Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Kindergarten Paper Clay Hearts

Paper clay is a great media for young artists!  It is easy to clean up and children (generally) love the way it feels.  When it is dry, a thick coat of acrylic paint makes it beautiful.  To finish the hearts in an extra special way, add glitter and a coat or two of Modge Podge for added shine.




Friday, February 11, 2011

Clay Club!

Clay Club meets after school at the Fayston School on Mondays, 2:30-4:00.  This group of students have decided that they would like to further explore working with ceramics.  Our kiln fired last night and our pieces will be ready to glaze on Monday!

Here are our clay artists hard at work:





Watch a video of clay project ideas:






Thursday, February 10, 2011

Jim Dine Inspired Valentines for the American Cancer Society

Third and fourth grade artists made Valentines to give to cancer survivors and their caregivers at a very special Valentine's Day Tea, hosted by the American Cancer Society.  Visit www.cancer.org to find out what you can do to help the American Cancer Society.

We looked at "heart art" by Jim Dine and then created our own Valentines using oil pastels and watercolors.

Check out Jim Dine's crazy hearts:


Here are the artists hard art work...





... and the beautiful Valentines that they created for cancer survivors and their caregivers.


















Monday, February 7, 2011

"Art is... not a frill"

"Art is humanity's most essential, most universal language. It is not a frill, but a necessary part of communication. We must give our children knowledge and understanding of civilization's most profound works."
—Ernest Boyer, former president, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Snow on Snow

Students in first through fourth grade worked collaboratively on a mural based on the book Snow on Snow on Snow by Cheryl Chapman.


 We used colored paper to create a collage of all of our favorite snow activities.  We completed our collage on the morning of one of our all-school ski days, so children were excited to get out and enjoy the fresh snow!