Eric Carle Inspired Collage

Our district has been doing intercession for the past two years during our fall & spring breaks(we now get 2 weeks off for each).  This year I was about to teach (the extra money is a perk!).  I also was able to select the theme...and I thought Eric Carle would be great with the diversity of his books!!  

The fall session consisted of K-2 students.  I had each group for 45 min.  Day one we looked at examples of Eric Carle's work....and painted the background & tree branch paper.  On day two the painted the leaf colors.  We used found objects to print on top to create patterns/textures.  On day three we took all the components and created our branch pictures.  

How To Be Creative | Off Book | PBS Digital Studios

THIS IS POWERFUL!!!!!!!!  

I FINALLY GOT MY SMART BOARD!!!!!!!

I was told it would be installed when I got back to school this year...and much to my not surprise..it wasn't.  However...I think it was worth the wait!!  I have the Polyvision brand smart board...and it is the newest version.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm so excited to start using it with my classes once we get back from fall break.  I am teaching 3 days of intercession this week....and will probably try to find ways to incorporate it into those classes!!!!!!  

Should I be concerned that the box said HOT?  Maybe I shouldn't ask such questions!  

Does anyone have fun sites they enjoy using with their smart board?!?!!? 

LET ME KNOW!

Frida's Mustache!

It is amazing how art impacts people!  Different works reach different people in different ways at different times.  Madonna was recently quoted in Harper's Bazaar concerning an inspirational work of art to her & why.

"I would pull myself together and look at a postcard of Frida Kahlo taped to my wall, and the sight of her mustache consoled me," she tells the magazine. "Because she was an artist who didn't care what people thought. I admired her. She was daring. People gave her a hard time. Life gave her a hard time. If she could do it, then so could I."

I LOVE THAT!  

We should do our best to share the work & stories of artists!  Sometimes it is easy to get in the day in day out of doing media instruction...and forget the heart of art.  Someone must have shared with Madonna back in the day!!!  

My Babies...

We recently had family pictures taken...here are two of my favorite ones!!  

WHO WHO LOVES ART...

OWLS/LINES /WATERCOLOR WASH/2ND GRADE

BOX MURAL: THE OTHER SIDE

Found out the mural had to be turned in this weekend!!!  So we busted out the second side pretty quickly.  I wanted it to be similar to the first side, but have more of an unstructured/structured look.  So thankful for the students and teachers that joined in to make this project a reality.  

THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!?!?!?!

Today as I walked through the office, I commented on a woman's purple spider outfit(no really...it was black with purple spiders all over). She turned around quickly to look at me and said..."DID YOU USE TO TEACH AT ROSEBANK? ARE YOU MR. E THE ART TEACHER?" I said yes(with reservation). "YOU USE TO BE MY ART TEACHER!"( ...long pause as I grab the counter in disbelief..trying to wrap my mind around this WOMAN being my former student....) Her two children walk into the office....and said "Hello Mr. E!".   Their mother joyfully explained that I had been her art teacher as well.  The girls looked at me in disbelief...with the look of -Mr. E must have road a dinosaur to school!   OH MY..THIS IS FOR REAL..I'M TEACHING CHILDREN OF A FORMER STUDENT?!?!?! The office staff and assistant principal were in there  laughin' their heads off at the whole situation.   "HOW OLD ARE YOU MR. E?" asked my assistant principal.

 ( Apparently ....OLD...VERY VERY OLD!!!!! )  He went on to tell me that when I started teaching he was graduating high school.  To which I told him to shut up & nobody liked him!  ha ha  (yep..that is showing how mature I am)  One of the secretaries did make me feel better....she told me she thought I was in my early 30's. She's my new favorite.  I do have to add....I was 23 & the elementary schools were K-6.  That first group of 5th & 6th graders are all 27 & 28 yrs old now!!!  If I still taught in the same part of town...I'd probably have experienced this sooner!!!!  Oh my....where is my walker?!?!  

