26 acts of kindness campaign

Wednesday works - letting the kids just be kids today

I am still unsettled and sad so my projects this week have been put on hold while I just let my students color and be kids. 

We've talked about stained glass a bit and all the different ways you can mimic the look without needing bandaids for glass-cut fingers. 

As you can see, these come from dailycoloringpages.com

I've tried and tried to put into words how I am feeling with the tragedy and I just can't, nothing makes sense so I'm not even going to try.  

Instead, I'll wish all my kids a warm home filled with love and kindness, people to hold them close and love them, and hope for a safe holiday until they come back to me again in January.

Monday, 17 Dec 2012

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world." -Fred Rogers


 http://www.fci.org/new-site/par-tragic-events.html

For 3rd grade

Practice your PERSPECTIVE!  :)

Friday Photos - 14 December 2012

Wednesday Works - 4th grade GYOTAKU

Printmaking is a very versatile and exciting project for the elementary grades.  Whether it's fingerprints, stamps or sponges, or in this case fish, kids get excited about creating something over and over very easily.

We started our "Fish Unit" with these prints, then a transitional but fun project in the middle, and when we return after the holiday break we will jump right into the clay for another fishy lesson.

 Ink is contained in recycled trays and foam rollers are used to apply an even coat to our fish molds.   These replicas are cast directly from different species of both fresh and salt water fish.  We spend a little time on the first introduction day identifying each fish and the ways we can tell if it's fresh or salt water (hint - its the scales)

Each student made 5 prints to really get the hang of it.   During the next class we signed, numbered, and gave our fish titles.   A little colored paper framing and up on the clothesline they went.

For the transitional lesson - an aquarium!   A little wax resist to keep the painting exciting and reinforce a technique used in the 2nd grade Toucan lesson

After drawing objects inside our aquariums, we added a light pass of color with the side of a crayon.

Then we painted.... with lots of "Whoa!"s  and "Wow!"s along the way.

Our final step was to cut out one of the prints and place it in our tanks. 

Next up will be ceramic fish! 

Monday Motivations - Hans Innemee

 Hans Innemee

Friday Photos - 7 December 2012

 music room door - fits his personality to a tee.  

 See that Taz poster in the background?   Yeah, that's him.  

 

After decorating my classroom door, "the Hallway" took a vote and decided they needed some festive cheer as well.   

 guidance door - simple hand cutouts and a bow

Wednesday Works - 3rd Grade - Molas

 Aren't these girls just the cutest.   

3rd grade started off our Mola project with a geography lesson, looking at the map to locate Central American, Panama, then the San Blas Islands. 

We talked about the culture and reasons behind the creation of the Molas.   We also looked closer at some examples to see all the hand stitching that went into them. 

When it came time to making our own, students first chose an analogous color group (three colors side by side on the color wheel)

 The animal is drawn on the first piece of paper and cut out with a scissors.   The outside piece is returned to the pile and used as a stencil.  This time the students trace 1/4" inside the animal shape.   Cut and repeat until all papers are cut with a shape. 

Final steps are gluing the shape pieces (positives) together to form a molita; meaning "little mola", the negative pieces together to show the edges which forms the mola.

We mounted them on black papers to finish it off.

Monday Motivations - LEGOS!

 

The Last Supper - Leonardo DaVinci

 Mona Lisa - Leonardo DaVinci

 

 The Scream - Edvard Munch

American Gothic - Grant Wood

 The Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp - Rembrandt

Lego Bridge - Martin Heuwold (aka Megx) in Germany