Let it Snow!

Being a teacher I can always appreciate a good snow day, or even a two hour delay! According to the weather channel, both could be possible! We're supposed to get a health mix of ice and snow throughout the day and I just couldn't be more thrilled! So, in celebration of the possible snow day here are some bulletin boards I've created at school. Spoiler alert: I love, love, love cutting snowflakes.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

<3 Kate

Mola, Mola, Molas!

Well, time for some student art! Below are paper molas my fourth graders made. The project aligns with the new curriculum for fourth grade for the first quarter. So, there is a bit of a delay in posting these! This was the first year I did this project with fourth grade and I really emphasized creating a unified work of art using line, basic shapes, pattern, repetition, and overlapping. This also really helped with fine motor skills because of all the cutting and gluing.

I love the quirky playfulness this piece has!

This mola is a bird soaring over a field and a pond.

Look at the sun! It's positively radiant with overlapping!

This student only wanted to use line and shape and I'd say they got awesome results!

Overall, I'd say the student's projects turned out well! There is an obvious use of pattern, repetition, and basic shapes. The struggle came with students who wanted to create animal molas. They had difficulty abstracting the animal down into simple, basic shapes. So, something to work on! Something else to strive towards is really getting the students to understand what a 'unified' work is. There's always room for improvement!

Until next time!

<3 Kate

Sketchy

Happy Belated Turkey Day, Everyone!

I hope the holiday season was deliciously awesome for all! Mine was busy, as per the norm, and life will only continue to get busier will all the holiday festivities approaching!

I don't have any new pictures of student work yet; my camera broke on me when I went to take more. However, I do have a sketch that I worked on!

Sometimes I struggle with what to draw. I re-create myths and legends, I interpret famous characters, but I always struggle to create something that is wholly, and uniquely mine. Then I realized that, duh, I have characters that are wholly mine. I've been developing them since my angst-y pre-teen years! Above are some of the character I play (or played) in my repeatedly mentioned RPG. They are characters I've created, given story arcs to, and written about for years so why not start drawing them? From left to right we have a mage, a mermaid, a Haunt, a gypsy, and a vampire.

Seemed like a no-brainer to me. So, this was something quick I did the other day. Nothing fancy, though I may turn it in to a more developed piece later.

Hopefully I'll have some more student work up soon as my 5th graders are making the most awesome clay projects ever!

Until next time!

<3 Kate

Owl-rific Owls!

Yikes! It has been awhile!

In the interim since my Disney-obsessed post I have to report that, yes, I am still Disney obsessed (because who isn't and don't deny it...!) and that teaching has continued!

My latest post is all about color. And owls! Observe:

This was a first grade lesson that was primarily focused around color. In this lesson students had to create secondary and neutral colors through color mixing. I used tempera paints (which I personally loath) because they have a great mixing quality; they're thick and goopy and the students just love it. My loathing aside, tempera paints really do have a nice mixing quality because of the thickness. The students can see even the smallest change in hue with a small bit of paint. I've found that watercolor isn't that malleable (even though I prefer it). 

After we mix the colors, the students use their painted papers to create their owls by cutting out basic shapes. We cut out small rectangles for the feathers, a triangle for the beak, and circles for the eyes. This works their fine motor skills as well as the understanding of basic shapes. 

Lastly, I also taught the students how to make five-pointed stars so they could create a night-time background since owls are nocturnal. Overall, I think the owls turned out adorable! My inspiration for this lesson came from lessons I had done in the past based around Eric Carle, and was also based on my county's curriculum.

Teaching aside, I have also celebrated a personal milestone: my one year anniversary! Woohoo! My husband and I recently celebrated one year of marriage. Time flies! It feels like yesterday that I was planning a wedding! In celebration of our anniversary I commissioned some cake toppers:

Disney was a huge part of our year and for those of you who have read previous posts you know my husband and I dressed as Ariel and Eric for our Disney adventure/Halloween. These cake toppers were actually created by the artist who made my wedding toppers and I have to give her a shout-out because she is amazing. You can find her work at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Chikipita

This artist has made me three sets of cake toppers to date; groom's cake toppers, wedding, and anniversary. She is fantastic and I can't say enough nice things! So, should you be in the market for cake toppers go to the above link! Do it!

Anyway, that is all for now! You stay classy, internet.

