Crayola ColorCycle

During the 2013-2014 school year, MES students collected dried markers to be recycled. We joined forces with Crayola ColorCycle to collect and recycle "dead" markers. At the end of the school year, we shipped 774 markers to be turned into fuel.

YOUTH ART MONTH

I got a little excited about 2014 Youth Art Month. We had so many special activities going on in March that the whole month flew by too quickly. 

We began with a Tie Dye Tee Shirt Sale at the end of February. Students who purchased the plain white shirt could return to art for an extra activity and tie dye their shirt. This was the third year I've held this fundraiser and the most efficient dying process yet. With the help of 4 parents volunteers and 6 loaned crock pots we dyed over 350 shirts in one day. 

We used crock pots to keep the water warm this year. It made dip dying so much faster.

The PTA at my school made one of my dreams come true during Youth Art Month. They agreed to purchase 100 plastic flamingos upfront for a decorated flock installation. Students could purchase a flamingo from PTA for $5. They took it home and could decorate it any way they wanted. We displayed the flock in front of the school the week before Spring Break! They were AMAZING!

We also joined Student's Rebuild again this year by participating in their Water Challenge. For every 10 paper beads that students made, Student Rebuild sponsors pledged to provide clean drinking water for one person in Tanzania. During March, MES students made 26,624 paper beads which in turned provided clean water for 1,331 people in Tanzania.

Collaborative Grid Work - 4th

Fourth graders worked together to create a surprise grid drawing in art. I took famous paintings and cut them into 1x1 inch squares and coded on the back. Students used a 4x4 inch square to recreate what they saw on on their image. Then they worked together to put the pieces back together. Do you recognize the work below?

Native American Patterns - K

Native American Patterns

Teacher: Abby Kuhn                                                                                    
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Time Allocated: 30 Minutes

Objective:
Students will illustrate patterns in their artwork.

Alabama Course of Study Standard:
ACOS.1.1         Create works of art using a variety of techniques.

Motivation:

View images of Native American Patterns

Vocabulary:
Pattern

Materials:
Construction Paper                         
Scissors                    
Glue
Construction Paper Crayons

Procedure:

Day	The Teacher will	The Students will
One	Discuss: Patterns Demonstrate: The instructor will demonstrate how draw and cut out a tee pee shape. The instructor will demonstrate a few pattern examples using the smart board.	Create:  The students will draw a tee pee and cut it out. They will use the construction paper crayons to draw patterns on their tee pee.

Assessment:
The instructor will use the following checklist an informal assessment.

Objective	Mastered	Attempted
Students will illustrate patterns in their artwork.

Pumpkin Still Life - 5th Grade

Pumpkin Still Life

Teacher: Abby Kuhn                                                                                    
Grade Level: 5^th Grade
Time Allocated: 60 Minutes

Objective:
Students will illustrate light source with shadows and highlights using oil pastels.

Motivation:
View Images of Pumpkins

Vocabulary:
Highlights    

Shadows      

Light Source

Materials:
Construction Paper
Oil Pastels

Procedure:

Day	The Teacher will	The Students will
One	Discuss: Lights Source, Highlights, Lowlights, and Shadows. View: Images of pumpkins Demonstrate: The instructor will demonstrate how draw a pumpkin and blend colors using oil pastels.	Create:  The students will draw a pumpkin still life. Then they will use oil pastels to add color. They will include highlights and shadows to illustrate light source.

Assessment:
The instructor will use the following checklist an informal assess.

Objective	Mastered	Attempted
Students will illustrate light source with shadows and highlights using oil pastels.

A Lesson that Tanked

Last year, I read one of my new books, Lines that Wiggle, to my kindergarten class. I had seen this lesson on Pinterest and thought it was going to be the perfect combo.

Sadly, it tanked and I hated the projects. Students did a wonderful job creating different kind of lines in each section but the finished piece just wasn't that interesting. So.... we cut them into flowers by rounding the edges of each section. I took pictures of each of them and posted them on artsonia and then hung them together in the hall way. Check it out!

Off Campus Adventures of 13-14

In October of 2013, I was able to attend the Alabama Art Educator's Association Professional Development Retreat in Orange Beach, AL. I was so excited! I have never been around so many creative professionals at once. Here are some images from my favorite workshops that I attended.

Last year, I was honored to be invited to teach art at two of my favorite places: The Birmingham Museum of Art and Vulcan Park. I love Birmingham, Alabama so much.

Last spring I worked at The Birmingham Museum of Art for the Education Department Family Program Holi Celebration. It was messy and I loved EVERY minute!

At Vulcan Park, I was invited to teach sculpture lesson to the Girl Scouts.  We used the Vulcan, the world's largest cast iron statue, as our inspiration. Students were asked to create a clay sculpture that represented what special gifts or talents they contribute to their community.

Glowing

I was so proud to see that one of my favorite blog's, Deep Space Sparkle, re-pinned one of my art lessons! I feel pretty legit!

New Art Books

I ordered several new art books for the 2013-2014 school year. One of my favorites was Ganesha's Sweet Tooth by Emily Haynes and Sanjay Patel. My students loved the story and illustrations. After reading the story we created our own sweet loving Ganesha.

Material Management Trick

Last fall, I created a new strategy for instruction that made life in the art room so much easier. I like to have all art materials on the table before students arrive; however, sometimes having the material there is a distraction.

To solve this problem I made media magnets. They hang out in a pink box (that matches the boxes on the student tables) until I'm ready to have students use them. When it's time, I pull it out and stick it to the board in the order that we are using the material. Students shouldn't have anything out of the box unless I've taken it out.

It's also serves as a nice reminder of the order in which we are working with materials. If students get behind, they can look at the board and see if they should color or cut first.