Alexander Calder Mobiles 4th grade

 4th graders watched a power point presentation my intern teacher put together for them.  They learned about Calder, mobiles and geometric and organic shapes. 

 First, students painted 6 to 8 shapes on tag board.  This was a challenge for them because we asked them to do abstract shapes and it was hard for them to let go of wanting their shapes to look like something.

 As the shapes dried, the 4th grade painters added patterns on top of the shape after seeing a slide of many pattern ideas.
We are very excited about the beautiful shapes and patterns the kids created.

Next step: Gluing shapes onto shiny paper so the back of shapes will reflect as they spin.
After cutting out shapes and punching holes into each one we were ready to build our hanging sculptures.


 We used some donated plastic sticks and wire to create our mobiles. This was a great experience for our 4th graders. They discovered that building 3 dimensional art pieces can be difficult and patience is required. As they worked to balance the mobile, they compared it to science experiments dealing with balance. When finished, they were very pleased with the results.

Winter Cabin Project 2nd grade

 

This project is available at Art with Mrs. Smith  blog. The only change I made was to have the kids sponge paint instead of using fingers because of the time it takes for everyone to wash their hands.  A sponge in the end of a clothes pin worked just fine for the snowy picture.  The 2nd graders loved learning how to draw a 3 dimensional cabin!

ELEMENTS OF ART heart

For the classes that came to Art on Valentine's Day, a heart full of the Elements of Art.


We traced a large heart onto white drawing paper and divided it into sections, one for each element.
Using sharpie markers, crayons and a textured item  students were given ideas about how to show each Element of Art.
For value we demonstrated how to shade, and for texture  we gave them a choice of a texture to glue into place. 
The students loved the challenge and the hearts turned out very.... artistic!

Peacock Paintings 1st grade

This tempera painting lesson can be found on Deep Space Sparkle. Lots of fine motor used for the lines and circles! Great for skill building with my 1st grade classes.

Circular Pattern Design 2nd grade

For this project our 2nd graders cut a circle out of black 12 x 18" construction paper. Then we helped them put a dot in the center of the circle with a pencil.

Using one oil pastel we drew a small shape right on the dot! Then we chose two different oil pastels and created a small pattern around the center shape.
We changed colors again and made a 2nd pattern around the center.  They continued to create tiny patterns around the center with oil pastels until they reached the outside of the paper.  We emphasized using colors over again, keeping it small and neat, and taking their time to do their best circular patterns.

As a finishing touch the students were allowed to put a small amount of glitter glue into their patterns and I hot glued a glass jewel in the center.  These are delicate, intricate and very lovely. The 2nd graders are always so proud of their beautiful designs when done.

More Group Work Pictures

We have been so pleased with how well the students are working in groups on their horses. We had to change a few group members in order to help them stay on task, but overall they have done a wonderful job of helping each other and giving each other positive reinforcement. 

Adding small details

Choosing just the right color of blue!

A pony with a forest scene, can't wait to see it finished.

The time commitment for this project will be about 7 (40 minute) Art periods, but I believe the results will be well worth it! Also, since collaborative group work is an area of emphasis in my district, the experience the students are gaining makes it worth the length of the project.   I will post finished pictures of ponies when they are completed.

Painted Ponies Part 2 Collaborative Groups

Using donated cardboard, my intern teacher and I cut out 6 cardboard horse shapes for each 5th grade class, a total of 36 horses.  They were approximately 18 to 22 inches high and about 25 inches long. We painted them white on both sides to prep them for the groups.
When we explained to the students that they would be transferring the paper design onto the cardboard, painting in groups to complete their pony and then displaying the horses thru the Later Elementary in our own Trail of Painted Ponies, they were thrilled!

GROUP WORK

 

1) The designer drew onto cardboard, enlarging design to fit larger horse. Both sides of cardboard were designed.

2) While this was going on, group members helped draw if needed and a few painted the stands that will hold horses up.

3) When ready, all students painted on their horses with the lead artist making final color decisions and showing where the colors were to be painted.







 

Painted Ponies of PPLE - Collaborative Group Project 5th grade

This project was inspired by THE TRAIL OF PAINTED PONIES a community art project from New Mexico and available as COLLECTIBLE ART at trailofpaintedponies.com.

1) Students wrote idea starters before beginning project. They wrote: favorite season, something they are good at, favorite color, etc.
2) We watched a video trailer from youtube about the trail of painted ponies community art project. Students took notes as part of writing across curriculum goals.
3) We discussed video and how the artists helped their community with their horse project. 
4) 5th graders were shown collectible painted ponies and discussed what made them marketable.
5) Students were given a horse on copy paper and began to design their own painted pony.
6) Designs were turned in, and my intern teacher and I went thru the designs from each class.  We narrowed it down to 12 per class based on the following criteria: originality, marketability (appeals to many people), if a 5th grader could paint the design and if it had an obvious theme.
7) Student names were hidden and the classes narrowed their favorites down to 6, doing pencil and paper and completely secret voting. (We told them they were the painted pony judges!) We felt certain that those chosen were based on the criteria, not popularity of the designer since it was done anonymously.

8) The original designer of the pony became the group lead artist, and they were assigned a team for the group collaboration.

Some Great Elementary Art Project Sites

Some places I have found wonderful ideas this year to keep my teaching fresh!



DEEP SPACE SPARKLE  totally awesome ideas and clear pictures of steps

ART WITH MRS. SMITH  just did her black and white snowy picture this week, kids loved it
                                         and teachers called the Art room to tell me how beautiful the 
                                         pictures were!


A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THIS ART TEACHER great project ideas.

Snowflakes on Tie Dye 2nd grade

I found this project years ago on a website that no longer exists called Geocities (theartkids).

Start with 12" x 18" white drawing paper. Use chalk pastels and a paper towel to create the tie dye.
Students started in the middle with one color and rubbed with towel on finger outward about 2 inches from middle.
Next color is lightly applied around outside of first color, and rubbed outward again with towel.
We do discuss colors that make muddy colors when blended (complimentary)so that they can avoid using those colors next to each other.
Next art time we learned how to fold snowflakes and cut them, then glued them onto the chalk background. A little glue and white glitter for sparkle makes this beautiful snowy picture.

Theme Cupcake Paintings by 3rd grade

3rd graders wrote in Art journals before this lesson to get idea starters.
We traced a large cupcake onto tagboard (15 " x 15").
They chose a theme for their cupcake like: Winter, U of M football, Baseball, etc.
Then they drew frosting and decorations in the frosting that showed their theme.
We added something in the background that also went with the theme.
The cupcakes were painted with tempera paint and coated with gloss medium.  Lots of fun cupcakes!