It's Positively a Bug!

While I was home with my baby bean, I had a fabulous visiting art teacher take my place.  One of her many engaging and original projects included creating clay bugs with various textures with the second grade classes.  I've decided to stick with this bug theme and introduce positive and negative space in a two-dimensional project involving tissue paper.  The second graders sketched their bugs, outlined the contour line, cut out their drawings and used the bugs as tracers to fill a 12"x18" paper.  The second graders are using colored tissue paper squares to fill in the negative space of their works of art.

Cold Winters Bring Cool Landscapes

We've had a harsh, frigid, and loooooong winter this year.  Even in March, the ground outside resembles a frozen tundra with temperatures still 20 degrees below average.  Before the weather finally warms up, we've delved into the world of abstract landscapes with the 1st graders.  After compiling an extensive list of various lines and shapes, and distinguishing the two, these aspiring artists sketched a horizon line and filled in the ground with patchworks of lines and shapes.  We're focusing on using cool colored oil pastels to color the land in our landscapes, before we turn our attention to the sky.

Warm Birds in Cool Cages

Warm and cool colors have been our most recent topic of discussion and exploration in kindergarten.  The little guys cut a curved line at the top of their papers to make a birdcage shape and then, used cool colored chalk pastels to color in their cages.  After cutting and gluing black strips of paper to finish our birdcage semblance, we focused on creating warm colored birds, complete with tail feathers!

The Arrrt of a Pirate!

Ahoy Mateys!  It's "Talk Like a Pirate" Day at Pleasant Valley!  Students school-wide are finishing up their drawings for Square One Art, a fundraiser run by the PTO and executed in the art room.  Since many students are close to done, I set up a "Pirate Arrrt" station.  Using their handprints, they'll create their own image of a pirate with oil pastels.

What Does Mrs. O'Brien LOVE About Art?

As an art teacher, I am often asked questions such as what is my favorite color?  Who is my favorite artist?  What is my favorite work of art?  In response, I've designated one of the bulletin boards in the art room to address these hard-pressed questions.  The board will grow and evolve during the school year as it houses more and more answers.  Realistically, one bulletin board will not be enough!

Finding Flow in the Art Room

Years ago, I read a book called Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in which he author discusses awareness, engagement and the attributes of being "in the zone" or "finding flow".  Naturally, my biggest goal is to have engaged students that can "find flow" in their art-making.  One facet of this that I have been exploring is the environment of the art room.  How can I maximize work space while maintaining a "meeting place" in the art room?  Where do I store supplies so that they are out of the way yet accessible?  How do I give students more ownership of the art room so that it functions more as an art studio rather than art classroom?

Welcome to a New School Year!

Pleasant Valley School opened it's doors today to a new school year!  Students re-entered the school a little taller, a little tanner and a bit wistful about the all-too-short summer.  Yet, the undercurrent of excitement and anticipation rose as students made their way down the familiar hallway to their unfamiliar classrooms.   A new school year brings with it the promise of new beginnings and a fresh start.  How fortunate are we to have this opportunity?  Let's make the most of it!