2nd Trimester Sketchbook Due Dates (6th-8th grade)

Sketchbook due dates are approaching:

6th grade:  Friday, February 9th, in Art class


7th grade:  Tuesday, February 13th (both groups A and B); will be collected in the morning before 1st period in front of the 7th grade classrooms


8th grade:  Thursday, Feb. 8th (both groups A and B);  will be collected in the morning before 1st period at the 8th grade tables. 

Crayon Making Madness

New crayons have been made for more secret agent prizes!  The last bunch went like hot cakes.  Not only do we have lego crayons but I have also made flowers, bugs, animals, and cars!!

Oh, Valentine...

I can not wait to share the Valentine cuteness going on in the art room but I can't wreck the surprise for the 1st and 2nd graders.  

Here are some cropped sneak peeks to keep you guessing.

Chinese New Year Dragons: 3rd Grade

In preparation for Chinese New Year, 3rd graders are continuing to work on their Chinese New Year Dragons.  The colors and patterns that the students are using are spectacular!!!  We have a few more surprises with this project until they are complete.  We will be cutting these out,  finishing up our firework backgrounds, and putting the finishing touches on them this week!  More pics to come.

Torn Paper Masterpieces

Every year, the 8th grade students blow me away with their details and craftsmanship on the torn paper project.  Students have to study a picture to find the changes in value in a portrait and match those changes with a selection of construction papers which are then torn and pasted on the portrait.  A transparency is placed over the original photograph and the details of the face are traced.  This is laid over their completed torn paper portraits and VOILA.....these beautiful beautiful masterpieces.

Sabore's Visit

As usual, the visit from Sabore Ole Oyie, the Maasai warrior and elder from Kenya was a HUGE hit with the 5th graders.  At the end of the talk, the students stood and held up their art projects that they did based on the Maasai women of the tribe.  Therese and Sabore loved them so much, that they asked the 5th graders if they could have these artworks as well to take back to Kenya to hang in the new preschool that they are building in Sabore's village this year.  What a tremendous honor for not just one but TWO St. Frances Cabrini classes to have their artworks across the world hanging in a school in Kenya.  The students were so excited!!!

You will hear more from Mrs. Behrens and I in the near future about ways that we would like to raise money for Sabore's organization (www.saboreswell.org).  I am in talks with Therese about possible raising enough money to adopt a classroom in the new preschool.  So much more on this to come!

In the meantime, here are some pictures and a video from Sabore's visit:

Chinese New Year Dragons: 4th Grade

4th grade has been having a BLAST the past couple of weeks starting work on a project that will eventually turn-into some amazing Chinese New Year dragons.

The process:

Day 1:

Students were all given a large sheet of poster paper.  Select songs of classical music (with strong emotions) was turned on and students had to draw with the music.  They had to select colors that reflected the emotion of the music and draw along to the music.  The students LOVED this.  Most said that they felt relaxed while doing this.  Almost all students couldn't believe how quickly class time flew by.

At the end of the practice, we talked about the sides of the brain (left and right) and the important connection our brains make with music and art.

Day 2:

The next art class students were given back their musical drawings and stations were set up around the art room.  At each station there was a different technique for painting.

-Paint pens
-Spray bottles of watercolor with netting squares
-Toothbrushes
-Bubble wrap
-Plastic scored pieces for leaving texture
-Watercolors and salt

Students spent time at each station adding layers of paint and texture to their artworks.  By the time students were done, we had quite the variety of artworks.

The dried artworks were then torn into long strips and these will be used as the background for our Chinese New Year Dragons.

Today we will work on creating the faces of our Chinese New Year dragons and next week they will put all of the pieces together to complete their dragons.

More pics to come....

Stay Tuned....

I have been slow to report on new projects for the start of this New Year but trust me, we are up to some amazing stuff!  I hope to blog about the projects we are working on in the week to come.  Stay tuned!!!!  

Hints to some of what we are working on:

-Drawing to music
-Chinese New Year Dragons
-Metal repousse
-Watercolor monsters
-And some Valentine's projects that I won't be able to post about until after Valentine's day (shhhh....they are a secret)!!!

Sabore is coming tomorrow!!!!!!!

See the artwork in the artist rendering for the preschool being built in Sabore's village?  Those are the artworks our students from 4 years ago made.  When Therese and Sabore saw the student's work they asked if they could keep them and bring them to Kenya to place in the brand new preschool once it was built.  It was so important to them it was included in the artist rendering for the new school!  How cool is that!  SFC artists work will be hanging in a preschool in a Kenyan village.  

I can hardly wait for tomorrow!  One of my favorite guest speakers will be on campus speaking with the 5th graders about the Maasai culture and his organization to build wells for the Maasai tribes in Kenya.  Only 5th grade students will be attending but all parents (any grade) are invited.  He comes back each year to talk with the 5th grade students as Mrs. Behrens and I spend a good chunk of time devoted to literature, art projects, and religion projects based around the Maasai tribe as well as other African countries that struggle with the daily task of fetching water to survive.

If you would like to read more about Sabore and his organization or if you would like to donate to his organization, you can find it here:  www.saboreswell.org

I hope to see some of you tomorrow!

Who Knew Penguins Could be so Cute?!!!!

2nd graders are done with their clay penguins!  And they are absolutely adorable!  They make me smile every time I see them all huddled together on the tables.  I know that the children are really excited to take them home soon.

C is for Cookie

Cookie sheets, that is!!    

If any of you are getting rid of old cookie sheets, please think about donating them to the art room.  I need some for a printing project that I am going to be doing with the 1st grade.  Any type is fine:  flat ones, edged ones...your trash=my treasure!

Maasai Elder Is Coming to Visit with the 5th Grade Students

I am so excited to announce that Sabore Ole Oyie, a Maasai elder, will be visiting our school on January 18th, at 1:45 in the church.  I have arranged for him to come talk with the 5th grade classes about his culture and his organization that is raising money to build wells for the people of his tribe.  His main goal is to empower women of the Maasai tribe. 

We have spent a good deal of time this first trimester, discussing the Maasai tribe and we have done two art projects based on the Maasai tribe.  Students will bring their latest Maasai project with them to the church so that we can get a group photo with students and their artwork with Sabore.  

If you have never heard him talk, or even if you have, I would highly encourage anyone that is interested to come and hear him speak.  He is fascinating.  Only 5th grade will be attending this year but parents of any age student is welcome to come and hear him speak.  If you feel inclined to learn more about Sabore and Sabore's Well or to donate, you may find more information here: 

http://saboreswell.org/

In the next few weeks, I will be working with the 5th graders to come up with an idea for the class to do a fundraiser for Sabore's organization, most likely a bake sale.  I will send more information on that when we figure out a date. 

Mrs. Behrens is organizing a water walk with the 5th graders on the day of his visit.  The water walk goes along with the book that ties into the struggles of the Maasai people, titled A Long Walk to Water.  Students will have to carry a filled bucket of water as they walk from station to station on the big top, putting themselves in the shoes of the Maasai women and children who have to make pilgrimages of many miles each day just to fetch water. 

I hope that many of you can make it and would consider donating to Sabore's organization.