WINTER 2015
Now that winter is here we have been inviting the snow to come! So far it is not working, so we keep on making snowflakes... Art students are amazed as they open the folded paper that they have cut, and the snowflake is revealed. This process never ceases to engage students of all ages. I'm sure they would be happy to teach you some of the tricks they learned while experimenting with cutting.
PRIMARY students are beginning to explore several different mediums, and in particular they enjoyed the snowflake cutting. After their experience in the art room they went back to their classroom to cut some more, and more, and more! Perhaps you have noticed some small cut paper around. Cutting seems to be a bit of a lost art, so please encourage these young cutters when you can!
KINDERGARTEN art students recently learned about the artist, Henri Matisse, and the "drawing with scissors" that he practiced later in his life. After hearing a book about Matisse (Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter) and seeing images of his work, the students experimented with his technique of cutting shapes out of paper. Later they will share those shapes and create collages. Kindergarten students will also be making 3-D Snow Creatures soon!
FIRST GRADE art students are busy "travelling" in their classroom which creates many opportunities for interesting art projects in art class. For example, they recently visited India and created a hand-stitched book filled with facts about India. In art class they made Mandala designs to add to the cover of their books. Soon they will begin travels to China and Australia which we will follow-up in art class with a ceramic project and Dream Paintings using Australian Symbols.
SECOND GRADERS recently created Dream Catchers using a variety of materials such as shells, pine cones, charms, beads, and feathers. This project was a perfect opportunity to work on problem solving and presented unique challenges for the students. Sharing ideas about ways to attach the beads and feathers, and creating holes with stitching were new experiences for most of the students and challenged their thinking. They will be working on some ceramic projects next.
THIRD GRADERS were recently challenged with a new project which involved their focus, patience, and ability to engage and persist! They followed several steps to create wire baskets. These baskets are brain puzzles and amazingly unique:
The School-wide IDENTITY PROJECT is now complete! All art students in P-3 have created self-portraits with mixed-media frames and descriptive words. They are on display throughout the school and students have been having fun with scavenger hunts to find similarities and commonalities among their schoolmates. We all learned something new about each other.
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Summer Opportunities for MOREART: If you are interested in signing up for MOREART WORKSHOPS in the summer, please fill out a registration form and send it in with a deposit. Sessions are limited to small groups and are starting to fill up. Sessions run June 20-24 and June 27-July 1 and are offered to students entering 1-4th grade in the fall. Brochures are in the main office. If you have questions, please contact me through email: jbennett@concordhill.org
