Third Grade-Here Chick, Chick, Chick!

I'd love to claim this lesson as my own but I found it in School Arts Magazine. Its originator is Maryanna Rudecki. I loved teaching this lesson about texture in art and painting wet on wet creating secondary colors from the primary, mixing colors, magenta, cyan blue, and yellow, black and white. This lesson begins by reading The Painter Who Loved Chickens by: Olivier Dunrea. I had to find this book on the Internet. We created texture on

our chickens by painting with hair twisties, dog toys, and those rubber balls with all the spikes sticking out. Oh what fun!

Third Grade-Jonathan Callicutt-Americana

I discovered Jonathan Callicutt when reading an art magazine. He is a young, contemporary artist living in Georgia. He uses Americana type images in his work with Baroque over tones. When teaching this lesson I only address the Americana aspects of his art with my students. I am introducing the idea of mixed media to them. We paint, color, print, and collage this artwork. It is powerful!

First Grade-Raggedy Ann is a Hoosier!

The artist, Johnny Gruelle, was born in Illinois but he was raised in Indiana and began his art career as a political cartoonist for the Indianapolis Star. His story characters became dolls and are known throughout the world as Raggedy Ann and Andy. His story is a rich heritage for Hoosier children so I teach my first graders about him and we draw them using lines and shapes and we tuck them in with paper, woven blankets just like his real-life daughter, Marcella, did. This lesson gives me the opportunity to read several of his stories to my students (I love to read to the children!)and share old cartoons and illustrations with them. It's a little bit of Indiana history too.

Kindergarten-The Quilts of Gees Bend

I teach this lesson as a variation on lines specifically thick lines. We also touch on patterns in art and how our "eyes love patterns"! I am a quilter! If I have the chance to sew I sew whenever I can. Textiles have always been my favorite medium so the first time I heard about the quilts of Gees Bend, AL I was mesmerized! The women of Gees Bend live a very isolated life on an island in Alabama. Their ancestors were slaves. They are a wonderful example of the triumph of the human spirit. In their poverty they have made time to sew artistic quilts for their families. They were "discovered" by an quilt collector and their lives haven't been the same since! I show a short clip about them to my kindies and we talk about how these women saved every scrap of fabric to create these wonderful quilts. I then relate this character quality to taking care of our art supplies. Each child makes their own quilt block and we assemble them into a paper quilt. I love this lesson and the kids do too!

Kindergarten Paul Klee Lesson

I teach this lesson after the children have studied the different kinds of lines, shapes and colors because all those elements of art are included in this lesson. We also talk about Paul Klee's pallet of color. You can see they like to stray from his colors!

School's out! Teacher let the monkeys out!

Summer is just around the corner. The children are ready for the end of the year and so am I. I have some projects I've planned around my house. I'll be sure to share them as summer proceeds. Have a wonderful summer!

Halloween Zentangles

Due to terrible, awful, horrible weather coming our way....Trick or Treating has been postponed until tomorrow evening. I usually don't interrupt my art lessons for the holidays but I thought it necessary today. My students will be abuzz anyway so I tried pumpkin zentangles with my 4th graders. I shared the history of the Jack-O-Lantern along with many photos of pumpkins that are truly sculptural art. I think they had a great time and they did a great job!

Halloween Zentangles

This Halloween has been a different Halloween for my community and the surrounding areas. We have the worst forecast ever! There is a chance of two inches of rain accumulation along with 60 mpr wind gusts with lightening, thunder, and the possibility of tornadoes. Needless to say, the children aren't Trick or Treating tonight. Everything has been postponed till tomorrow evening. I don't usually interrupt my art lessons for holidays but this year called for a new strategy since the kids have to postpone their activities for a day. I knew the art room would be buzzing so today I had my 4th graders make Halloween Zentangles. I shared the history of Jack-O-Lanterns along with numerous photos of carved pumpkins that have been elevated to a sculptural, art form. We cranked up the spooky music and they did a great job!

Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow....(Must be sung to the White Christmas tune!)

Today is the 4th day of unplanned snow days. I've been busy but I'm running low on projects. (I take pride in finishing things!) I love Sweedish clocks but have chosen not to spend my money on one. I have a small wall space outside of my bedroom door and it called for a wall clock. I also don't like noisy clocks. You know, ones that chime on the hour and click loudly so I came up with the perfect solution for me. I painted a Sweedish clock on my wall. Here is what I've been doing during all my snow days.

Wayne Thiebaud.....not Tim Tibow!

Hello! My third graders finished their Wayne Thiebaud lesson right before Christmas. It was a delicious lesson! Poor little things, they have art right before lunch and they all tell me this lesson makes them soooo hungry. They did a wonderful job! I demonstrate drawing what I see rather than what I know for them. I think it helps them so much for me to think out-loud when I'm drawing. I also show them how to draw a cake with a slice removed. Enjoy!