Search results matching tag 'art'

Where the Wild Things Are

Anonymous — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

I am so excited to be able to share the work of one of my co-workers! Her name is Jo Ann Hamer, known to her co-workers as JoJo! JoJo is a middle school art teacher now, but used to be our Kindergarten and First grade Art teacher until our district decided to make some moves a few years ago. JoJo had such knack for working with our Kinders and First graders, she would get them to do work that I never imagined a child that age was capable of! I asked her to be a guest writer for our blog and she was a nervous because she has never blogged before! I told her not to worry and to just think of it as sharing with me, what she did with her kinder classes. So, when she agreed to write, I was super happy to get to share her talent with each and every one of you!

JoJo has decided to share one of her FAVORITE lesson plans for Kindergarten:

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Where the Wild Things Are

The Focus of this lesson: reading, imagination and painting process and brush care

Materials Needed: Book: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

18 X 24 white or neutral construction paper 80# (heavy is better for tempera paint)

Black tempera paint (day 1)

Colors of tempera paint (day two and three) I use old frosting cups to hold paint because it will not tip over it is a cylinder, plus you can leave at the easel and cover it with the lid!

Brushes/ water cups at each easel/ hand wash buckets around the room with towels

Easels (optional but truly the BEST way for Kinder age)

Day 1:

Procedures:

Introduce the book and Ask children if they have ever seen this book before.

Read story, talk and keep the topic light regarding the wild things…

Notice in the book: The yellow eyes of the wild things.

· Talk about their facial features and exaggerate…

Ask children if they have ever seen this book before?

At the Easel you:

Paint using black paint your Wild Thing
As you paint talk about the shapes you are using, circle, triangles a smile line, nose holes, hair…
Tell the students they will be only painting with black paint today and then let them paint their own Wild Thing
Show them how to clean their brush in water cup at end of class.

Day 2

On day two have students watch you paint with bright colors, your Wild Thing
Let them do the same with their art.

THEN...
(Day 2 or 3)
Share and Reflect:

Students can share their art
While they are sharing ask them:

Tell us about your Wild Thing
Does your wild thing have a name?
If you were to change anything on your painting, what would it be?

I hope you enjoyed this lesson on Where the Wild Things Are by JoJo. She has so many wonderful Art ideas for Kinder and I plan on having her share them with you on my personal blog Kindergarten Hugs and also through Pre-K and K Sharing throughout the upcoming months!

I have been trying to talk her into writing her own blog to share her talent and love for Art! Maybe all the love and support she gets from Pre-K and K Sharing will help her make that leap!

Carie is a kindergarten teacher from Illinois who writes on the 17th of each month. She shares her experiences and ideas from her classroom, writing about reading, writing, math, Art, and several other fun and exciting things!

Carie also writes her own blog:

Kindergarten Hugs

Carie Ramirez

Cool kids crafts: design your own t-shirt

Anonymous — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:29 GMT

I’m thrilled to be joined by Jeanette from artchoo.com today, who’s here sharing a cool kids craft idea using a sticker resist technique. This project combines art and experimenting and lets your child create a masterpiece they can wear!

Here’s how to make sticker resist t-shirts:

How to design your own sticker resist t-shirt . . . → Read More: Cool kids crafts: design your own t-shirt

The post Cool kids crafts: design your own t-shirt appeared first on NurtureStore.

Let's Make a Book!

Anonymous — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:31:00 GMT

This year, I have been posting some of my more "crafty" (and I use the term loosely) on Classroom DIY. Have you visited? It really is a fun blog full of LOTS of fun ideas. Well, anyway, I wanted to bring you one of the ideas I posted over there to my blog too. A Hardcover book! This book can be used for SO many different things, from an end of the year memory book to a way to publish student writing, to a journal. I love it, and so do the students!

So here is how you make it.....step by step.

