November 21, 2008

Christmas Mugs

Tis the season to ask the age old question....WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH ALL THESE HOLIDAY MUGS?!?!?! Don't get me wrong, I think there is nothing sweeter than a child bringing a gift for their teacher. As an art teacher, we can often be over looked though! So, I will receive any mug or present with great joy!!! However, for a person that doesn't drink coffee...what will I ever do with all those mugs???? Here is my solution. I use them to store my paint brushes & other assorted items(clay tools, spoons, pencils..etc). This way the children can see their gift being used...and I have a place to put stuff! I will usually write the child's name on the bottom w/ the year. What do you do with all your holiday mugs?? I'd love to hear!

November 20, 2008

Paper Bowls

After seeing this bowl project in a Recycled Art book from Lakeshore Learning Store..I HAD TO TRY IT!!! The kids loved it. I loved it. The end product turned out wonderful! I had my students add an acrylic glitter glaze over top of the final air dried paper bowl to add some extra strength & sparkle! ___________________________________________________________________________________ I had an art teacher ask for an overview of this lessons. LESSON OVERVIEW: I have the students take construction paper from the scrap box(or you could give them new sheets). Using scissors, the students cut the paper into small pieces. You can also have them add in magazine, tissue paper, or newspaper. The students place the cut pieces in the middle of the table in a container. Collect the paper and place in a container with boiling water(don't let the kids help with this part!). At this point you can do two things. 1st...drain the water and squeeze the paper....then add liquid starch OR 2nd...add in plaster pulp(it comes in a bag..it's a mix of plaster and a cottonie material). The students are each given about a half cup of the mixture. They then separate out the paper and place it in a Styrofoam bowl(place a piece of masking tape on the bowl for the students to write their name on it). Have them start at the bottom & work their way up. You need to make sure that the students are not clumping on the paper too thick. You could also pre-cut the paper and pre-soak it before the students arrive..and then pass it out when they get there...giving them more time. The bowls need to dry completely before you pull them out(they'll fall apart if not!!). After the bowls have dried the students can put a layer of glitter glaze/tempera varnish I placed some of Crayola's Pearl It medium in the glaze also.

November 14, 2008

Mr. E's Hand Exercises!

My poor hand has had a rough life! In first grade, Mrs. Winter wrote on my report card, "Ted grips his pencil too tight!" It was true then...and is true today!! You should see the big ol' callas on the inside of my middle finger! In college, I had a terrible accident in sculpture class...and the doctors thought they were going to have to amputate my thumb, index finger, and middle finger(by the Grace of God...that did not happen!!). For the past month or so, I have been having pain in my right hand & my knuckles have been locking up on me in the morning. I feared arthritis. That is not good for a person in my profession that depends on his hands! I have an amazing & trusted chiropractor that I wanted to talk to about the situation. After examining my hand, Dr. Ed felt that the problem was being caused by an over development of muscles & such in my hand in the "grasp" position. With grad school underway, I have been drawing & painting more than I have in YEARS, all the day to day activities in the art room, and a life time of gripping too tight. He felt that if I would begin doing hand exercises that the problems I've been having would subside. So...now if you come to my school and see me with a rubber band around my right hand fingers...you'll know I've been WORKIN' OUT! :)

November 10, 2008

Student Paper's Mr. E Interview

********************************************************** Mr. E and His Dream by Tre'Jerr (this was an artical written in the Tiger Times, a publication created by our 4th graders here at Tulip Grove Elementary) Mr. E became the art teacher at Tulip Grove in 2001. A big project Mr. E did was with the third graders. They made 5 foot tall imaginary trees. Mr. E wants his art to be popular, but he would really like one of his student's art work to become popular some day. Mr. E says his wife said they will probably have to drag his cold dead body out of the art room. Mr. E wants to open up his own art center if he wins the lottery, but he doesn't play. Weird! ******************************************************************* Tre'Jerr's artical is an interesting one! There are a few holes in the story though, but it kind of makes it more fun that way!!! I'm just excited that the 4th graders are doing such a wonderful project like this! They come out with a new Tiger Times every month. WAY TO GO KIDS!!! PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

November 03, 2008

Circle Weaving - 3rd Grade

Circle Weaving is one of my all time favorite projects to do with my third graders. Now, for the first class time or two...it is kind of like pulling teeth, but after that it is a joy to watch my student get so involved in a lesson! I often have students come back years later and tell me they still have their circle weavings.