Last week after RIMOSA visited on Monday to facilitate our nature art project, I thought we would extend the nature theme and complete nature printing with watercolor for a special thank you gift for the representatives from RIMOSA. We set up our summer-backyard-BBQ themed decorations in our large multipurpose room because the weather report was iffy initially, but we eventually moved some of the bubble blowing activities outside. After students made beautiful watercolor prints using ferns and leaves collected from outside, we framed a few in some small mats and sent them to RIMOSA as a thank you gift!
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A few weeks back we had the Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art come in to facilitate a Rube Goldberg roller coaster workshop with our kiddos, and yesterday we were lucky enough to have them come in again and create Andy Goldsworthy inspired nature art using foraged materials. Luckily it was wonderful calm weather- if a little muggy in the sun. We used some of the stones, shells and sticks brought by the representatives from RIMOSA, and the rest we foraged from our playground- wildflowers, fallen leaves and acorns! It was wonderful to be outside and see the students collaborate to use nature creatively!
This week we learned about photosynthesis and the substance that makes leaves green-chlorophyll! We crushed some leaves onto our paper to create a soft green from the leaf pigment and then we added crayon and foam block printed leaves on top of our colors. I incorporate a lot of print making projects because the kids can't seem to get enough of the process of rolling the brayer and lifting the stamp to see the image underneath.
I have since been to two National Art Educator's Association Conventions, once in New York City and just this past March (2019) in Boston. Boston felt slightly less overwhelming than New York, partly because Boston is smaller and the convention was all in one building, but it was still an enormous turnout. It was awesome to see artist Amy Sherald speak and to see all of the things teachers around the world are doing. I was able to gain insights on different tools and techniques as well as simply learn about other teacher's personal journeys. No trip to Boston would be complete without a stop at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum to admire the garden courtyard and marvel at the missing Rembrandt (I keep scouring those thrift shops and antique shows hoping it will turn up in someone's old trunk!) Once again I ran into my high school art teacher at the artisans fair and met a handful of amazing teachers doing cool, funky things in their classrooms. Just as before, I left the conference feeling inspired and reassured that I am in the right profession.
This week we focused on literature and how even a children's book can have an impact. The older students completed a lesson related to Harper Lee's classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" where we made silhouette collage paintings based on the cover design inspired by activist/artist Kara Walker. Since the subject matter was a little heavy for the younger kids we learned instead about Faith Ringgold and her quilted "Tar Beach" picture book. We used paper scraps on black paper and patterned paper borders for our "quilt squares".
This week we learned about the science and history behind hot air balloons. We watched a short video explaining how the air molecules when heated spread apart inside the balloon causing the balloon to float up into the air. We made collage landscapes from ripped pages of National Geographic magazines and bits of scrap paper to decorate our balloons!
Last week we created red poppy landscapes in honor of memorial day. We used red crepe paper and tissue paper for the petals and filled in our background with crayon and markers.
Our school had a very special day where the Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art came in to help students collaborate to create marble runs using foam tubing, masking tape, dominoes and several odds and ends, making super-cool chain reactions! The students loved watching the marbles roll and knock over things, and teachers loved to see the amazing peer interactions. To tie in with Rube Goldberg machines and using physics to create art, the students painted splatter paintings using a makeshift pendulum from a Styrofoam cup. We watched OK-Go's music video This Too Shall Pass video to illustrate the concept of chain reactions creating bigger and bigger movements from a series of smaller movements. Please watch more of OK Go- they have awesome visually interesting music videos using scientific concepts and the music is super catchy! Over February break (which was a professional development week for us teachers!) I was given the go-ahead to paint a large mural on the wall in our high school building. I wanted to involve the students as much as possible, so I first painted a background and any areas that required a ladder to reach, then I blocked off areas with painter's tape for the students to fill in. We created rocks crawling with stenciled lobsters and crabs under the water of Narragansett Bay. Soon after completing the mural I attended the National Art Educator's Convention in Boston and heard about this fantastic foundation called Students Rebuild. This year's "challenge" just happened to involve the ocean! I thought it was a perfect project to tie up our ocean-unit. Students created fish and jellyfish from recycled paper and we sent them off to Students Rebuild where each piece counted as a four dollar donation from the Beezos Family Foundation to help ocean conservation. Eventually these recycled sea creatures will be compiled into a huge art exhibit that we are anticipating in the next year. This project really drove home the meaning of small actions to create big movements- our small school ended up raising a total of $316 dollars!
Egg tempera is created by mixing powdered pigment with egg yolk to make a paint that is fast drying and has beautiful rich color. We happened to have a box of chalk pieces that were too small to hold and draw with, so it was the perfect thing to crush down for our pigment powder. Students used a small hammer with close supervision to crush the chalk pieces into a fine powder, which we then mixed with the egg yolk. We learned about the history of color and how chemistry has been used throughout history to create new vibrant colors. We used the book The Brilliant History of Color in Art by Victoria Finlay to learn about where our colors come from.
https://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-History-Color-Art/dp/1606064290/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=history+of+color&qid=1559133732&s=gateway&sr=8-4
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AuthorI am currently an elementary Art Teacher in Barrington, RI teaching 4th and 5th grade, previously I worked for over 5 years as an art teacher for students on the autism spectrum and other special needs. Posts from August 2019 and earlier are from my previous job. Archives
July 2021
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