Kindergarten Clay!

Texture Shoe-prints create amazing pendants or ornaments.  Kinders had their first chance to roll and squish clay for this project.  We talked about textures, how does it feel on our fingers... lumpy, bumpy, soft, smooth, furry, fuzzy, scratchy, rough.  Everyone investigated the textures on the bottom their shoes.  The texture from the shoes was pressed into the clay ball leaving a shoe-print.

The shoe-prints were 'fired' in the kiln.  The kiln is a neat machine that gets really hot to make the clay really hard like a rock.

Then, we set up a glazing station.

Glaze is like a special kind of paint for clay.  The glazed clay shoe-prints were loaded back into the kiln to 'fire' once again and to melt the glaze so it turns into glass.

With a little help, bits of yarn was glued to the back so they will be easy to hang.

Today everyone created an Origami pocket to safely take the ornament and poem home.  Origami is the art of folding paper, no cutting, gluing, or taping needed to make something special.

Tints and Shade of Snowmen

3rd Grade is learning about TINTS and SHADES.  We have learned a lot about how to mix colors, and now we are practicing making tints and shades.
Tint has a kind of a rhyme... all you need to remember is to make a Tint, add White, and it makes it light.  Tint-White-Light.
Shade is a different story, no rhymes, but some letters in common.  To made a Shade, add Black, and it makes it Dark.

A work in progress, Day One- TINTs

The art room was a buzz on day one.  Wow, look at this color!!! I made a tint!  Does this tint look darker?  Day One we mixed 3 tints-a light, medium, and dark.

Day Two - Shades took over.  We mixed a shade of our original color to paint the snowman's accessories.  Once again, a buzz of excitement.  Everyone was very careful to only use a little black at a time.

I was so happy with how these paintings turned out that I hung them up immediately in the display case.  Fortunately, 1st grade also finished their pinch pot snowmen today, and the 3rd grade painting make a beautiful backdrop.

Sleepytime Quilts

1st grade can weave too!  Everyone learned the importance of a tabby weave, with the under over pattern.

Our blankets show a fuzzy and snuggly texture.  Did you notice a color scheme?  We used warm and cool colors.  Weaving was kind of tricky, but a with a little practice and a little patience, everyone wove their blanket.  A ribbon was glued across the top to finish them.  

The weavings make a great display in the hallway with all of the peaceful dreaming faces snug under the blankets.

5th Grade Pocket Weaving

The much anticipated pockets!  When I went through this project for the first time myself, I didn't really believe that it would turn out as great as what it did.  You can imagine the excitement for fifth grade when they get to actually weave a unique and personal pocket or pouch that includes a flap and button to close it.  This is not a quick project but instead one where hard work totally pays off.

How it comes together...
Day 1: All about measuring and cutting.  Everyone creates their own loom to weave on.  On day one we create the loom and then wrap it with white string.  The sting will keep the whole thing together when we take it off of the loom.
Days 2-4: Weaving, Weaving and yet more Weaving.  It is super important to know the ABAB pattern to weave a strong pocket, and to keep the yarn scrunched and tight.  Loose yarn or the wrong will make for a weak pocket that may have holes in it.
Days 4-5: The magic!  We get to take the weaving off of the loom and see it transform into a nifty pocket!  This is the day that creates a lot of nervous energy.  It is the time to see if the pocket will be strong or weak.  Once the pocket is off of the loom-more excitement-digging through and picking out the perfect button.

Weavings on the loom.

Working on the 'flap' of the pocket. 

Finished pocket!

You should ask your child about this whole project.  It takes a lot of time and thought.  Many of us become better critical thinkers and problem solvers throughout this project.  You would be amazed to see how many questions there are the first day and how few there are by the end.  At the end most of the students can help classmates and can become teacher assistants.  It is great to see!

I'm always amazed with how great these turn out and all of the things we learn along the way.  I also am proud of myself this year for finally organizing yarn in a manageable way for everyone to be able to pull, measure, and cut their own yarn.

Yarn Station

I upcycled some crayon boxes by cutting slits in the front of the box.  The skein of yarn is safely tucked inside with the tail hanging on the outside... genius!