Our Kinders, 1st Graders, and 2nd Graders are learning about Da Vinci and his observational skills this week! We are also working on the skill of coloring inside the lines. While I love for my students to think outside the box, we celebrate being able to color inside the lines as part of our fine motor skill development  as well as "cause and effect" experimentation.

Testing is an incredibly stressful time of year for both teachers and students. As an art teacher during the week of testing I try to focus on the things I can do to help students mentally and emotionally as they prepare for testing days. Whether that is a bit of calm before the storm or an outlet after hours of being silent and stressed. 

This week in K-2 the focused on some abstract "one line doodle" and "watercoloring". This is a stress free activity that any student with any skill level can do. The simplicity of the assignment makes for a more therapeutic experience as does the atmosphere I create in the classroom. Some of my favorite atmospheric elements I use in the classroom all the time are "Cafe ambiences" on Youtube. Today we were in "Calm Street" Cafe, listening to smooth jazz, and admiring the sights and sounds of a waterfall right outside. The students love to "Hold on to their seats" as we "teleport to a new cafe or mythical world". 

I decided to go the "punny route". Something to take their brains away from the stress and in to a creative and slightly silly headspace. It all started with this meme that I found... 

I put all of these phrases and this meme on the board and students must to choose one to inspire an art piece. They can use any medium and any style as long as they translate the words into something visually understandable (a practice in Visual Literacy.) Visual Literacy is a form of critical thinking and the ability to understand what you see. Here are some of my examples and student work will be posted in the next blog!

This is Art Show week for Davis and Art Show Prep for Dade Elm. Our themes are slightly different but they have the same elements (Flowers and Flower loving friends). This helps me be able to plan over the broad range of students that I teach.  

This week I took inspiration from my  beloved Pinterest Board and created a slug linework (I used procreate to draw it) for students to practice their watercolor skills on. Having a template allows them to focus on one skill at a time. In this case for Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade are working staying inside the lines, proper use of water color (the right amount of water and paint, not mixing colors in the pallete, gentle strokes, brush care, etc.) and creativity. At Davis Elm. (2-5th) we will be working on Color Theory (Complimentary  colors) on top of Craftsmanship and Creativity.

I like to call this project "Books, Blooms, and Bugs"

"Art gives you fine motor skills. It also gives you the chance to be creative." -Piper (2nd Grader)

I couldn't agree more with Miss Piper's unprompted art assessment. It made my heart glow with art teacher pride.  

"One of the most important skills that are developed through art is fine motor development. During art lessons, your child's small muscles in the fingers, hands, and wrists are exercised and strengthened, helping to make learning to write easier."

This assignment focuses on fine motor skills by using our hands to connect to what our brains are seeing.  Students created collage work by ripping and tearing the paper into pieces instead of using scissors. We then glued the paper into the shapes of flowers and clouds.  This sort of impressionistic art is a great way to experiment with creativity outside the realm of perfectionism. 

These pieces will be on display at our Book Fair and Art Show Collaboration in May!
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This is our second year teaming up with Mrs. Martha Baker and the Children's Advocacy Center of Lookout Mountain for their "Child Abuse Awareness" Art Contest.  Now 8th Grader, Abigail Holmes was last years winner! She was presented her award at the Board of Education and her design was used to create a T-shirt for this years Child Abuse Awareness Month!

One picture of my head and hundreds of adorable costumes. I've never felt so cool in my life. Hhaha. The creativity was off the charts for these K-2 Students and it was great way to get them used to working within a theme.

Students used markers, watercolor, and transparent paper to create Faux Stained Glass. A select few students were able to create Faux Stained Glass on my classroom windows using transparent photography sheets and golden tape. The results were absolutely stunning! 

A beautiful watercolor leaf design for Thanksgiving!

This years Middle School Fine Arts Fair was a wild success and something I plan on doing year after year. Our lovely Media Specialist (Mrs. Durham) and I teamed up to create a "Arts and Book Fair". That idea grew wings to include Mrs. Haston (Chorus), Mr. Martin, (Media Arts), Mrs. Reed (English Language Arts), and Mrs. McBurnett (English Language Arts). We had magical choral performances,  Fairytale Movie Trailers, Creative Writing Stories, and so much Fantastical Fairytale Art! We have the most talented kids around and I can't wait for next years event!

Featured Artwork:
Paper Mache Medieval Weaponry
Clay Fairy Homes
Faux Stained Glass
Watercolor Dragon Eyes
Paper Mache 3D Book Sculptures
Still Lives
Pencil Drawings
Dragon Mtn. Created with 3D Printed Dragons donated by Mrs. Shena Hill.
Tiny Acrylic Paintings

Students learned about how she creates murals as well as the techniques used to create such huge pieces of artwork. This inspired an awesome competition! Students throughout the entire school had an opportunity to entire their designs for a chance to have their art on our Middle School Arts Building. The theme was "Past Inspired, Flying Higher" and each set of "wings" was inspired by one of the Arts Disciplines showcased at Dade County Schools because we know the Arts give us wings! Below is a slide show of the winners and honorable mentions!

Over the summer we scheduled time with the awesome artists and let them start the mural, then with the help of Mrs. Heidi Wilson, her teaching aid, Mr. Jessie, and Mrs. Gann, the murals were finished! We cannot wait to see our students showing what gives them the wings to fly! Make sure to tag our social media if you take a picture! @dade_k8_visualarts on Insta and Facebook or use the hashtags #theartsgivemewings #artgivesmewings #bandgivesmewings #chorusgivesmewings #theatregivesmewings

I am so happy to announce that I will be now be at Dade Elementary Monday through Thursday from 8:30 to 11:00 teaching K-2. I will also be at Davis on Fridays teaching from 8:30-11:00 Grades 3-5. And just like last year I will be at Dade Middle School teaching grades 6 - 8! I cannot wait to start this new journey in teaching and meet so many new and amazing artists. Keep an eye out for the amazing things we have planned!