BunBun. Bugs, Shrimp, Jazz,and Rocketships (an update)

Ok, I havn't updated this year on what everyone has been up to! 

Bunbun created his likeness in pumpkin form and looks forward to visiting school soon. He has a new brother, a parrot named "Shrimp". I look forward to bringing him to school to visit as well!!

I will start with a sneak peak of our 4th grade project that is almost done. I will post more when we finish. They are creating paintings of the Jazz culture of New Orleans and the historic French Quarter! They are very colorful and each piece is a unique composition!! They are gorgeous so far!! 

Kindergarten and first grade just finished making watercolor paintings of insects on flowers. They used cool colors for the bugs and the sky, and warm colors for the flowers. They could choose any bug, and had to overlap the bug on top of the flower. They made a frame using metallic colored pencils with "follow the leader lines" 

Third grade just finished making out of this world Rocket ships! I got this idea from the very talented Patty Palmer over at Deep Space Sparkle!! Go check out her blog filled with an endless nsupply of fabulous art lessons! Deep Space Sparkle We had fun learning about space and the Space shuttle! I love how the one below has E.T. attached to the shuttle!!

Second grade worked in groups to create GIANT insects! They had to draw and paint the insect first, then add patterns of interesting lines and designs with oil pastels! They turned out gorgeous!!

                                                                  Happy Fall Y'all

Dia De Los Muertos Animals

I am so excited about our next project I just had to post it before its finished. Fourth and fifth will be making these skeleton animals as we learn about the culture of Dia De Los Mertos "Day of the Dead."

We will tie it into science by learning the names of major bones in the skeleton. We will learn about why we have bones and what organs each bone protects.

We have done lots of projects for Day of the dead and you can see them if you click the label on the side of my blog.

We will combine the intricate designs of the sugar skull with animals, like these artworks created by various artists below!

For this project, students bring a small plastic or wood animal from home. I painted them black with spray paint first

You can pierce their ears with a tack first to add earrings later to decorate

Let dry outside for several hours

Use white acrylic paint for the bones, and give students photos of the skeleton of their animal to reference

Then add decorations, add color, roses, neon paper, sparkles, etc.

These aren't quite finished, but I will update the blog with photos of all our skeletons when completed! I can't wait! 

Foil People Sculptures

My fifth graders are learning about human gestures with foil sculptures and then personalizing them into things the students like to do. This project is very easy and SO much FUN!

First we made our sculptures, then students used a variety of materials to give their sculpture personality!

Here are a few finished sculptures!!

Directions:

1. Begin with a large rectangle of heavy duty foil

2. Draw one line at the bottom with a sharpie a little longer than the length of your hand

3. Then draw two lines at the top the same length

4. Cut on the lines

the two bottom flaps will be the legs. Gently roll them into a cylinder form

don't squeeze them yet. Remind kids when they begin to squeeze the arms and legs to do it VERY VERY VERY VERY gently because if you squeeze your sculpture tight it will become brittle and will break and will not be able to stand on its own

  Gently squeeze the legs a TINY TINY bit

 5. join the two ends of the middle together and join them by rolling them together (just the tips of the ends)

6. Now roll the arms into a cylinder just like the legs and gently gently squeeze but don't squeeze all the way

 Now Roll the top of the head down and every so gently pinch in the sides so it makes a ball, (don't squeeze the head too tight or it will be tiny and fall off)

Bend the feet, Hands, knees, and elbows

Then decorate!!! Have fun!!