Wind Paintings

On a particularly windy day, Pre-K artists made wind painting using liquid watercolors and their own breath.  We used short straws to help them move the paint with their breath.  Some artists also experimented with turning and tipping the paper.

Dog Pictures inspired by Vermont Artist Stephen Huneck

Third and fourth grade artists were inspired by much-loved Vermont Artist and Author Stephen Huneck.  Huneck is the author and illustrator of the series of stories about Sally, a black lab.  He is also founder of the Dog Chapel in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. 

Here are some dog pictures by third and fourth grade artists. 

Empty Bowls Service Learning Project

Empty Bowls at Fayston School

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort created to help fight hunger and spread awareness about food insecurity.  Although each group’s Empty Bowls project looks a bit different, the basic premise is simple.  Participants work with potters to create handcrafted ceramic bowls.  The community is invited to a simple meal and in exchange for a cash donation, guests may keep a ceramic bowl as a reminder of the many empty bowls in the world.  Funds raised from the event are donated to an organization that works to alleviate hunger. 

Fayston Elementary School has received a grant from the Vermont Principals Association to implement an Empty Bowls Service Learning project in the early part of 2012.  Fayston students will work with local potter Leslie Montalto to create ceramic bowls with handbuilding and on the potter’s wheel.  Additionally, they will learn about many aspects of food insecurity and hunger prevention efforts in their community and beyond.  Over the course of the project, students will work to create products that demonstrate their knowledge, specifically drawing upon the many technology resources that are available and incorporating learning in many disciplines. 

In order for this school-wide project to truly succeed, support from parents and our surrounding community is essential.  If you are interested in being a coordinator for the Empty Bowls project for your child’s classroom, please contact your child’s teacher or Nora McDonough at Nora@madriver.com.  As a classroom coordinator, you may help put together a learning activity, join the planning committee for meetings, participate with the bowl making process, or help organize donations for the final event.  This is an exciting opportunity for the Fayston School and your support and involvement is greatly appreciated! 

For more information about the Empty Bowls project, visit the Empty Bowls page on the Fayston School web site http://faystonelementary.org/empty-bowls-project or contact Nora McDonough at Nora@madriver.com. 

Holiday Clay Workshop

Clay Workshop

Ornaments and Small Gifts

T

Mondays, December 12 and 19

2:30-4:00 Fayston Art Room

$30 per child, includes all materials

(second child discount, scholarships available)

Contact Nora to sign up or for more information

nora@madriver.com    793-8881

Meet Vermont Artists Woody Jackson, Sabra Field, Warren Kimble and Stephen Huneck

I am embarking on a school-wide Vermont Artist unit of study.  We are starting with several very well-known Vermont artists.

 Kindergarteners, First and Second graders are studying Woody Jackson, whose cows became the mascots of Ben and Jerrry's ice cream.

 This video about Woody Jackson features Fayston's own Doug and Kelly Lewis as interviewers.

First and Second graders are also studying Warren Kimble, a folk artist from Brandon, Vermont.  Warren Kimble is known for his "primitive style" animal paintings.  

Learn more about Warren Kimble on his website.  Click here.

Third and Fourth graders are studying Stephen Huneck.  They are all quite familiar with his series of children's books about Sally the Dog.  Huneck is well known for his dog prints and carvings, as well as his Dog Chapel in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.  Click here to see a list of Huneck's books. 

See an interview with Stephen Huneck and learn more about the Dog Chapel in this video.

Fifth and sixth graders are studying printmaker Sabra Field.  Sabra Field's iconic images of Vermont's landscape truly capture the natural beauty of our state.  We are specifically looking at how her works captures the different seasons.  

Click here to visit Sabra Field's website. 

Thank you notes

Fifth and Sixth grade artists took some time in art class to make thank you notes for the people in their lives who deserve to be thanked.  We practiced different types of lettering and looked at some pretty crazy styles of alphabets.