4/5s Create Tunnel Books

The 4/5 class is working on their life stories, creating animations 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.

A horse on the back panel

Composite picture of many interests

Gluing the sides to the back page

Sliding a frame page into place

Finished book

And another

One more!

2/3s Make Indian Shadow Puppets

Each 2/3 student is studying a particular Hindu God as they study India this spring in the classroom. In art class they are making a shadow puppet of their particular God, keeping in mind profiles and postures that will enable the viewer to identify their puppet by its particular characteristics.  This has been a challenging and thought provoking task. As part of their celebration of work, they will perform a shadow puppet play introducing their God to the audience.

Fitting the figure on the final paper

How many arms do I need?

Finished puppet

Another

One more

Puppet performance

another performing

K/1 Amate Painting

The K/1s recently began their spring study of Mexico and learned about Mexican Amate paintings in art class. The  paintings are done with bright colors on bark. They usually depict flowers, birds, deer, rabbits and everyday stories from the community such as fishing, hunting and harvesting. The K/1s used brown paper to simulate the bark and painted their flora and fauna in bright tempera colors.

Sketching ideas

Deciding what elements to include

Beginning to paint

White shows up well against the brown "bark" paper

Getting that blue right

Details clarified with a Sharpie