Witch and Wizard Feet

Third Grade students worked on color theory with a focus on complementary colors. We learned how to use the color wheel to determine a color's opposite. The third graders decided complementary colors were "frenemies" because they work well next to each other, but when they're mixed they look gross. I cant even disagree!

We then watched the Munchkin scene from The Wizard of Oz and played "I spy a complementary color". We then used inspiration from the color wheel as well as the costume design in the movie to make these great collages!

First students chose two sets of complimentary colors: one for the floor and wall and the other for the stripes on the socks (I also allowed polka dots socks)

To make identical shoes, students folded a piece of black paper in half, drew the design, and cut the paper while it was still folded. Small trick but saved soooooooo much time.

I demonstrated a few different ways to arrange the feet as well as clothing design. Kids definitely took this and got creative!

Once the main design was done, students could add details like mouse holes, spiders, spiderwebs, etc. I also let them choose one set of google eyes.

Some students wanted lace on their designs. I hot glued it on their projects to make sure it stayed in place.

Love this project, takes longer then you would assume but its worth it! They are super cute!

Click here for the lesson plan!

Shape Monsters

 

Kindergarten read Jeremy Draws a Monster, a story about a little boy who has a magic pen that can make things come to life. Jeremy draws a monster who turns out to be very rude and demanding. He keeps making Jeremy draw him things he wants until Jeremy comes up with a plan to get rid of the monster.

We then discussed what we might find on a monster and what shapes would be good to use. For example: spikes or sharp teeth are great for triangles! We also discussed what an organic shape was. Kindergarten dubbed organic shapes "the blobby shapes", which makes sense to me! Using string, students created an organic shape body for their monster.

Using a number dice, as well as a special dice I made myself, students rolled the dice to determine what their monster looked like. The dice I made had body parts on it: eyes, hair, hands and feet, mouth, teeth, and nose. Students would draw whatever the dice told them to! If that meant 6 eyes, 3 noses, 1 hair, 4 hands and feet, 2 mouths and 4 teeth... so be it! Heres how they came out!

Click here for the lesson plan!

Abstract Jack

4th graders studied the pumpkin sculptor Ray Villafane, a prior elementary school teacher gone full time artist. He is a professional pumpkin carver who uses sculpting tools and techniques rather than the traditional jack-o-lantern style cutting. We watched Ray at work on an episode of Halloween Wars, while we tried our hand at pumpkin carving, Villafane style! We soon found out its not as easy as it looks! It was quite an arm workout!

While students took turns carving the pumpkin, they also worked on chalk pastel drawings of abstracted jack-o-lanterns. They used cropping to abstract the shape of the pumpkin. They also used implied texture to create glowing eyes and a rough looking skin.

Click here for the lesson plan!

Festival of Trees

Celebrate the holiday season at the 40th Annual Festival of Trees & Traditions hosted by the Wadsworth Atheneum! Festival is one of the atheneums largest fundraisers, attracting over 11,000 visitors from throughout the state and beyond. This nine-day event features holiday trees and wreaths decorated by Hartford area artists and organizations displayed throughout our galleries. All items are for sale and proceeds fund special exhibitions, educational programs and operating expenses. Enjoy daily musical entertainment, family-friendly activities and more!

Festival Dates:

December 5, 5 – 8 pm (First Thursday)

December 6 – 15, 10 am – 5 pm

Closed Monday & Tuesday, December 9 & 10

This year, Webb Students will be donating a Dr. Seuss themed tree! While parents were at conferences, students signed up to create Dr. Seuss themed ornaments in the art room.  With the fabulous efforts of the PTO and 6th grade helpers, this gorgeous tree came to life! Come support the arts this December!

Matisse Inspired Fall Collages

5th graders studied the work of Henri Matisse, most specifically his collages. We discussed and practiced geometric vs. organic shapes. Students then created their own fall themed collages and used color contrast to emphasize the organic shapes on the geometric background.

Click here for the lesson plan!

Circle Murals

6th graders jumped right into art this year. They worked in teams to accomplish what I call "the circle murals". Though I must admit I cannot take credit for the original idea, this project is always a huge hit when these murals are finally hung up. I use thin paper (the big kind, off the roll) and then hang them on our hallways huge windows, the result is our very own stained glass! 

This project could easily be done with younger kids, but I like the independence the 6th graders get. This is also a great way to review all the color theory they will need for the year.

Once the kids were in their teams and had their supplies, I told them their first step: cover the paper with circles. The one rule: the circles cannot touch. They can change size, they can be inside of one another, but they cannot touch. They had about 10 minutes to do this step.

Once they finished this step it was onto step two: Connect the circles using lines. Lines cannot touch a line, only a circle or the edge of the paper. However, the type of line (straight, wavy, zig zag, etc) is artist's choice. Another 15 minutes.

Next class students reviewed color theory and picked a color scheme for their team. They mixed their own colors using tempera.

Some of the End Results:

Love it.

Click here for the Lesson Plan!

OOBLECK!!

My favorite day of the year!

 First, kindergarteners read Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Suess. This is a wonderful story about a greedy king who is tired of the same boring weather day after day so he has his magicians create a new kind of weather... oobleck! Oobleck turns out to be a gross, messy, and sticky mess that wont go away until the king admits he made a mistake and says "I'm sorry!"

We then sat in a big circle and I made a big batch of oobleck in front of the students. We talked about liquids vs. solids as well as what color food dye we needed to make the color green. I also added some green glitter, just to make it a little more special.

Here is the recipe:

Materials

• Elmers Glue (8 oz bottle of Elmers Glue-All)
• Borax (a powdered soap found in the grocery store)
• Large mixing bowl
• Plastic cup (8 oz size works well)
• Spoon
• Measuring cup
• Food coloring (I used blue and yellow to mix my own green)
• Water
• Paper towel (hey, youve got to clean up!)
• Zipper-lock bag (dont you want to keep it when youre done?)
• Water

Here’s the easiest way to make a big batch Elmer’s Slime. The measurements do not have to be exact but it’s a good idea to start with the proportions below for the first batch. Just vary the quantities of each ingredient to get a new and interesting batch of goo.

1. This recipe is based on using a brand new 8 ounce bottle of Elmer’s Glue. Empty the entire bottle of glue into a mixing bowl. Fill the empty bottle with warm water and shake (okay, put the lid on first and then shake). Pour the glue-water mixture into the mixing bowl and use the spoon to mix well.
2. Go ahead… add a drop or two of food coloring (this is where I added the glitter as well).
3. Measure 1/2 cup of warm water into the plastic cup and add a teaspoon of Borax powder to the water. Stir the solution – don’t worry if all of the powder dissolves. This Borax solution is the secret linking agent that causes the Elmer’s Glue molecules to turn into slime.
4. While stirring the glue in the mixing bowl, slowly add a little of the Borax solution. Immediately you’ll feel the long strands of molecules starting to connect. It’s time to abandon the spoon and use your hands to do the serious mixing. Keep adding the Borax solution to the glue mixture (don’t stop mixing) until you get a perfect batch of Elmer’s slime. You might like your slime more stringy while others like firm slime. Hey, you’re the head slime mixologist – do it your way!
5. When you’re finished playing with your Elmer’s slime, seal it up in a zipper-lock bag for safe keeping.

At this point the kids were freaking out and super ready to go play with their oobleck! I gave them some play dough toys to make it even more exciting!

Warm and Cool Colored Weavings

Third Graders studied Native American Weavings. We discussed patterns and techniques. We used some basic color theory (warm vs. cool colors) to choose a palette for the paper weavings they would be creating. Using an over, under, over, under pattern, students created either a straight or wavy lined weaving!

First students chose a color scheme and made a loom. This is done by folding a paper in half and cutting slits into the paper. Some students used straight lines, some used wavy.

Students then used appropriate colors to weave a pattern.

In previous years, I have had the students do leaf monoprints using the opposite color scheme on top of their weavings, but this year time did not allow. 

Click here for the lesson plan!

Miro Inspired Drawings

Second Graders studied the work of surrealist Joan Miro. We discussed how surrealist artists often painted images from their dreams. We also discussed how Miro used lines, shapes, and color. Students discovered that he loved snowflakes, bowties, and lines with dots!

First we played a "Roll- A - Miro" Game in teams to get used to some of Miro's shapes and lines

When we started the final project, students first used a wet on wet technique to create a watercolor background

Next they drew out a Miro inspired design and then traced their pencil lines in black paint. When the paint was dry, students used colored pencils or crayons to add color inside the shapes.

Click here to download the lesson plan!