Gather the following materials

construction paper, 2 pieces, any color
cardboard or tagboard
white 8.5 x 11 paper
stapler
scissors
glue (I prefer Elmer's® Rubber Cement )

First, using the white 8.5 x 11 paper (standard copy paper works best), create a little booklet where the student's story will be written. You can put as many pages as you would like, however include at least one extra sheet of paper as this will be used to bind the book together in later steps.

At this point, I have the students write their final draft of the story. That way, they don't have to keep opening and shutting the book once it is bound. This just keeps the final product a bit neater.

Cut the paper. You will need two cut pieces of each color section. The tag board (orange in the picture) is 9" x 6". The green paper is 24" x 6". The red paper is 18" x 9". Again, be sure to cut TWO of each sized paper.

The TAG will make this the hardcover book. So if you don't have tag, cardboard will work. Something heavier than normal construction paper.

Place the tag board in the center of the long green paper. Fold the bottom up and then the top down, so as to create a little covering around the tag board. This must be TIGHT! Repeat with the second piece of tag board and green paper. The tighter the better.

From experience, the kids don't like to do this very tightly. Just go slow with them. They do eventually get it!

Place the green "package" that you just created FACE DOWN onto the middle of the red paper. Fold the red paper over by tucking it into the sleeve between the green paper and the orange tagboard. Be sure that this is TIGHT! Then do the other side. Repeat with the other green package/red combo.

Once this step is completed, the "package" should hold together on its own. You shouldn't have to be holding it.

You now will have two "packages" that will become the hard covers of your book. Using the white insert you created in Step 1, slip the first page into the opening on one of the "packages".

Repeat the above step with the other "package". Now your book is almost complete.

Glue the white part into the "package". This will give the book some stability and staying power. You can use white glue, however I like rubber cement myself. Glue sticks just won't work very well on this (as they can't get in there very easily without ripping the package.)

This is something I have used with my students to have them publish their writing. These can made as big or as little as you want/need and are really a fun way to make your students feel like authors. So break out that writing you have been working on all year (or those Paragraphs of the Week ;) ) and get publishing!

How do you Timeline?

Anonymous — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:21:00 GMT

Everyone likes to make timelines, right? I mean they are super useful for any number of activities and when studying the American Revolution, well, they fit in quite nicely. So, I asked my students to make a timeline with several of the most important events that took place during this time.

I didn't want a straight line timeline though, so we did something a bit different. I had them make hidden door timelines!

Here is how we did it.

The kids created a line space in the middle of a piece of construction paper. Then, I had them measure out the "doors" and then cut three of the four edges on the doors. Honestly....this was hard. So I have made a little preprinted template for you (that you can use for ANY period of time, not just the Revolution) Click here to get it. I would recommend copying it on cardstock or construction paper. The thick paper will just work best for this. Have the kids cut along the dotted line and you should be ok.

Then, the students glued the "door" paper onto a second piece of construction paper so that there was a writing space. Visualize the completed one in the picture without the drawings and you can see what I mean. :)

Next, I asked the students to think of four lead up events, four during events, and two after events of the war that they personally thought were important to tell the story of the Revolution. They wrote the dates on the doors, and drew pictures of those events.

Inside the flap they wrote a brief summary of the event with enough detail so that I was sure they understood it.

When I hung them on the board, I did need to add a little staple to the top ones so they didn't fall down. But other than that, I am in love. :) They really look cute and just different enough to catch my eye.

What have you done with a timeline to make it a bit "different" than the norm?

Here is one other idea I did last year. Tell me what YOU have done!

Re-Creating The Masters: Famous Works Interpreted By Little Hands

Anonymous — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Hello again from Ayn at little illuminations!

In our Pre-K classroom, most of our art is process focused. Occasionally, though, we do a product focused project like this one. During NAEYC's "Week of The Young Child" this year, our school had special activities that were planned (not by me) for each day. One of the suggested ideas was for our class to re-create famous works for an art show. Each day, I introduced the kids to either a famous work or art style. We talked about how they thought the artist had gone about completing the work and what materials or mediums they might have used. Later each day, students were invited to join me in art center to "re-create" the piece we studied.

Pointillism

We first observed Georges Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" and several other examples of pointillism. We talked about each painting was made of dots of color that formed the shapes in the paintings. The children then experimented with q-tips making pictures of their own.

Splatter Art (Jackson ***)

We examined a variety of Jackson ***'s works. We talked about different ways he might have made the splatters. The group decided to use toothbrushes to make the splatters on their papers.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

We took a long look at Van Gogh's "Starry Night". We talked about the lines in the paintings and the dark colors he used. I asked the children what colors they would need to re-create it. There were other colors available, but most of the students used black, blue, yellow and white.

Picasso's "Hand With Bouquet"

One of my favorite works is Picasso's "Hand With Bouquet". I love the simple lines and bright colors. I've done this particular painting with students before and usually get some lovely paintings. I think the bright colors and the simplicity appeals to them in a special way. We talked about how we would go about re-creating it. The children decided to use Sharpies to draw the hands and paint to make the flowers. A few of the kids traced their hands, others drew hands free form and still others skipped the hands altogether. I think they all came out quite lovely.

Each grouping was on display for our parents to enjoy for the week. We've gotten quite a few compliments. And although I am certainly not an art teacher, I think the children learned a few new techniques and learned a little about some famous works of art.

I'd love to hear how you've explored art with young children---feel free to share in the comments!

Stop by and visit me anytime at littleilluminations.blogspot.com or visit the little illuminations fanpage on facebook! And be sure to check out PreK+K Sharing EEE!

MAKING HOMEMADE DOLLS! A Study in Critical Thinking and Creativity

Anonymous — Sun, 05 May 2013 10:00:00 GMT

WHAT ARE CHILDREN CAPABLE OF?

Perhaps a better question would be what are they NOT capable of? Great to have you back visiting my blog, which is part of collaborative blog here at PreKandKsharing. It's always a pleasure to share what I've learned from children and my fellow teachers with all of you from around the world. Enjoy!

Enrique, Founder and Director of Education,

Fostering Arts-Mind Education Foundation

Today's blog will be told primarily with image which span over a number of weeks and months. Enjoy this journey as told by the experiences of the preschool children at Sunnyside Head Start in Tucson, Arizona. Prior to this "Doll Study", these children explored paper and how it could be used. I'm going to write about that next month, but thought it would be great to see the Doll study first and then later see where it came from.

In case you've having trouble reading the critical information below, here is it is in a larger font:

Last year in the De Colores classroom, we started a paper study. This year we continued with the exploration of paper and it's transformational properties. The idea of the DOLL STUDY began as a result of children exploring paper mache.

The children started by forming small balls from the pulp and they showed an interest in making dolls with it, but it was difficult for the children to make the pulp stand.

The following day as a provocation, we added wire to the pulp. The children began cutting pieces of wire and twisting it in the form of a cross. They started forming balls with the pulp and adding it to the wire.

The dolls identities soon began to emerge.

They continued with the process of painting...

adding facial features...

adding hair...

and then clothing!

This study of mixing different materials/media offered a challenge with many transformational possibilities.

It offered the potential of building skills that are more complex, such as problem solving, math, social-emotional growth, creativity and sensory experiences.

The Doll above is accompanied by the following description: "My doll's name is Luis. He is four years old like me. He likes to go to the park. He likes to go to the circus." It has the little boy's name who is also named Luis. Doll's, much like puppets, create a safe place for children (and adults!) to express themselves in many ways.

This doll's description says, "My doll's name is Samantha, like my cousin. I made it paper mache, used paint. I used purple fabric and I used pink paper for the blouse. She does magic when she uses her wand." The young artist is Maria.

Each doll tells a story!

Each doll empowers others to tell their story!

What kind of higher order thinking skills did this take? I'm not going to tell you. Instead, I'm going to invite you to use your own higher order thinking skills and think about it. I'd LOVE for you to post your thoughts!

The doll above reminds me of my gorgeous wife, Marie, who is of Cuban decent and has worn some outfits like this one when we go dancing Salsa!

What kind of cultural sensitivity can be elevated by creating dolls? What do we find out about our children and their families?

This doll has the following description: "Her name is Danessa. She likes to play with her friends. She knows when it's bedtime when mom says it is time for bed. I made it with paper mache. She has brown hair like me." The young artist's name is Danessa.

From understanding the primary colors to the critical thinking it takes to assemble a doll, what a rich tapestry of learning this was for these children!

So.... when are you going to start your own Doll Study? I hope soon and I hope you share the journey with all of us.

Peace,
Enrique

Aunt Annie’s Crafts - Terrific resource for printable...

Anonymous — Sat, 04 May 2013 19:07:32 GMT

Aunt Annie’s Crafts - Terrific resource for printable #crafts for many subjects.

#literacy #mathchat #scichat #sschat #1stchat #2ndchat #4thchat #5thchat

Includes

Games
Puppets
Boxes
Cards
3-D Paper Crafts
Geometric Toys
Craft Recipes
Holiday Projects
Multicultural Projects
Decorations
and more!

Many of these crafts are educational and can be added to lessons. I love that Aunt Annie’s Crafts provides excellent directions and printable templates (color, b/w) when needed. Great craft site. A little treasure if I do say so myself. Lots of unique crafts.

Check out the Project Index for easy navigation.

You may also like…

LooLeDo

Funology

Woo Jr.

400+ Math and Science Toys from Trash

Book and Art: The Rainbow Fish

Anonymous — Sat, 04 May 2013 07:30:00 GMT

We borrowed The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister last week, and just fell in love with it! Naturally, we had to come up with a craft to go along with such a wonderful story. This time, I asked the children what they thought would be fun to do and clay got a unanimous vote.

There are amazon affiliate links in this post in case you want to find something that is mentioned.

I used the air-drying clay from the local dollar store, and we rolled it out under wax paper to avoid sticking. The kids did a great job with this, and only needed a little help getting the rolling started. (Excuse the blur, but they were pushing so hard that I couldn't get a clear shot!)

I used a coloring page as a template and the kids lightly traced around the outside and then cut away the extra clay. Then they drew in freehand the basic lines of the fish. I did help the smallest member of our tribe, age 2.

After it dried, which took about a day, I put out a few colous of paint (including silver and gold) and they painted their fish. I think the end results speak for themselves.

Extend the activity:

-My Rainbow Fish Pinterest Board
-Put together a Story Sack using this great set of Rainbow Fish Story Resources from Twinkl
-Have the children re-tell the story using these great free printable Rainbow Fish visual aids from Sparklebox

-Watch The Rainbow Fish read by Ernest Borgnine
-Rainbow Fish flannel board
-Rainbow Fish math board game to download free from Communication 4 All
-Rainbow Fish memory game

-Erin, The Usual Mayhem

Destination Modern Art (K-3) - Interactive Online Gallery for Kids

Anonymous — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:51:00 GMT

See on Scoop.it - KB…Konnected’s Kaleidoscope of Wonderful Websites!

KB…Konnected’s insight:

“Destination: Modern Art is a Web site for children ages five to eight. An interactive online gallery offers an introduction to The Museum of Modern Art”

Move through the museum and discover works of art through various interactives.

See on moma.org

You may also like…

Artsology (excellent!)

PearlTrees: Art

Picturing the 1930’s (virtual exhibit)

Sounds of The Birds and the Bees!

Anonymous — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:00:00 GMT

THE MONTH OF MAY! WELCOME!!!

It's time to turn another page on your calendar. Debbie Clement of RainbowsWithinReach here. Queen of this collaborative effort. Happy monarch of sharing: rainbows, polka dots and learning new things. I'm so excited about today's article. It's FILLED with sights and sounds and inspiration and joy and color and ideas and giggles and fun and snippets and projects and spring!

