Middle School Students Try Their Hand at Cartooning

After completing the epic van Gogh group project, the middle schoolers began working on a smaller endeavor. Each student developed a cartoon character and created a short, six panel comic taking that character through some adventure or interaction.

On the third panel

Lots of detail on this one

Working from a specific image

Finishing touches

4/5s Paint Scenery for Their Plays

Small groups of 4/5 students have written short plays based on Native American myths and legends that they've been studying in their class. The common background is a wooded scene 16 ' long x 6' tall. They did an amazing job figuring out what to represent and how to have all 16 students working together. This will be a minor masterpiece when completed!

Discussing and painting

A large pine tree takes shape

Off to a great start!

A play with the backdrop

The finished scene ready for the plays to begin!

K/1s Sculpt Animals

After drawing, painting, and collaging the animal they are studying in class, the k/1s moved to the third dimension and sculpted their animal out of clay. They worked with great focus and determination. The next step is building animal habitats and placing the animals in the appropriate one.

Checking out the deer

Trying to pull out the legs and head

Another deer forming

Painting a mouse

Getting the skunk's stripe

Painting tree branches for the habitat

Painting the tree

Cutting grass for the habitat

Long grasses

                                                       

                                                                Painting a cardboard squirrel

Cardboard animals in the tree

The animals in the forest

Sharing the habitat with buddies

The finished habitat, forest, field and stream waiting for the animals arrival

K/1s Draw and Paint Animals of the Northeast

As part of the fall theme of homes and habitats, each K/1 student has chosen an animal to study. They research the animal and write about it in class. In art they deepen this study by looking at the shapes that make up their animal and draw and paint it trying to capture it's form. Then they do a collage of their animal prior to sculpting it.

A coyote next to a tree

Careful color mixing for the red fox

The mouse of the Northeast!

And a furry mouse

Animal paintings

Animal collages

2/3s Draw Landmarks along the Hudson River

As part of their fall study of the Hudson River, each 2/3 student has chosen a specific landmark to research in class. In art class they are doing careful drawings of their chosen sight in order to become more familiar with it. When these are complete the students will build a three-dimensional model of the Hudson crafting their landmarks out of cardboard and placing them accurately along the river. This project will help the students develop a clearer picture of the Hudson, its surrounds, and its importance historically and in the present.

The Half Moon taking shape

Thomas Cole's Home

West Point emerging

Storm King Arts Center with sculpture

Albany City Hall with its many windows

Assembling the display

Water over the Troy Dam

Building a sculpture for Storm King Arts Center

The Walkway Over the Hudson in cardboard

Painting Mt. Marcy

Almost finished

 Putting their landmarks in place

Finished landmark drawings

4/5s Work on Paper Mache Puppets

In order to ease into the potential awkwardness of actually speaking a foreign language, the 4/5s are each creating a character puppet that they'll use to speak through in Spanish class. Each student sketched out one or two ideas for their creature. Beginning with a newspaper base, they added strips of paper mache to sculpt the base into the form they have envisioned. Once they capture the form, they'll add features, paint it and add a felt body. Then off to Spanish class where the puppets can help facilitate language acquisition.

Watch the 4/5s introduce their puppets in Spanish!

First layer of paper mache is applied

Forming a snake's head

A hawk is getting a beak

A snake gets a tongue

Starting to paint

Adding color to the neck

Painting small details

Ready for the body

Sewing a panda's stomach

A purple hippo!

The completed panda

The chihuahua