5th Grade, Egyptian Pharaohs

 This was a very popular lesson with my fifth graders.  We created Egyptian Pharaoh sarcophaguses after discussing the history and art of Egypt.  These were drawn with oil pastels and painted with tempera paint.

Silly Pumpkins, Pre-K

 This was a very simple project that I did with the Pre-K students this week.  Basically, I gave the students lots of pre-cut shapes, and they glued it together to make pumpkin face.

I think these are cute!

Fall Trees

 These fall trees were made by my second graders.  I found the idea for this lesson on the blog Painted Paper.

 This is a very simple lesson.  Basically, students start by creating painted paper.  I gave my students only primary colors, so they could blend to create secondary colors.  After the painted paper is dry, students cut out the leaves and glue it to the paper.  Lastly, students painted a tree trunk and add dots for falling leaves.

Banyan Tree Project, 4th Grade

I found this cute Banyan Tree project on the blog Art. Paper. Scissors. Glue.  To begin this project, students used black paint to draw a tree.  After the paint was dry, students began using oil pastels to color the background. I encouraged the students to blend several colors together and blend with their finger.   

These turned out beautiful!

Folk Art, 3rd Grade

 I have done this lesson many times, with many different grades, and every year it turns out wonderful.  This project is based on the artwork of Karla Gerard.  Her artwork is colorful and fun, and my students seem to generate a lot of good ideas from looking at her art.  For this project, I had my students use a black crayon to draw hills, trees, suns, wind, etc.  Then students used pastels to add patterns to the hills.  Lastly, students used watercolors to paint their drawing.

Pre-K, Polka Dot Owls

Pre-K students are adorable, but I have always found it difficult to come up with art lessons for these little ones.  Thank goodness for sites like Pinterest, where 90 percent of my Pre-K art ideas come from.  I found this project on pinterest, unfortunately I do not know what blog or website it was pinned from, because it does not seem to lead back to the original site.

This lesson requires quite a few pre-cut shapes, and the art teacher in me almost cringes just saying pre-cut shapes.  As a general rule, I do not like pre-cutting anything for my students because I prefer my students to create their own work.  However, after several years of teaching Pre-K students, I have come to the conclusion that pre-cut shapes are a necessity at the beginning of the school year.  For most of these students, holding scissors is a brand new concept, and it will take a good portion of the year before they are proficient with them.

Owls, 5th Grade

These beautiful owls were made by my fifth graders.  This project took three, 30 minute, classes.  To begin this project, students drew an owl that had interesting lines or patterns onto black paper.  Next, students painted a different piece of paper with with two analogous colors.  After the background had dried, students cut their owl out and glued it to their painted background.

 I think these are just beautiful!

First Week Project

Last week was the first week of school, so I needed a simple easy lesson.  I found this wonderful lesson on Pinterest.  Unfortunately, I am unsure what blog or website it originally came from because it was pinned incorrectly. If this is your lesson, please let me know so I can give you proper credit.

For this lesson, I had each student create one 5 inch by 5 inch circle design.  The circles were simply cut out of construction paper, and glued to their square piece.  After the students created their designs, I hung them on the wall in the art room.  It certainly has brightened up my room!

New School Year

The school year begins tomorrow, and my room is ready for the kids.  I am quite excited for the beginning of the school year because I am no longer a traveling art teacher.  Previously, I taught at three schools, and had almost 2,000 students.  This year, my principal decided he wanted a full time art teacher, so he used his school budget to buy out my position.  I am so excited to be stationed in one school and to see my students more regularly.  This year, I will see each class once a week for 35 minutes.  I have 28 classes and about 850 students.

 Looking forward to starting a new school year tomorrow, and hopefully there will be many new posts to come.

Changes

It's been months since I have posted anything.  This is because I recently got married.  Between working a summer job, getting married, and moving, I just haven't had time to post.  However, now that school is only a few weeks away, hopefully things will begin slowing down, and I will be able to focus more on art lessons and keeping my blog updated.

There will be quite a few changes coming for me this school year.  First, I will have to get used to a new name.  Instead of being Ms V, I will now be Mrs. B.  Also, I will be beginning a new job this year.  In the past, I have always traveled between three schools.  However, this year, I am lucky enough to be at just one.  The largest school I taught at last school year decided they wanted a full time art teacher, so they used their own budget to buy out the rest of my position.  I am so excited to be at one school, and to see the students more consistently.  Instead of teaching almost 2,000 students, like I have in the past, I will only have about 850.

Mini Clay Masks, 4th Grade

 I found the idea for this lesson on, http://www.johnpost.us/clay-lessons/clay-mask/clay-masks.html. He has a lot of really great clay ideas on his website. 

 To begin, I made plaster molds out of apple containers.  Using a slab of clay, students used these plaster molds to form the mask. Then, students added details to their mask.  Some students made animals, some made monsters, and some made aliens. 

Lastly, students glazed their artwork. 

These are wonderful! and the students are very proud of them. 

