Day 1: Wednesday
1. mixing primary colors to create secondary colors
2. mixing 3 primaries to create black, brown, and grays
3. adding white paint to create tints
4. painting shapes and objects blindfolded!!!
5. creating personal identifiers with color, shape and line
6. creating small sketchbooks to draw, collage and record ideas in through the trimester
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| Marcion |
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| Alexa |
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| Issyah |
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| Emerson |
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| Leila |
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| Nicole |
Some interesting notes:
1. An individual’s mind and hand work extremely well together to produce specific shapes even when one cannot see (with one’s eyes) the actual process take place.
2. In the design of our identifiers, the “aha” moment sparked when we demonstrated how a combination of shapes in a variety of sizes and colors could be positioned differently to create numerous designs.
3. The teachers cherish simple shapes due to their graphic nature, however children obviously love narrative and representation more: Their blindfolded painting became a very cool graffiti-like collaboration. Also, when the acetate surface is reversed to bring the reverse side forward, the tempera paint on acetate looks as slick as oil!
Day 2: Thursday
1. nature walk: kids LOVE to collect things!!!
2. sculptures from nature inspired by artist Andy Goldsworthy
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| Hayden |
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| Sam, Hugo and Norah |
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| Brody |
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| Issyah |
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| Leila and Marta |
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| Leila |
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| Norah |
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| Sydney |
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| Jocelyne |
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| An observer's new construction |
Some interesting notes:
1. It was great to see the students flock to each twig, stick, leaf, piece of bark and rock. It was though they had discovered gold and in our opinion they did!
2. Students problem solved to create free standing 3-D structures pressing sticks into the ground and using balance to build upward.
3. Elements of design were employed by contrasting leaves or pieces of bark with small light colored rocks to create a simple but eye catching compositions.
4. One student revealed architectural concepts in her sculpture: she created a foundation, a weight-bearing cone-shaped twig structure with leaf and mulch walls, a stone entryway and a large monument as a marker to locate the structure from a distance.
5. The teachers learned that it may be wiser to do this type of activity away from the playground (after a long day, the temptation was too great and we gave in to those children who needed to play).
6. We discussed the fact that like Goldsworthy’s work, the sculptures probably would not last long in nature. Sure enough, by 7pm, all their hard work disappeared back into nature. Interestingly, someone had learned from the student’s work and we found a new sculpture amidst the fallen ones!!!
Day 3: Friday
1. Fantasy environments from playgrounds to the solar system, inspired by Dr. Seuss
Some interesting notes:
1. Kids love any modeling compound from Playdoh to homemade dough recipes. Today, we worked with Crayola’s “Model Magic” to create these amazing fantasy environments.
2. Students learned how to create marbleized effects by mixing 2 or more colors and how to create multicolored spiral snake-like (coiled) forms. This provided another “aha” moment this week!
3. Lots of recycle items and small goody-bag toys added shape, dimension, support, color and complexity to the student’s fantasy environments.
4. These colorful and exciting sculptures will be on display (hopefully by Tuesday) in the display case near the landing above the art room. Pictures will follow shortly!!! For now, here is a sculpture that Joel had made that served as an example for the lesson: |
| Joel, fantasy landscape |