<3 Kate

My Childhood. It is Complete.

Hello World!

I'm thrilled to say that at twenty seven years of age I have finally gone to Disney-for the first time ever! Initially, I informed my parents that did me a huge disservice by not taking me in my youth, but now having gone as an adult I had the TIME OF MY LIFE (yes, it warrants caps).

Seriously though, going as an adult was fantastic. First, I'll remember the trip. Second, I had the patience to wait in lines. Third, my parents didn't want to maim me because I threw daily tantrums (after careful observation these tantrums typically happened around mid-afternoon) and whined about the heat, lines, wanting things, and so on and so on. I fully advocate hitting up Disney as an adult because, really, you just get to be a kid again; I can't even tell you how hard I geeked out when I got my picture taken with Ariel (she's my idol).

I went with some of my very best friends and we hit every park. We got to go to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Food and Wine at Epcot, breakfast with Donald Duck (eeeeee!), and a bazillion more events. And we only whined a little ^_^

Girls vs. Boys

Us at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Naturally, I was Ariel and my husband was Eric. Major kudos to my friend (Belle in this image) who made nearly everyone's costumes. Whew!

All of us with Safari Mickey at Animal Kingdom.

Enthusiasm aside, I will now relay to you my tips for any and all who wish to travel to Disney.

1) Stay at a Disney Resort. They have transportation to each park and you are given the Holy Grail of all items: the Magic Band. With this magical item you can Fast Pass lines ahead of time, and sync up your dining plan, room key, park tickets, and credit card. It's amazing.

Magic Bands Unite!

2) Fast Pass everything and anything! Rides, restaurants, whatever you can Fast Pass-do it. It is such a time saver. You're able to Fast Pass three things ahead of time using the Magic Bands, but you can also go to the ride itself and get a paper Fast Pass for specific times.

3) Be prepared to spend a bit on food. It's a theme park, right? They thrive on tourism. Just be prepared for higher-than-normal prices. Some great places to eat you ask? I highly recommend the Be Our Guest restaurant at Magic Kingdom. Food aside, the atmosphere is fantastic.

4) Wear sneakers. Serious sneakers. 

Needless to say, my friends and I had a blast at Disney. I don't need to continue gushing on and on. So I will leave you with my latest piece of artwork. It was a quick illustration I did before we left and has nothing to do with Disney!

Enjoy!

<3 Kate

Texture Monsters!

First, I want to preface by saying I love Kindergarteners. They are so free with their art! They're never held up with thoughts of how "good" something looks. They just create and it's so wonderful to watch! That being said, my kindergarteners were hilarious to observe while making these texture monsters. There was much growling and roaring while they were being created. Check them out, aren't they fierce?

This project combined a couple different art elements. We studied line, texture, and shape. The students used texture tiles to complete texture rubbings for the monster's bodies. Then they cut rectangles, circles, and semi-circles from squares (and practiced their cutting skills and fine motor skills while they were at it-whoo!). Finally, the students used line for the teeth. 

Scary huh?

<3 Kate

Groovy Lava Lamps

Whew! It's been awhile! Not to worry though, internet, I haven't left you. I know you were worried about that.

Anyways! Today I'm writing about some lava lamps that my 3rd graders completed. I love doing this project as the first project of the year-it's great review for geometric and organic shapes, as well as complimentary colors. Plus, I put out real lava lamps in my room and my students love looking at them. It incorporates observational drawing to also have real lava lamps displayed!

I also review water coloring with them; how to appropriately use the paints, brushes, and water. All in all, a really engaging lesson for the students to start the year off with!

The first day of the lesson the students review geometric and organic shapes, and discuss the characteristics of both. We then make the observation of what part of the lava lamp would be geometric and what part would be organic. The students then proceed to draw their lava lamps.

The next class would involve complimentary colors. I explain it to the kids as colors that "loooooooove each other." That gets some good responses like "ew!" and "that's gross!" Of course, we also look at a color wheel.

The final class is devoted to painting with watercolors and adding a "glow" with chalk pastels.

This lesson could be easily adapted to 2nd grade, even 1st, but I've always enjoyed starting 3rd grade off with this project.

So, there you have it! Unfortunately, no new artwork from me, personally, but I've got some ideas in the works!

<3 Kate