something blindfolded. The kids thought that was one of the coolest things ever! Here are some pictures of them working on their masterpieces. I thought this would give them more respect for people with disabilities. :)

When the pictures are dry, I will post them.

Butterfly Life Cycle

The first graders had a lesson this week on the life cycle of the butterfly. We made replicas from Crayola Model Magic. They worked on them Tuesday, and finished them on Friday. I think they turned out well, and more importantly, the kids could all tell me about it!

Ed Emberley!

Didn't this first grader do an awesome job on her step-by-step lion? I thought so! I only have the kinders and 1st graders for 20 minutes a class, so we have to do something quick! I used the Ed Emberly book to do a quick lesson on drawing this on Friday, with great results.

Crazy for Hundertwasser

The kids have had an absolute ball with our Hundertwasser unit. We made men with tall hats, lollipop trees, and crazy, colorful houses! I love what they did! This is our current display at the Board of Education. If you get a chance, stop on by!

Hundertwasser inspiration!

A sneak peek into our works inspired by artist Hundertwasser-