K/1s Perform Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock

The play begins

The students performing

The set for Anansi

The Ring-Tailed Lemur

Hippo, Giraffes, and Zebra

After weeks of preparation the K/1s performed Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock for their parents during their celebration of work.

2/3s Make Kites

Trying out the kites

Getting it up in the air

Coming up with a Chinese design

Adding images

The 2/3s learned about Chinese kites and tried their hand at making their own.

K/1 s Work on African Studies

Coloring the Kente cloth design

Working with bold patterns

Large leaves for the play

A particularly large leaf

As the K/1s prepare to perform the play, Anansi, they cut out large leaves for the backdrop. They also made Kente cloth designs after listening to a presentation by a Ghanaian neighbor and hearing the story, The Spider Weaver, by Margaret Musgrove.

6/7/8s Begin Needle Felting

A finished figure

Penguin with food

Finished cyclops troll

Finished camel

Just getting going

Needling the base form

Working on a small segment

One middle school student introduced needle felting to some of her classmates and a craze was born. Capitalizing on their enthusiasm, I ordered supplies and all the middle school art classes learned this absorbing craft. All sorts of creatures began taking form from skulls and eyeballs to camels. Their work has been amazing!

4/5s Make Immigration Suitcases

The front of a finished suitcase

Another finished front

Measuring paper to cover the shoebox

About to glue on brown paper

The spring unit in the 4/5 classroom is Immigration. In art class each student is beginning with a shoebox and turning it into a replica open suitcase. The exterior shows what might have adorned the outside and inside are pictures of what some of the contents might have been.

Middle School Self-Portraits

Looking in the mirror

Working on the initial drawing

The middle school students have begun working on their self-portraits. After their drawing meets their expectations, they will add some shading and colored pencil details.