A Busy Few Weeks...

It been a busy, creative couple of weeks in the art rooms! We are in the thick of creating! Fall is just around the corner here in New Jersey! The trees on the mountain across from me are starting to turn. The weather has been crisp and cold at night( 40's- 50's F ) so the trees are getting the hint that change is coming! It smells like Fall... I love the smell of Fall... apple picking, pumpkins, corn mazes... sweaters, scarves, cozy blankets...

My 1st grades are starting a piece inspired by Keith Haring.  They are cutting simple shapes to create animals ( reviewing cutting, shape, gluing ) Next they will use lines with movement to finish up the backgrounds.

Cat from simple shapes....

My 5th grades have been working with Form, Value and Space...  I loved the idea of colored pencils in a jar from Mrs.Knight's Smartest Artist's.  I found some great little glass jars at the Dollar Tree and threw some of my fat Prang Triangular colored pencils in them.  The kids did a practice sketch one class with just the pencils in the jar. This past week I went to Michael's Art's and Crafts and gathered up some Fall tidbits to add to the display.  They were a hit and the kids are loving their sketches. My main theme this year is keeping the creativity, even though I still have data to collect. The way I do my data collection is going to be mostly project/portfolio based.  I have been challenging the kids to use their " Creative Concentration" during class and I must say that they have all for the most part risen to that challenge!( there are a couple of classes that are a work in progress, if you know what I mean  :).... I stream Pandora during class ( I made a calm meditation station) and they are reminding to play the music if I forget to turn it up. Sometimes I leave it playing very low in the background when they come in...  ( I love my new trays I got from school Specialty! They have been awesome for putting supplies on the tables. The kids are carrying them, except for the ones with the glass still-life, to the tables if we need a change out of supplies for a grade level and putting them back for me at the end of the day.)

I also love these green flexible carry-alls I got from the Dollar Tree! I got them for the express purpose of holding paper for collage/cut paper  projects like the one we are doing in 1st grade right now and they are working like a dream! They are big enough to contain the paper scraps and small enough to keep on the tables with out taking up too much space! I have also been using them for a variety of other things in the art rooms! The little purple containers in the picture have pencils and erasers in them, another great Dollar Tree find! ( I think I am spending way too much time at the Dollar Tree...) I can put them on the table by themselves or stick them in the table buckets. I have blue ones at my other art room.  I may need to go back and grab more of both if they are still there...

Kindergarten has been creating sunflowers using the color wheel for the center of their flower.  They printed the petals with the tines of some plastic forks. Next week we are adding details! I can't wait for these to be finished! They are going to be awesome on the front hallway bulletin board! 

I picked up a couple of wooden Day of the Dead skulls at Michael's the other night and painted/designed them...

I gave this one to the Spanish teacher in our 3-5 school... she was over the top happy  with it! 

The other one is for me... my little bit of creative time away from school work on Wednesday evening  :)

2nd grade started some leaf prints on Friday, the other sections will create theirs this week. This pic is from my Adaptive Art class with my 3-5 autistic class.  I had some space in my Friday due to some scheduling changes and asked to have an adaptive art class with my K-2 and 3-5 autistic classes.  Friday morning I start with my K-2 and I end the day with my 3-5.  It has been a awesome spending my Fridays with them as a group ( they come to art with their homerooms also so they come two times each week now ).

I don't know who had more fun printing leaves Friday afternoon, the kids or their para's and teacher! It's been a great time for everyone to let loose and have a relaxed, fun, creative time after a LONG week! :)

I've got to go pick up my daughter at a friend's house ( teenager sleepover ). We are going to go see the Maze Runner later this afternoon and maybe I will get back to the two shawls I have been working on for the past month now...  

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Mrs."C" :)