Weaving!

The fifth graders have been working on a weaving the past few weeks.  First, they created the loom out of clay.  Then it had to dry and be fired in our kiln.  Then it was time to add the vertical string (the warp) and start weaving in the weft.  After weaving, students stained the frame using shoe polish and added beads and feathers for embellishment.


Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

 

3rd and 4th Grade Batik

The 3rd and 4th graders finished up their last Kenyan art project.  They created a batiked piece of fabric.  Batik is a process similar to tie-dying, but instead of using rubber bands to keep the fabric white, you use wax.  The wax is painted onto the fabric.  Then the fabric is placed in dye.  And finally the wax is ironed off to reveal the design.  Students then glued their batik to other fabric and embellished it to create a wall hanging.

1st Grade Collages

The first graders created collages inspired by Henri Matisse.  A collage is when you use different types of materials and combine them on a flat surface to make something new.  Our collages are made of construction paper and foam.

Henri Matisse's Beasts of the Sea
Courtesy of Amazon.com
Matisse started out as a painter and used many patterns in his artwork.  Later in life, his eye sight began to worsen, which made painting difficult.  So he started creating paper cut out collages like this one instead.

A Kenyan Visitor

Yesterday the 3rd and 4th graders had a special visitor in art class.  My Kenyan friend, Maggie, came to speak with the students about Kenyan culture.  These students have been making all sorts of art projects related to Kenya, so this was a wonderful way to learn more about what life is actually like in that country.  Maggie shared pictures with the students and talked about the schools in Kenya, public transportation, the city of Nairobi, and the marketplaces.  She also demonstrated how people balance and carry things on their heads.  After her presentation, the students were able to try some authentic Kenyan food, including chai tea, chapati, and madondo (beans). 

Maggie tells the kids about Kenya

Maggie and students in front of the chapati.  Chapati is similar to a tortilla only it's thicker.

Collin balances a basin on his head

 

 Olivia holds up the drawing she was making of Maggie

 

Maggie making chapati the night before her presentation.

Pictures from Kenya:  Below are some pictures that Maggie showed us.

Matatus in Kenya; Matatus are small mini vans used as pulic transportation.  Notice how packed in all the passengers are.  Matatus hold 14 or more people!

Nairobi

People washing clothes in Kenya; there are no washing machines.  People use a basin of water instead.

Kids balance baskets of tea on their heads.

Pajama Day

Today was Pajama Day, and Brooke and I just happened to wear almost identical outfits! 

 

A Day of Printing

 The second graders made bubble wrap prints today, and it was a smashing success!  It's amazing how excited kids get about simple things.  For this project we used old bubble wrap and paint.  The kids painted the bubble wrap and then put a piece of paper on top and rolled over it with a brayer.  And magically....a print appears!  We talked about texture before starting this project.  Texture is the way that something feels when you touch it or the way it looks like it would feel.

On the left is the bubble wrap; on the right is the print

Kindergarten
Today the kindergarteners also did some printing.  Last week we cut out symmetrical vases.  Today the kids printed flowers using sponges.  We also talked about how the artwork we made is an example of a still life.

Caps, Caps, and more Caps!

The third graders have been creating sculptures using all those plastic bottle caps everyone has been saving.  I provided them with plywood cut-outs.  They painted the plywood and had fun sorting the caps to find the colors they needed.

The Kindergarten made snowmen inspired by Lois Elhert's Snowballs.  Try checking out some of Lois Elhert's books from the local library.  She is both an author and illustrator and most of her picture books are created using collaged materials.

1st Grade Snowmen

Here are their snowmen after they've been fired.:

Welcome Back

 We are back in school again.  This week the first graders have been glazing their clay snowmen sculptures.  The kids applied underglazes, and then I covered them with clear glaze.  It's always a little hard for the kids to imagine what the final product will look like because the clear glaze is pink before it is fired.  But magically, they come out of the kiln looking shiny and beautiful.  Stayed tuned for pictures...

The 2nd graders just finished learning about the Spanish artist, Miro.  Students made sketches in their sketchbooks and then drew their ideas onto foam.  We then inked the foam to create a print.
Check out their sketches

1st and 2nd graders are learning about the French artist, Cezanne and his still life drawings.  Today we made still life drawings of fruit.

Still Life with a Basket, by Paul Cezanne
(courtesy of http://www.iblio.org/)