TO HOLIDAY..OR NOT TO HOLIDAY?!?!

I love this sign!!!!!!!  Saw it in Target the other day...made me laugh!!!!!

I've shared before on my blog how I do not do holidays in my classroom.  We have a large number of JW students (they do not celebrate holidays...not even birthdays)....and I don't want to make them feel excluded.   So I focus on seasons!  Everyone can do seasons...plus it lasts longer!  A fall picture can go all the way till the end of Thanksgiving.  Who wants to see a Halloween picture in Nov?!?!  

HOW DO YOU HANDLE HOLIDAY ART(OR NOT HANDLE HOLIDAY ART)?!?!

BOX MURAL: One Side Complete

It has been a slow go on the Stacked Box Mural Project!!  

I've had a couple days where teachers said they'd be more than happy to send me kids to work on the mural, but then they forgot to send them.  I know they are busy, but I even went as far as to remind them  a couple times during the day. Oh well...slowly it is getting done!  

My Student Teacher

Here are Maggie(aka Ms. G) & I sporting our plaid!  

I've had the joy of working with her at different points in her college career.  

She'll be an amazing art teacher for some lucky school!!  

Painted Branches: 2nd Grade

Here is a fun project my student teacher is doing this week with my 2nd graders. They are using the Biggie Watercolor sets by Crayola.  We felt this would be best as not to have the students muddy up colors in their painting by all the choices.   The Biggie sets only have four colors, and Ms. G told the student to not use the red.   Plus the bright colors look almost tie dye "ish"...and the brightness of the color allows the black to really have a great impact.  We cut the 12x18 paper to 10x18 just to emphasis the length of branch. This project was completed in one class time.

Teacher After School Art

I noticed many of our teacher getting stressed over the past couple weeks....

so I decided tooffer an after school art session.  One of the teachers

 had asked me if they could do the same project that my 3rd graders 

had done (the Chagall / Van Gogh hybrid).  I only had 4 teachers come, 

but they had a great time...and that is what matters!!!

PROGRESS ON THE STACKED BOX MURAL

....Little by Little....

The selected students are loving extra time in the art room painting!!!  

They are doing a great job...and I'm going to need to get busy with the design for the other side in the not too distant future!!!!!!!!!  

TGE's Stacked Box Mural Project

If you follow other MNPS art teachers' blogs....you may have seen
The Stacked Box Mural Project.

They were able to obtain sponsors for the boxes going to area schools.  I had 32 boxes available to me, but only took 20(I was afraid of the time factor).  They asked the art teacher to draw out the image and have the students paint it.  I've only done one side so far.  We'll see how quickly the kids paint it.

Here is a bit of information about the project!

http://fallfestatthehermitage.com/programs/stacked-box-comminity-mural/

17 DAYS!!!!

17 DAYS

AND THE FUNDS WERE RAISED!!!!!

I'm so excited, my goal was reached on Friday morning...just 17 days after I started.  By this time next month, I'll be posting what all I'm using my iPad for!!!!! 

I'm going to leave my campaign active until the time expires on it.  Who knows..maybe more money will come in and I can get an iPad mini to allow my students to use too!!!

Last night our Title One coordinator placed it on the school facebook page...and that is how I finished up today!!! AMAZING PARENTS COMING ON TO REACH THE GOAL!!! 

THANK YOU TO:

THOSE WHO CAME ON TODAY 

CHRYSTAL STARBIRD

KEITH SHERRY

JANET TURNER-MCDONALD

GRETCHEN BORDERS

& A PARENT THAT DID NOT GIVE THEIR NAME!  

THANKS AGAIN TO THE OTHERS THAT SUPPORTED THIS CAMPAIGN:

Alaethea Hensley

Shanna Piatt

James Meyers(Artsonia)

Bethany Johnson

Marion McIntyre

Meg Hayes

Laura Maxwell