K/1 Make Maasai Necklaces

Coloring the rectangular bottom piece

Coloring the disk

Finished!

Group finished!

Gluing the bottom piece on with care

As the K/1s began their unit on Africa they learned about the Maasai people of East Africa and the flat collar, beaded necklaces that they craft. Noticing the geometric patterns that the Maasai design, the students drew and colored their own patterns, adding the rectangular bottom piece with beads hanging from it.

2/3s Make Dragons

Sketching dragons

Another dragon emerging

Building the armature

Adding layers to the dragon

Checking that it stands

Looking like a dragon

The 2/3s spend the spring studying China. Tied into this, the 2/3s have learned about the mythology of Chinese dragons, their role in acting as protectors, and how they can be fierce or friendly. They sketched out an original dragon idea, and then built their dragon out of paper mache.

This one grew very large!

A coat of orange

Painting one of the large dragons

Making those legs pink!

Final touches

Careful details

Coating the dragon with ModPodge

A finished beast

And another with many spikes

Dragon with wings and a fin

Spikes and wings on this dragon

Middle School Students Plaster Their Faces

Tucking the hair out of the way

Applying the plaster

A closer view

Group work

Ready to remove

Almost done

Spanish visitor getting his face plastered

Three visitors working on one mask

Another brave soul from Barcelona

And another trooper

Almost ready to remove

Our new friends pitching in

The middle schoolers are beginning a mask-making project. They each have their faces covered in plaster impregnated gauze (after applying a layer of vaseline) and then use this cast as a base to begin their creative expressions, taking this assignment in many possible directions. By adding cardboard shapes and more gauze and plaster, the mask can become anything they envision. This project requires a huge amount of teamwork and cooperation and the students have been exemplary!
Much to my surprise and delight, several of our friends from Barcelona wanted to join in and have their faces plastered. They'll take their masks home when they leave us at the end of the week, and hopefully always remember their time with us.

Adding small details

Lots of hair and braids

Very careful painting

Thoughtful final touches

Beautifully smoothed out

K/1s Paint Hot Cocoa Pictures

Drawing the cup with stripes

Beginning to paint

After our most recent snowstorm, the mood seemed right for some steamy hot chocolate pictures. After looking at the shapes you need to make a cup look 3-D, the students drew cups brimming with hot chocolate and marshmallows.

4/5s Sew Stuffed Lizards

Cutting out the pattern

About to begin cutting

Sewing the sides together

Careful stitches

Sewing the last section

Stitching on flowers

Some finished lizards crawling across the table!

For the third part of their lizard trilogy, the 4/5s are sewing stuffed lizards. They traced a lizard pattern onto felt, cut it out and sewed it inside out. It will be turned right side around, stuffed and decorated to personalize it with fabric scraps from Guatemala.

K/1s Make Masks for The Hat

Painting the cat

Cutting out a finished mask

Painting Lisa's House

Working on a wall together

The finished set

The cast with masks

As part of the K/1's study of Jan Brett they will perform the play The Hat, based on her book. They made masks of the different animals, painted trees and turned a large refrigerator box into Lisa's house.