Artistic Freedom

I am almost finished with my fourth grade gum ball machine inspired lesson with oil pastels. I have one class finished, and three more to finish this next week. Check back for more colors and student examples.

(above) Fifth grade... This 1/4 is amazing! Love this group project!!!!!!!! I had the 5th graders pick groups of four. Each group picked an artist, not knowing what work of art they might receive. The students that picked Van Gogh had his sunflower study. The students that picked Picasso, got his Weeping Woman painting. Each group member got a 1/4 of the painting. Each group member was responsible for drawing their quarter of the drawing to scale (the best they could), and then add color to it with oil pastel. The trick to success is to work with group members to make sure things line up, and colors match. The first year I did this I was hesitant to let the students pick their own group, but this project is so involved that they don't have time to mess around. They love putting all four parts together as they work. It's like magic when things work out and it looks like the original work of art. By the end of this project, I don't know who was ...

With nothing but paper and glue, my second graders just finished these ice fishing works of art. In the past, I have always done a fish project. Wisconsin winters are long and artwork usually reflects the season. My fish lessons usually happen during the spring. This year, I thought why not do an ice fishing inspired project. Most of my students ice fish with their parents every weekend... this project informed me of that (so many student stories). I loved the students excitement, and the awesome little details. The students made their own fish tracers, and designed each fish using paper. The fish are big compared to the ice shanties, but it gives it a sense of playfulness. The project took a while, but I love the results and local inspiration behind the theme. 

My new favorite way to teach weaving to third grade!!!! We started by making the clay loom. I introduce the students to organic shapes, telling them that I didn't want anything symmetrical. The students listened, and made awesome organic shapes out of clay. I handed out circle tracers and they cut out the center of the design. I added all of the holes around the inner circle and then fired the clay. The students painted their designs with watercolor instead of glaze because I was afraid of clogging the holes with the glaze. The next class we strung our loom with string creating a spider web design.  The students spent the next 4 classes weaving out from the center with yarn. The students learned what they needed from weaving, without it taking 15 classes. I recommend this lesson to anyone wanting to try something new when it comes to weaving.