Archive for September, 2010

Lower Grade Art

Art for Kinder through Second  —–Fall 2010

Our theme for the Fall is exploring Creativity–All about Process.

For you the parent this will probably mean a lot of really strange things arriving home with a huge story behind them.

At this age children love to create and to create stories along with their work.  They will spend an hour taping sticks together to make a rocket or guitar.  To you it may look like something for the recycle bin, but they see the next NASA space shuttle.  I encourage you to:  Listen to the story, acknowledge the joy they had in creating it, ask questions about the process.  Put the creation on a shelf for a week or two to honor the process.  Most projects will soon be forgotten and then you can recycle it.  These kids live in the now.  Another option is to keep a photo library of these amazing creations.

At this stage in your child’s life creating and process are paramount, most care very little about the perfection of the product.  They will have plenty of time in their lives to work toward product ,so help them celebrate the stage they are at.

As a parent I also understand the need to have some amazing things to send to grama and put on the fridge, those will be coming.

But equally important is developing the love of pure creating without the pressure of production.

Some questions to ask:

What does it feel like when you are creating?

What materials did you have to work with today?

Did you learn any new art words today?

What does creativity feel like in your body?

Some supplies we still need:  Masking Tape, more staplers(little ones), drawing paper,  paper tubes,  any size terra cotta pots.

I can always use more hands with the young kids and they would love you to be there too!  Art is at 1:20-2:10

Kinder:  Monday —-First:Tuesday—–Second : Wednesday

Any questions please contact me at Jeanseauxfive@cox.net or check out our website at   /museumschooljuliesartclass.wordpress.com/

Leave a comment »

First Semester Focus

The main focus for fall will be reviewing and practicing some of the disciplines of Art.  We’ll be practicing observational drawing, creating compostion, even working on how to get the most out of crayons.  No they are not just for kindergartners!  We’ll be having a big focus on using color during this practice, which I felt was a bit weak on my part last year.

2nd Semester for 5th/6th they will be designing, and writing proposals about what they would like to work on.  Then creating and presenting their Creative Endevors.

3rd Semester for 5th/6th will be Portfolio Focused.  Which I’m tightening a bit this year….as too many kids had incomplete portfolios which we both new could have been better—-Another reason I’m keeping unit work together till the end.

One of my goals this year is to get the kids working on longer, more complete  pieces that involve color.  I’m hoping to have a few to submit to the publication- Stone Soup.

Please make sure your student has a sketch book.  If they forget it, it will cost 10 push ups and there work will be scattered on scratch paper.  We will have a few available in the classroom if you need one.  They are also welcome to leave it in the work bin for next session.

A couple of changes I’ve made this year:

Your child will be keeping the entire units work in a classroom file until critique at the end of the unit.

why?:  A couple of reasons.  When work goes home slowly over the unit it’s hard for the student, as well as me to see progress and to see areas to work on.  A File full of work with the same theme is really fun to see all together at the end and much more fun for you to see and decide what to do with.  Last year way too much work was forgotten in the room.  When it comes time for critique as well as portfolios it is much easier to look through the file and find your best work that you’d like to share.

Portfolio info will be going home each semester for a reminder, though it isn’t due until the end of the year.  I  would really like the students to start collecting now.  More info will come out in the next month.

Another change is we are wearing aprons in class.  One as a visual reminder that class has begun and that Miss Julie expects that the students are focused and doing there best.  And two there were lots of accidents last year with paint left from a previous class or spills or paint magically appearing on someones clothes.

If you child needs more art, the room is open on Wednesday’s lunch.  They can bring their lunch and come create.

Upper rotations are 2:20-3:10 and 3:15 to 4:00 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  You are always welcome and NEEDED.

Two big needs we have our someone to come clean– the construction has left a lot of dirt.  And we need a new CD player very badly.

Thanks for checking in!  Julie

Leave a comment »

Welcome Back 2010

Welcome back this is your place to find out what is going on in Art Rotations as well as to find out what may be happening in my home studio for after school.

Yesterday I met with the First Graders and we started our semester long conversation about Art, Risk and Creativity!  Look for our posters coming soon.  Second Grade will be finishing them today and continuing the conversations.

It was so lovely to see our 3rd graders in rotations uptstairs.  I had a review of expectations and the semester planned and as they came in I realized that they needed an introduction to rotations not a review!  So we flipped the plan around and they all seem very excited about the upcoming projects.

Please check in with the upper and lower grade Tabs to see what we are working on….

I’m so excited to be creating with your kids again!

Julie

Leave a comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.