Art Advice Needed

My colleagues and I have been pondering ways to make the school more beautiful.  One suggestion was to paint the ceiling tiles in the school.  (You know, those ugly white ceiling tiles that can be easily taken down).  Well, I thought it was a wonderful idea, but now I am pondering the logistics.  I need some advice.  First, Has anyone done this in their school?  Second, If we did do this, What kind of paint should I use?.  Third, Will this break fire codes, and will the fire marshall make us take it down?  I would love to hear some ideas on this.

Washable tempera

I have gone most of this year with very few art supplies.  There were numerous problems, but basically the art order I had made this year got mixed up and I ended up either getting the wrong supplies, or not getting what I ordered at all.  After calling the company, I found out that it wasn't their fault, it was a mixup in the county's ordering system.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I ran out of drawing paper half way through the year, and am running extremely low on paints, glue, and pastels.  This means I have been begging for art supplies from everyone.  I have asked classroom teachers to send me any art supplies they are not using.  As a result, I have been given an interesting assortment of supplies.

One of the things that was generously donated was several gallons of washable tempera paint. Until recently, I had not used washable tempera in my art class.  I have always used Sax Versa Temp for my classroom.  I had not realized how spoiled I was.  Washable tempera is nothing like Versa Temp.  It is watered down, and sometimes dries transparent.  Students have to paint 2-3 coats to make their painting look nice.  I have been racking my brain for ways to make the washable tempera better.  Does any know of an additive that can be added to tempera paint to make it thicker?  I know that their are many acrylic mediums out there to change the consistency of acrylic paint, but I have never seen anything for tempera.  I would love to hear any suggestions.

Ships, 3rd Grade

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I try to integrate art into the core subjects as much as possible.  In fact, it is actually in my job description.  When I heard that my third graders were reading stories about voyages, I just had to do an art project on ships.  For this lesson, I let my students choose any kind of ship; pirate, viking, pilgrim, Greek, etc.  However, most of my students wanted to do pirate ships.

 Students began by creating a ship out of construction paper.  I also gave the students an option of creating a sea monster.  After the ship and monster was created, students painted their background.  For this, I gave my students blue and white paint.  Once the background was painted, students glued their ship to their paper.  Overall, this was a simple project, but the results are rather fun!

Musical Art, 5th Grade

 I did this project a few weeks ago with my third graders, but I loved it so much that I did it again with my fifth graders. These are our Jazz Paintings.  Students drew one large instrument, and then added designs to create motion.  Everything was then painted in tempera paint.  If you are looking for a good cross curricular lesson, this lesson ties into Science.  Students generally learn about sound and sound waves in science. My students learn about this near the end of the year, but talk to the classroom teacher and find out when they will be covering this topic.  It is always nice when art integrates into the other subjects.

These turned out wonderful!

Indian Elephants, 4th Grade

These Indian Elephants were inspired from several elephant lessons that I found online.  One was MaryMaking and the other was, Painted Paper.

 To begin this lesson, we talked about the importance of Elephants in the Indian culture.  I also showed my students images of decorated elephants from the Indian Elephant Festival, which is an annual event in India.

To draw our elephants, I showed my students step by step how to draw an elephant.  After this, my students used a Crayola washable marker to trace their elephant.  Once the elephant was traced, students used water and a paintbrush to do a simple wash over the elephant.  This turned the marker into a simple watercolor.  Next, students cut their elephants out and glued it to their paper.  Lastly, students used oil pastels and construction paper to decorate their elephants.

These turned out WONDERFUL!  I just love them!

Cakes, 2nd Grade

This lesson is a great way to introduce the artist Wayne Thiebaud.  For this lesson, I teach my students how to draw a cake with a piece taken out of it.  They love this, because they think it makes it look realistic.  We draw the cake first, and then color it with oil pastels.  After this, I have my students make a symmetrical cake stand out of construction paper.  We then glued both the cake and the cake stand to a large piece of black paper.

 I think my second graders did a nice job with this lesson!

Topiaries, 1st Grade

 I found this really cute topiary idea on the blog, Painted Paper.  Check out her blog for more detailed directions.  I had simplify her lesson a bit, in order to finish it in one 60 minute art lesson.

I think these are very cute! I love how my students attempted to put the shadow on the vase at the bottom.

Annapolis Harbor Paintings, 4th Grade

My fourth graders learn about Maryland history every year.  For this painting, I have my students draw the Annapolis Harbor, which is Maryland's state capital.  These paintings are done with watercolors. If you look closely, you can see the state house in the background.   

Face Pots, 5th Grade

 I have done this lesson several times with my students.  It is always one of my favorite art lessons.  We begin this lesson by creating a coil pot.  Once the coil pot is created, students add details to create a face on their pot.  Some students do an animal face, while others do a human face. 

 Unfortunately, we do not have the time or the money to glaze these pots. I thought about having them use tempera paint on them, but I decided that the clay was pretty enough on its own. 

I just love how each pot is different!

Symmetrical Butterflies, 1st Grade

 This is a very cute simple art lesson.  I started by having my students fold their paper in half, "hot dog style."  Then, students drew half of a butterfly with oil pastel.  Next, students folded their paper so their design was now on the inside, like a sandwich.  Students then rubbed their paper until the design was copied onto the opposite side of their paper.  Once the butterfly was drawn, students used watercolors to paint. 

These are very pretty.