Kindergarten Line Drawings

This is one of my favorite kindergarten projects and it is perfect to teach at the beginning of the year.

Lines are introduced and we talk about the many types of lines... straight, zigzag, loopy, wavy, etc.  Then I show them how they can make dotted and dashed lines, lines that start out wavy and then become spiky and even lines that are made by placing shapes in a row.

The kindergartners start with a black marker and draw the lines across the page (9x12":  I find that drawing on a small piece of paper is good for this project, because the kids get tired of coloring neatly after a short time)   This usually takes the entire first class period (40 minutes). 

The second class period, I show them how they can color in the shapes and in between the lines.

This is also a good sub plan lesson if you choose to use it that way, since it uses just a few materials and is pretty straightforward to teach.

This is an affiliate link for Dick Blick. I buy some art supplies from them and they have very fast shipping. This week I ordered some watercolor pencils from them and they literally arrived at my door in 2 days with regular shipping. You know how teachers spend their own money on things for their careers... like professional development, books and so forth? Well, I'm lucky to work in a school that is very supportive of all these things, but of course I do spend my own money on online workshops, art classes, books and some personal art supplies for my own artistic development. If you feel so inclined to ever buy something from the little ads on my blog, it just helps me to purchase more art-related things. Just thought I'd put that out there. 

And, if you are just starting out with teaching art or are looking to buy art supplies, I recommend Blick art materials... and Nasco too.  Nasco is awesome!  Honestly, I've bought supplies from just about every major art supply company and those two are my favorites.  Michael's is good for when you need to just pick up a couple things.  Did you know that there is almost always a 40% off coupon (on one item) on their website?  NEVER go to Michael's without printing off a coupon from their website.  Also, they give 15% off of every purchase for TEACHERS.  Just make sure to bring in your teaching id or paystub and you will get a discount.  You can't combine coupons though.  Joann's does the discount too, but you have to go through a little more of a process to sign up for the discount card. 

Penguins in the Snow-- Kindergarten and NAEA convention

Hello!  Can you believe there's only 3 days left until the National Art Education Conference in New York?  woo hoo!  Each day I am planning to give a short update in pictures and words recapping what I did all day.  I know I will be so super busy though, so we'll see if that actually happens!   Today is also our regional art show, so I will have pictures of that to show you later.

The kindergarten class studied penguins in their classroom and I thought a painting project would be a fun tie-in.  This was a project that I saw on Artsonia.  On the first day, we drew and painted the black penguin.  On the second day, they added white acrylic paint on top of the penguin and to show snow in the sky.  Eyes and hats were cut from construction paper.

Mixed Media Canvases with Kids

 Thanks for your kind comments about my fingers!  They are actually healing much faster than I expected. 

As you might know, I am a lover of all things mixed media!  I also enjoy occasionally teaching an after school art workshop for my students (I'd love to do more, but since my daughter goes to daycare it's a bit tricky.)  I thought painted canvases would be a great gift for kids to give someone in their family, so I decided to do an after school art class which I taught today.  The kids in this class were in grades K-5, so I had quite a range of skill levels.  23 kids signed up!

1st grade artwork

I bought a bunch of canvases, scrapbook papers and paints on Black Friday (yep, I braved the craziest shopping day to pick up some cheap art supplies.)

5th grader

Each kid chose a 12x12" or 9"x12" canvas and a selection of scrapbook papers.

The kids cut out shapes and imagery from the patterned scrapbook paper.  These were decoupaged on to the canvas using Mod-Podge puzzle saver glue (the kind that you can paint on to a finished puzzle to save it.)  Paint underneath and on top of each shape.  Smooth any wrinkles out with your fingers.  When you are finished mod-podging, use a hair dryer to dry the glue. 

3rd grader

The kids used acrylic craft paints to add paint and designs to their canvas.  Colored sharpie markers were also used for fine details.  It is very important to make sure the paint is dry (with a hair dryer) if you are going to use markers anywhere near the paint.  It will ruin the markers if the paint is wet.  Some students chose to write words on their picture.

Do you see the "love Marcia" at the bottom?  so sweet!  (made by a kindergartner)

The class ran from 3:15-5:00.  The kids mostly all finished by 4:45, which was good because we had a HUGE mess to clean up.  If I did this again, I might split it into two sessions.  It was a long day for the littlest kids. 

Kindergarten-- Lots of expression!

2nd grade

3rd grade

Kindergarten

2nd grade  Great shapes!

1st grade  I love the colors in this one.

4th grade girl

The four seasons-- 5th grade boy

(I just got a twitter account if you're interested in becoming my twitter friend.)
Follow @marcia_beckett

Kindergarten Flowers in a Vase

Kindergarten

Flowers in a Vase

These observational drawings were created with watercolor pencils.  Water was added to blend the colors to make a watercolor effect.

Weaving Camp Part 6

3rd graders' burlap weaving with feathers

Burlap weaving made by 4 year old

Weaving on Burlap
Weaving camp has been over for a couple of months now and I'm finally getting around to updating the last of the lessons I taught for the camp.  Just a refresher, the weaving camp was for kids going into kindergarten to about 3rd grade.  Each day focused on a different type of weaving and kids could sign up for one day or all of the days.  Each class lasted for 2 1/2 hours (approximately-- we had a break in there).  One of my favorite weaving projects was weaving on burlap.  First you need to cut the burlap into rectangles about 8 x 10".  Then the kids will pull out a few threads here and there from the burlap to create a space for weaving.  Just choose either horizontal or vertical threads to pull out.  Stay away from the top or bottom edge, otherwise the piece will keep unraveling.  So, then you can use yarn (with a plastic needle) to weave over and under in the spaces you have created by pulling out threads.  Show the kids how they can skip a few strands-- they don't need to go over each and every strand.  