I've learned about SoundCloud in the last 24 hours. For the first time in my seventeen career as the 'music lady' and five years as a blogger, I can now share a little taste test of my ditties. I have also learned how to link a photo to another article! This is a LOT! I'm learning! I'm growing!
Oh happy spring-time!!!

This is the official beginning of the genuine, no-kidding race down the homestretch. The finish line is in sight for traditional classroom teachers. Have you begun your countdown? How many more Mondays do you have on your calendar?

Let's get started with some of those May flowers that we've anticipated from all of the April showers!

The clever spring bulletin board photos above are from Amber Osterman's "Kindergarten Rocks" hallway. I was able to make a serendipitous visit to her elementary in Osseo, WI on Monday. We met over the weekend at the 35th Annual ECE conference at UW-Stout. The blooms below were created in their art room.

Last week I was in Dixon, IL with our very own Carie Ramirez and photographed these next beauties! They are part of my Art History 101 article published over the weekend. The concentric circles are reminiscent of the work of Kandinsky.

BIRDIES. BABY BIRDIES. LITTLE BABY BIRDIES.

Spring is the season of new life. What greater delight is there than watching a nest being built, eggs being laid, and baby birdies emerging. Look at this project. Primary colors! Media in three dimensions. Bingo!

Now. Look what I have learned!

Embed a sound-clip of my own "Little Birdie" sing-a-long.

Listen along to a snippet.

You'll hear just how simple it is.

I use it with finger puppets.

"Busy, Buzzy Bumblebees"

YES! I also have a very simple little dittie all about bumblebees. It's called "Busy Bumblebee." You can take this one on a test drive, too. There are a total of four verses with a whole lot of alliteration!

"LADYBUG, LADYBUG"

Since the theme this month is 'Songs-of-Flight' take a look at all of these little red ladybug projects! Do you think that that ladybugs bring luck? They always make me smile. There are all sorts of possibilities when it comes to ladybugs!

Preschool Ladybugs on the Bulletin Board for Spring

Now for the final snippet of the month, my "Ladybug" dittie.

You'll notice the simplicity of my songs.

These three all have predictability in the lyrics.

Plenty of repetition.

Oodles of rhyme.

Perfect for Prek+K!

BIG NEWS!! All three of my little winged 'songs-in-flight' have now been converted into Mp3s and then placed into a happy bundle of togetherness and inserted into a zipped file.

The zipped file has then been uploaded under our very own cyber shopping, umbrella-of-excellence, at the EARLY EDUCATION EMPORIUM. Look for this image for your purchase and instant download. There is a simple lyric sheet included. Whooohoooo! Progress!

***Now let me see how else I can be a resource for you during this merry month of May! This is the part of the article where I practice embedding a photograph that links directly to another article from 'my' blog. So if you see something that looks interesting, just click on the picture and enjoy! Amy Ahola taught me just yesterday!

-- Debbie --

I'm now at 119,542 followers!

Click this link to go there directly!

As 'queen' of "PreK+K Sharing" Debbie Clement writes the first article here every month. She writes from her perspective of inter- disciplinary interest: quilting together ALL of the arts of music, movement, story-telling and the visual Arts as well.

Debbie has written and recorded over 100 original songs for children onto 6 CDs that she has under her RainbowsWithinReach banner. An additional 3 CDs have been designed for Zaner-Bloser and Redleaf Publishing.

She travels the country sharing her original zest. The photo at left was taken a couple of weeks ago in Dixon, IL. The quilt was created under the direction of Carie-the-kindergarten teacher (who contributes articles here on the 17th of the month) in response to Debbie's first picture book "You're Wonderful." Click on the photo to see another 14 quilts created in her building!!

Debbie is a Pinterest Princess and invites you to join 119,500+ followers of her curated boards. She has also been deemed at 'expert' in the Early Childhood channel at Sulia. Never been there? Give it a try!