K/1 Penguins!

The k/1s are studying Antartica and with that the penguins who inhabit that cold region. In art class they are integrating skills acquired in the two previous exercises. Their bird projects showed them how to see basic shapes and put them together to create a more complex form. Their bird wings gave them experience in cutting, tearing and gluing to achieve a more realistic feathery quality. Now they have drawn penguins by putting together a circle and an oval, and covering the form with small torn pieces of black and white paper resembling the dense feathers of the penguins. These will be cut out and placed on a background mural of the Antarctic.

Gluing the white stomach feathers

Drawing the penguin using basic shapes

Wings/flippers taking form

One penguin, one small penguin each with a large catch

Two penguins on an iceberg

The Antarctic Mural Completed

4/5s Life Story Tunnel Books

The 4/5 class is working on their life stories in the classroom. In art class they are designing tunnel books highlighting events from their life. The back panel of the book reflects their life and interests at the current time, while the preceding cut border pages pinpoint previous experiences and/or people.

Cutting the frame pages 

Cutting the center out while leaving the frame intact

Composing the back page

Thoughtful additions to the back page

And a finished book!

A finished work featuring the beach

One more with many favorite things noted

Another with the different layers clearly in evidence

K/1 Explore Bird Shapes and Forms

After adding some much needed birds to the pond mural in the hall, the K/1s looked at the shapes you would need to draw a large bird. Starting with half circles and triangles they each drew a bird, went over the lines with black crayon and added watercolor for a crayon resist. The results are completely engaging. This was followed by collaged birds with pivoting wings, involving multi-step directions, cutting, gluing and finally mounting on a stick to fly!

Cutting out the bird for the mural

Cutting is getting quite precise

Red-winged blackbird coming together

Attaching a stick with supervision

Feathering the wings

More wing production

One completed red bird

2/3s Embroider and Stuff Felt Indian Elephants

As the 2/3s began their study of India in the classroom, they enriched their studies with several art experiences. To start they traced and cut elephants from gray felt and then embroidered flowers and saddles to make their elephants look like they're ready for a festival. The two sides will be sewn together and stuffed. This project requires planning, focus, fine motor skills and patience, and for some,  acquiring embroidering skills, but the end result is well worth the investment in time and effort.

Tracing the second elephant for the other side

Cutting the first piece of felt for side one

Refining the edges

Some thoughtful stitching

Adding an embroidered saddle

Focused and precise stitching

Some help from Mom who was volunteering with the class!

Beginning to sew the elephant together

The blanket stitch to hole the stuffing inside

Two finished works

And a finished herd!

Some last minute help from a middle school expert

Braiding a tail with middle school assistance

Middle School Students Experiment with Boat Designs

Thinking about buoyancy, displacement, density and stability, the middle school students experimented with boat designs. Beginning with several iterations of paper boats the students tried them out in the stream table to figure out which designs worked well, were stable and efficient moving through the water. After figuring out which designs worked best the students will build small models and then scale one up to culminate in the construction of wooden paddles and a single coroplast and wood boat large enough for a student to paddle across the Parker pond.

Early trial with paper and tape

Tape to help with waterproofing

Figuring it out together

Checking buoyancy by adding pennies for weight

An ark-like creation

Figuring proportions  and folds for the scale model boats

Hot gluing the stern flaps up

Fitting the breast hook to give the boat its shape

Fitting the gunwales

Naming the model boat

A finished model

And one more

Working on the final boat....folding the coroplast with the help of Ron Ishkanian, a local boat builder and friend

Attaching the breast hook

Sawing a paddle handle

Trying out the finished boat (in the art room)!

And in the pond!