We are now entering our fourth week of school, it is going by so fast already I cannot believe it. In the art room we hit the ground running with some great projects. The work the students are producing already makes me proud to be their teacher!
In the kindergarten classes, we began the year learning about primary and secondary colors. I read the book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh and we discussed how primary colors make the secondary colors. Every student was given a mouse that I had drawn and photocopied. They were shown how to paint different sections of their mouse with the primary colors. Once the mouse was completely covered, they folded it in half, mixing the paint together. When the mouse was unfolded, wallah! Secondary colors were revealed. The KG's loved it!
Another successful project in kindergarten these few weeks of school, was our line and circle family abstract paintings. We discussed and practiced all the different lines and types of circles that we could think of, making a wax resist for the final product. Absolutely beautiful.
The high school seniors just finished up their first project as well. I have so many elementary classes, that the art room tends to have an "elementary feel." I didn't want my older students to feel left out, so our first project was for them to help personalize the art room. We designed our own puzzle pieces, with an underlying theme of personally meaningful design. I was inspired to do this project by The Puzzle Installation and Collaborative Project at http://www.timkellyartist.com/tk_puzzle_meaningful.html. Once the students completed their puzzle pieces, we decided to install them on the ceiling. Our art room is quite small, so we need to utilize the space!
I am excited to see what else this year will bring for the IPS Art Department. Many photos, lesson plans, and updates soon to come!
