It's over...

Today is the last day of school...and tomorrow is our last day!  This year really did go by fast.  I'm sure selling our house, building a new house(almost finished), finishing my masters, having a 1 yr old made things go a bit quicker!! ha ha  Don't look for me to totally disappear from the blog over the summer though!!!  I am meeting next week to plan our fall inserve for the elementar art teachers of Nashville, I have a summer camp in July I am teaching, and I'm trying to get together some classes to teach at Hobby Lobby over the summer as well.  So look for some post concerning those things in the not too distant future!  I need to get back to packin' up my room for summer!!! 

Line Design w/ Shading- Student Work in Progress

Line Design w/ Shading- The Steps

Another MNPS art teacher showed me this project several years ago, and I really liked it.  I tweeked it a bit here and there, but it is basically as he showed me.  The students LOVE IT!  I do this with 4th grade, but I guess you could try it with other grade levels.  All you need is paper, Sharpie, and colored pencils! 

Start by drawing a curve line across the paper.  Think rolling hill...not roller coaster!

Add 8 dots across the line.  They could be(should be) at different lengths apart.  You need a dot at realtively close to the edges of your paper. 

You will then start connecting the dots.  The dots close to the edge will go off the edge of the paper to an imaginary dot.  You can not cross over any lines.  However, you can share a line as you begin going up and out.  The lines should be taken off the edge of the paper as you extend outwords.  Some sections may be pinched off as other sections grow larger...and that is totally ok. 

This is a students work that's a great example of what it should look like.  The students should pick a group of colors they feel work well together.  The will press harder in the corners...and as they near the center get lighter and lighter.  This is a great way to get them practice with pressure control!!! 

Beginning of the End: Part 2

Reorganize! Now is the time to take stock of what you have & where it is located. Every room is different in regards to storage space...there is no excuse for you not to be organized. I have been in a portable, a regular size classroom, and a room designed as an art room. I've even helped a friend get organized who did art-on-a-cart, and had a small closet for storage. You need to make your space work for you no matter. What do you use most often? What don't you use often, but are not ready to get rid of? What have you held onto for years, and should have been recycled or trashed?

***********************************************

If you are blessed with a classroom, what do you keep out in view of the kids? Do you have a shelf for everyday supplies? Are there things that could be put up that would declutter your room? Clutter can derail some of your students...not to mention mess with the fung shway of your room!!(ha ha) What kind of storage do you have that you can utilize better?? What products could you buy for your room that could help it to become a more organized place? ***************************************

If you need help processing through your own situation...e-mail me and I'll see what I can do to help! I'd love to have a show on HGTV or TLC where I go into classrooms and organize/decorate them!!!

THE FLOOD-Nashville,TN

Sorry I've not been posting...the kids have been out for a week due to the floods that rocked Nashville this past weekend. Hopefully they'll return next week. Today is the first day for teachers....and tomorrow I'm hoping to have some time that I might be able to takes some pictures and post...we shall see?!?!!? Thank you for all the e-mails & questions about the projects and ideas I've posted on my blog.

NEEDING YOUR THOUGHTS ON SOMETHING...

I really would love to go to the NAEA conference next year! I've been to city, regional, & state conferences, but have never attended the national conference. I also would love to submit some possible sessions as a presenter. I love public speaking, and have led sessions locally. After 13 yrs of teaching, there are SO many different topics that could be covered. I need to narrow down my list so I can begin preparing. Yes, I know this years conference just finished...but I like to take my time and have several options. So what topics do you feel are important to you as an art educator, what do you see as possible strengths from my blog that could be expanded and shared, what do you feel has not been addressed in the past that you think I could put the Mr. E spin on???? You can comment or e-mail! THANKS!!!

My Little Monsters - 1st Grade

I love the monsters!!!!!!!!!! So much fun!

Beginning of the End: Part 1

The end of the year is just around the corner, and I'm already preparing for next year. Today I went through all of my tempera paint...got rid of soured bottles(have you ever had any go bad...OH MY!), married bottles that were partially full, and took account of what I needed for next year(as always...blue & white!). I like to make my list now, so that at the beginning of the next year when my funds become available to me, I'm ready to order without a second thought!

Water Lilies - 4th Grade

Every spring I do an acrylic painting with my 4th graders on canvas board. It is kind

of a special project to say goodbye! Something that they will remember & keep. I pick

a different theme every year for their paintings, and this year I selected Monet's Water

Lilies. The students enjoyed looking at his work & learning about impressionism. I used

the Getting To Know The World's Greatest Artists video for the lead in to the lesson.

Do you do any special projects for your exiting students(those going on to middle school/jr high)?

If so, I'd like to hear about it!!!

MAT ART SHOW

As most of you know, I am working on my Master of Arts in Teaching degree through the University of Idaho. Now in the last semester of the degree, I'm required to have a show of the art work I've been creating over the past two years. I've shared some of the pieces already on this blog, but thought you might enjoy seeing the show.

http://matartshowtededinger.blogspot.com/

MAYOR'S ART SHOW 2010

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade
 
3rd Grade

4th Grade

This is the work that will represent Tulip Grove Elementary for the Mayor's Art Show this year. I feel this is the most diverse work I've ever submitted! It will show off the amazing artists we have here at TGE, and all the fun projects we've been working on!

Clay Coil Pots 2nd Grade

Every year I do coil pots with my 2nd grade students. I've changed it up from time to time to keep it interesting for me. One year we created Canopic Jars(the kids loved the gross factor!). This year we used metallic acrylic paint. They LOVED it!! I am not sure my ELL student realize it really isn't gold?!?

4th Grade Art Show Work

My 4th graders worked on cities for a whole 9 weeks! We looked at realistic, futuristic, abstract...you name it...we did it! For most, the work selected for the art show was based off of Blips & Ifs by Stuart Davis and Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold.