Dive into a Great New Year! 2011/2012

This is the theme for our brand new school year. All bobcats k-5th will be collaborating one huge project. We are going to transform the hallway into an ocean. The mural should be up by the end of next week. Everyone is excited and most of the classes loved getting to paint on the first day of art! Here is the break down on lessons grade by grade:

k-fish
1-sea turtles
2- octopus
3-submarines
4-sailboats
5- ocean and help with display

Home Stretch...

Wow - I counted up the number of times I see each class Monday of this week and was shocked. On average I only see each class 10-14 more times depending on field trips and A/B/C rotation. It sent me into a tailspin! That is no way enough time to squeeze in all the art projects I have in mind. This late snow has played a mean trick on me - here I was planning as if I still had 5 months left of school... Quick update on Grade Levels and sorry I havent kept my new year resolution for visuals yet (Bad Mrs. Hegeman). I need a digital camera that stays at school to aid me in that resolution... 6th - Your student should have brought home one or more finished sock creatures. It was a really fun unit and one I think most students enjoyed. We did a quick still life recently to review and apply the concept of value. These should be going up in the hallways shortly. We are now getting ready to begin the "Hand" project. An eagerly anticpated project to leave their mark on Langston Hughes. We will focus on creating harmonius and contrasting color schemes. 5th- 5th graders are finishing up a unit on body proportion. They created an action pose to draw realistically keeping proportion true. We finished this project with a quick intro/review into complementary colors. Clay is on deck next..... 4th - Are hard at work on self portraits and wow they are working hard. This is a new project for me inspired by artist Aminah Robinson. After self portraits are completed we will explore her website "Aminah's World" to start preparing our final compositions. Students will incorporate fabric, sewing, buttons, and found objects for the final project. 3rd- Are finishing up a lesson exploring the element of line and using it to create the principles of unity, rhythm, and pattern. They are really enjoying this project as it is their first time to work with metal in art. They are tooling metal to make their 2-d designs come to life three dimensionally. These should be coming home soon. 2nd - Hats with 3 types of Symmetry is coming to a close. Look for these funny pieces in the hallways. To support/reinforce math concepts students created collages using 3 types of symmetry (flip, turn, and slide). These collages turned into crazy hats for 3 expressive faces. Next is art for Earth Day and the 2nd grade music preformance. We will be creating art using "trash" in an attempt to re-use and be earth friendly. 1st - Line direction. Students have been introduced to the 3 line directions and are using them to create paper plaid shirts. They will then explore the art of self portraiture and draw themselves wearing their plaid shirts. If students wear plaid to school on an art day they become a plaid model and walk the runway! We also have been ending class with a quick "Line Direction Game". Ask your student about this and play at home! It will help them possibly become "Line King" or "Line Queen" for a day. Kdg- Bugs on Rugs. After a recent assessment it became apparent students needed a refresher on the different types of lines. THey created rugs using these lines and will create collaged bugs next. They will have choice of creating a 2-d or 3-d bug. Im really excited for the next project - recycled weavings - more to come later. Im having trouble formatting this post - it doesnt want to show the paragraphs Ive created. Instead its all strung together in one big blurb...sorry! Ill try to figure this out if possible!

Happy New Year

New year resolutions? One of mine should be to update this blog more often! Also I need to investigate into the legalities of posting kids artwork online, because really whats an art blog without visuals?!!

Quick update of whats going on in your childs grade:

k- Exploring the art element of texture and color. Currently we are working on cool and warm colored texture rubbings. Look for a valentine/Jim Dine inspired project to be appearing in the halls at the end of next week

1 - Texture (visual and tactile - can your child tell you which is which?). First up collage with visual textures and then clay hearts with tactile textures to follow.

2 - Art History focus on Claude Monet. 2nd graders are creating their own impression of Monet's famous waterlillies paintings. We will finish it up by contrasting the 2-d of painting with a small 3-d origami boat on the water. Monet loved water and boats and was inspired by Japanese art, so origami ties in nicely to this lesson.

3- Art History focus on Claude Monet. 3rd grade has been challenged to bring the paintings and images of Monet's water garden to life in the form of a paper sculpture.

4th - Art History focus on Gustav Klimt. Inspired by the shapes and patterns found in Klimt's art nouveau art work students are creatings their own take on the famous painting "Baby".

5th and 6th - SOCK CREATURES!!!! Almost never have I seen my darling 5th and 6th graders as happy as they currently art, sock creatures have begun. Students will be using socks to create stuffed animals out of. This project stresses competency and craftsmanship. By the end your student should be able to thread a needle, overcast stitch, and tie a knot, as well as bring home a most memorable stuffed animal.