"Hot Dogs and cool cats"
The 1st graders started off the year painting a hot dog or a cool cat. We discussed the warm and cool colors and the children were able to paint their dog or cat with the correct colors.
"chengdu"
Students in 1st grade listened to the story "Chengdu" by Barney Saltzberg. We discussed Panda Bears, bamboo, nighttime, color blending, and shading. We discussed how to create a head with a small circle and a body out of a big oval.
The students created their own Panda Bear using colored chalk on black paper.
The children got messy, but their bears look great!
The students created their own Panda Bear using colored chalk on black paper.
The children got messy, but their bears look great!
"Statue of Liberty"
1st graders have been learning about American symbols in their classroom as well as in the art room. They enjoyed watching a 3 minute video with some interesting facts about "The Statue of Liberty. " They created their own" Lady Liberty" with oil pastels.
"Eagle Collages"
1st graders continued their study of American symbols by creating a torn paper eagle collage. They first drew the outline of an eagles head, beak and body with a crayon. Next they tore paper and glued it down to the inside of their eagle. The last thing they did was to add some details to the background with crayons.
"Profile Snowmen"
For our winter concert, 1st grade students made a snowman face in profile. They used oil pastels, wiggly eyes, and buttons. The snowmen turned out so adorable!
"Polar Bears"
1st graders learned how to draw a Polar Bear using basic shapes! After they drew their bear, they could add a hat, scarf, etc. The last step was to paint their bear. I think they did a great job!
"3-d weavings"
Students in 1st grade painted straight lines of color across a white sheet of paper. Next, they took a rectangle shaped board (used for the loom) and created 3-d circles, steps, slides etc. in straight rows on the board. During the 2nd art class, the students cut their painted paper into strips and weaved them through their 3-d loom. They look wonderful and are hanging on the bulletin board when you walk through the front door of the school.
"Sculptures"
Students in 1st grade have enjoyed making sculptures from model magic and clay! The students used white model magic to make "Owls." Once they aired dried, the children painted their owls. We discussed sculpture, 2-d, and 3-d. The children have a good understanding of the difference between 2-d and 3-d. Next the students used red clay to make a "Pinch Pot Fish." They aired dried for about 2 weeks and then they were fired in the kiln. Once the bisque firing was done, the children painted their fish. The students enjoyed the process of hand building their sculptures and I think they did a great job!
"colorful castles"
1st grade students had a discussion on "real or imaginary." We decided that castles can be both! We have real castles in England, Ireland, Scotland, and even in the U.S. We also know that they can be imaginary like in cartoons or Disney movies, etc. The children were showed how to make a castle with rectangles, squares, triangles,etc. and then they drew their own castle with black oil pastel. Some students added a princess, or even a knight on horseback! They painted their castle with beautiful colors and they did an amazing job!
"MOOD Paintings"
1st grade enjoyed the process with this lesson! The 1st day we listened to "Pop Music" and they students used glue and tissue paper in their picture. The students used water downed glue and paintbrushes and put that on their white paper. Next they chose the color of tissue paper that the music made them feel! They could tear the tissue paper and use lots of colors or only a few colors if that is how they felt when listening to the music! We also had a discussion on what colors make us feel happy, sad, etc. I showed them several of Wassily Kandinsky's "Compositions," which were based on his love of music and art. We discussed how art can be just shapes, lines, and colors! We also talked about Abstract Art. During the 2nd class, we listened to Beethoven and the children were given a skinny brush and black paint. We talked about different types of lines we could make depending on how we felt after listening to Beethoven. I think it was a fun experience for us all!
"the tooth fairy"
1st and 2nd grade classes drew a picture of what they think the Tooth Fairy looks like. We had a discussion on whether the Tooth Fairy carried a wand?, had wings?, was a woman or a man? etc. The children had to draw what the Tooth Fairy carried the teeth in? a purse, a basket, a pocket? They also had to draw a design or pattern on the clothes.
"Monet's Japanese Footbridge"
Students were introduced to Claude Monet, his Japanese Footbridge, water lilies, and Impressionism! The students drew a footbridge across their page with an oil pastel. Next, they drew water lilies and other plants with pastel. They also drew trees in the background. The last step was to paint using short, choppy brushstrokes. The children were shown how to dab their paintbrush on the page and to use their paint and brush in the Impressionistic style! Their paintings are beautiful!
"CUbism"
Students were introduced to Pablo Picasso and Cubism. We looked at Picasso's "The Enamel Saucepan," 1945. We discussed how we see several shapes to make up one object and how Cubism is very flat. The children chose a "Spring Bug" to draw. Cubism is very hard to teach to 1st graders, so we simplified! The students drew their bug, then took a ruler and had to divide their bug and space by making two horizontal lines across the page and two vertical lines down from the top! They chose patterns and colors to put in each section of their picture. They did a really good job!
"Commotion in the ocean"
Students listened to the story "Commotion in the Ocean" and had a discussion on all the different sea creatures from the story. The students picked their favorite creature to draw BIG! They added a background and other sea animals. They outlined their picture with sharpie and used Kwix Stix and crayon to add color.
"Monoprints"
The kids loved learning about printmaking! The students used gelli plates to make a monoprint using q-tips to draw into the ink on the plates. They then picked another color ink and made a design with a piece of string on their plate. The prints turned out AWESOME! The children made a ghost print using the ink that was left on the plate. Some students "Ghost Prints" turned out better than the original print.
2016 artwork
"ART & MUsic"
The Students in 1st grade Looked at the " Three Musicians" by Pablo Picasso and then they created their own guitar. They cut out their guitar and added an interesting background with other cut out shapes. They also used pastels to make music notes, etc. They made some very colorful collages!
"Matisse cut-outs"
The 1st graders watched a short video on Henri Matisse. We discussed his cut-outs, geometric shapes, and organic shapes. The students used both types of shapes plus overlapping in their cut-out design.
"Little Puppy and The Big Green Monster"
Students listened to the story "Little Puppy & the Big Green Monster" by Mike Wohnoutka. They drew their own monster and puppy. They could paint their monster any color.