Yummm! Color Wheels!!!

Every Wednesday we have "Super Special Wednesdays," which are days that we get selected classes for a longer time. This allows classroom teachers to meet for professional development. It also allows special area teachers to have some extra time with their classes. I like to use this time to create lessons that I would not have time for during the regular class time. This lesson, Tasty Color Wheels, is a perfect example of one of those lessons. We use white frosting, food coloring, and vanilla wafers for this project. I have found that wax paper works best to keep the tables clean. I remind students of a few things before we begin... they will get a chance to eat it at the end so please be patient and wait, only touch the food that you will eat, take turns mixing colors, and don't put too much food coloring (your teeth will be blue!!). Also, it is important that after you mix the primary colors (red, yellow,and blue) and you begin to mix the secondary colors (orange, green, and purple) that you only take a small amount of primary colors. For example, if you take all of the red and blue to make purple, you will not have any red left for orange or blue left for green. This is a wonderful lesson about the color wheel and color mixing, as well as so much fun!!!

Where are the students? (Michelangelo)

At first glance, the picture above looks as though it is an empty classroom, However... If you look closely you will see that my students are underneath the table!! You may be wondering WHY? Well, 4th and 5th graders have reached Michelangelo on our timeline! Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We had a long talk about what they thought about his artwork before we began. Most of they students liked it and thought that it was very realistic. Next, I told the students about how he painted it on top of scaffolding on his back for YEARS!! Then, I told them their assignment... We had to create a fall/ Halloween illustration under the tables!!! We used tape to stick the paper to the table and carpet squares on the floor (because we all know that the art room floor can be a glittery mess). We used crayons, instead of paint because I did not want students to get paint in their eyes or on their face. Students really enjoyed this project but were complaining how difficult it was to paint like Michelangelo. It was very difficult for students to draw like him, and some were getting discouraged that their pictures were not turning out how they wanted them to look. I told them that this project was more about the process than the product. I really wanted them to gain an appreciation for Michelangelo and his work. After we were through, I asked the students again what they thought of Michelangelo and his work, and instead of the students saying, "I like it," they all said something about the process, for example, "He must have been really strong!' or " I really appreciate how much work he put into his work!!"

Mona Lisa with a twist!

4th and 5th graders are continuing on through our timeline and we have finally reached LEONARDO DA VINCI and his most famous artwork, the MONA LISA. We learned many interesting facts about her and the painting. (for example, did you know that originally Da Vinci painted her hair in a bun and later changed it to the way it is now?) We also made inferences on why she has that expression on her face. All of the students were amazed by the amount of detail and how he painted so realistically. After our discussion we decided to create a new environment for her... Mona Lisa with a Twist. I am continuously inspired and impressed by the creativity and imagination of kids. We had president Mona Lisa, Bridal Mona Lisa, DJ Mona Lisa, Fortune teller Mona Lisa, Sponge bob Mona Lisa, Dragon Mona Lisa and even an Angry birds Mona Lisa (just to name a few). Stay tuned for the next post about Michelangelo!!

Jackson Pollock at Herrera

Junior High is still working on our art timeline, and we have finally reached Jackson Pollock! First, we discussed Jackson Pollock's work and they each had to write a paragraph whether they thought it was art or not and why. We also learned that he actually went to our school district as a child.. SO COOL!!! The students were really excited about painting this one because it is a wonderful excuse to make a mess with paint!! We started with an old painting of mine that has been in my closet for years and I did not mind covering up. We first put two layers of gesso on it and then let it dry. The next day, I laid out a large area of butcher paper to protect the floor. I only allowed the students about 4-5 colors (including black and white). I have found in the past that if you allow too many colors the canvas gets really "muddy" looking. We used black, white, copper, dark teal, and yellow. We used acrylic paint on the canvas, but instead of paintbrushes we used paint stirrers and marbles (that I made out of fimo dough) to throw or bounce off the canvas. We also used our hand prints on the canvas just like Jackson Pollock!! I only allowed about three-four students at a time to work on the painting so we would not splash paint on each other. We had a great time, learned a lot about Jackson Pollock and created a beautiful "Action Painting!!"

Dia De Los Muertos

2nd and 3rd Graders are continuing their unit on art from around the world. This past two weeks we have been focusing on art from Mexico. Mrs. Estrada, also our schools Reading Coach, was so kind to come to our classroom to teach Herrera students about Dia De Los Muertos. She brought in so many pieces about the art of Dia De Los Muertos. She brought in a Calavera (skull), Pan de Muertos (special bread), her Ofrenda (the offering for the family and friends who have passed), Marigolds, papel picado (decorative paper for the holiday) and a fun book about Dia De Los Muertos to read for the kids. The students had a wonderful time learning about festive Mexican Fiestas!!! We also learned about the differences between Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos. Halloween is known as a scary holiday, while Dia De Los Muertos is a happy and celebratory holiday!



After learning about the Art of Mexico we were ready to create artwork inspired by what we have learned! We started with white paper plates and a pencil. We cut out the center circle and left about 10-15 of the "bumps" from the outer edge of the plate. After that we used a sharpie marker to draw a face and designs on the plate. Next, they glued it on a black piece of paper and we used marker to color the designs and facial features. While they were working I came around to add glitter to the black paper. Lastly, I gave each student two pieces of circle tissue paper to make a marigold to add to the paper. These calaveras turned out so beautifully!!

C is for Cow

Kinder students continued the ART ALPHABET with the letter "C!" We learned about an Oval and used all ovals to create this cow! First we used only black crayon to draw they cow. Next we used a pink crayon to create the mouth and utters on the cow. The next art class we used blue and green watercolor paint to paint the sky and the grass.