Burlap Weaving in Progress

The kids can also weave in feathers, ribbons, pipe cleaners, or loopy wire and beads.  I would encourage them to use some thicker materials otherwise they might become frustrated at the amount of time it takes to weave.  Time is up and someone is not finished??  No problem!  Just take some foam stamps and tempera paint and have the child stamp in the blank spots.

Finished burlap weaving with foam stamp (kindergarten)

I think a great way to finish the weaving is to hot glue it to a piece of slightly larger felt.

 

 When I teach weaving at school, a book I like to read to the children is:







I just received another story book from Amazon that explains the weaving process but also focuses more on the creative process and how artists can be inspired by nature.

Valentine's Art Projects from the Past

Each year, I tend to try something different for Valentine's Day.  I like to spice things up, don't you?

Here are some from the past that I have done.

1.  Valentine's Heart Collages

 2.  Cool Hands, Warm Heart

3.  Easy Clay Hearts for Kindergarten 

    I have made these for Christmas presents, but they would be perfect for Valentine's Day.

4.  Maps of My Heart (by Kindergarten)

5.   Styrofoam Printed Valentines

P.S.  My new blog design is at ArtisBasic.com.  Check it out if you would like to get a sneak preview before the RSS feeds are moved over.

Follow @marcia_beckett

Weaving Wonders Part 3

Paper Weaving.  One of the projects I did with the kids for my Weaving Wonders Camp was Paper Weaving.  Paper weaving is, of course, one of the first and most basic types of weaving.  Kids in kindergarten, first or second grade will often complete paper weavings as introduction to weaving. 

Preparation:   Gather fancy scrapbook paper, with patterns, bright colors and maybe even glitter.  Add some solid colors if you wish.  Cut strips on a paper cutter, approximately 1/2-1 inch thick.  Don't be too obsessive about making them exactly the same size, you'll go crazy.

Starting to Weave:  Line up all of your strips on the table, making sure there are no overlapping edges.  Take a long piece of masking tape and tape the strips down at the top edge.  These kids, kindergarten-4th grade, finished the project in about 30 minutes.  If you are worried your kids won't finish before the class ends, then have them tape the strips to a piece of cardboard so you can pack them up at the end of class. 

Weaving:  Just like in any other paper weaving, take a strip and weave over and under each of the taped strips.  The following strip will need to be woven the opposite way, under-- then over. 

To finish:  Trim the edges, glue down all the ends on all four sides.  Gently remove the tape.  Cut a piece of poster board slightly bigger than the finished weaving.  Apply hotglue on the back of the weaving and mount it to the poster board to finish the work.

Body Pictures-- Summer Camp

I am teaching 3 summer art sessions.  Each session is two hours long with one or two art projects.  For this session, I had 2 students going into 4/5th grade, 2 students who just finished kindergarten, and one student going into kindergarten.  It was a small class, which was perfect for this project, since the pictures were LARGE.

To start, we traced our bodies on large butcher paper.  Then, we outlined them with markers and used collage materials (magazine images, stickers, tape and paint) to create an artwork about ourselves.

I updated my school website!

I have a special art website just for the parents at my school.  It is more specific and organized by grade level.  We don't have traditional grade arrangements at our school.  Here is how our grades are set up:

Nest-- Kindergarten
Primary-- 1st grade
Upper Primary-- 2nd grade
Intermediate-- 3rd grade
3/4s-- 3rd and 4th grade mixed
4/5s-- 4th and 5th grade mixed
5/6s--5th and 6th grade mixed

Generally kids will enter in a unit and progress through the units in order.  So, if they are in 3/4s this year, they will be in 4/5s next year.  Occasionally a student who needs extra challenges will be bumped up a unit.   We also have 6/7s and 7/8s at our school, but there is another art teacher for those grades.  Our school is unique in that it is for gifted and talented students.  Students are admitted based on a combination of their test scores, math, writing and reading ability, as well as teacher recommendations.  There is no "cut-off" for test scores, but the students are considered on an individual basis.  While there are certainly gifted artists at our school, the students are admitted based on their giftedness in academics such as science, math and reading.  It is interesting, because I find that there is the same range of fine motor skills as in a public school, but the students generally understand concepts faster than other classes I have taught.  For example, a lesson on perspective that I taught with some difficulty at a 7th or 8th grade level at a "regular" school, I have taught quickly and easily to kids at a 5th grade level here.  Also, a tessellations project I taught was quickly understood by 3rd graders, but 8th graders at another school had more difficulty.  It seems that art concepts which involve math and spatial problems are of interest to the children.

Now I will leave you with a picture, since an art blog has to have lots of pictures, right???

A School of Fish.  Made by the 5/6 A's,  April 2010. Acrylic paint on paper. Approximately 22" x 28".
A copy of this painting is framed and hung in the upper hallway as a permanent artwork.

 

This was made last year.   It was a large painting which was sold at our school auction to raise money for the scholarship fund.  Each kid in the class designed and painted their own fish. 

And, here is a picture of my darling little baby named Daria.  She is 11 months old!

   

Textured Teddy Bears-- Kindergarten

The focus on this project was learning about texture.  The children used texture plates to create texture rubbings on the fur.  On the inside of the teddy bear's stomach, they drew a creative design.  Then, they learned about patterns and read the book Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes.   The border was decorated with patterns.  Yeah, they look like Care Bears, don't they?   Sooooooo cute!