Fall was all about experimenting!
Experimenting and exploring are ways for children to stretch and challenge themselves creatively without the worry or concern of "getting it right". Children learn best when they are in a safe environment which honors their ideas and encourages them to grow. This is one of my main goals in the art room. In all of the art classes at CHS we have been experimenting with new ideas and materials to see what we can do with them.
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Primary Art Students have continued to experiment with watercolor paint, creating new colors, blending and blurring lines, and creating different kinds of lines. They have been watching the properties of watercolor. Sometimes we say, "It is hard to be the boss of watercolor...it often has a mind of it's own!" Primary students also experimented with self-portraits, making tiny paper obstacle courses, and stamping clay tiles:
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Kindergarten Art Students have also continued their exploration of materials through painting, drawing, and ceramics. They painted ocean landscapes in art when they were learning about what is under the sea in their classroom studies. These young artists really enjoyed watercolor stations in which they tried different techniques with their paint. The techniques explored included blotting, salt absorption, oil pastel and tape resist, and bubble wrap printing. They also created clay pinch pots and decorated them by stamping designs into the clay.
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| We tried putting marbles into some of the pinch pots and noticed they melted and bubbled up.The marbles are made of glass, so some of them were sharp and didn't get sent home; but it was a fun experiment! |
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First Grade Artists most recently created mandalas three ways: individual and collaborative mandalas with metallic sharpies, and tile mandala designs with mosaic tiles. This activity enriches their classroom "travel" to India. In addition to these creations, the first graders enjoyed experimenting with watercolor and creating portraits of themselves and friends:
Enjoy the Holiday Season!
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Second Grade Artists also created self-portraits which will be used in the All-School Project this year. The next steps in that project include creating painted paper to use for frames and selecting words that represent "your best self" as a friend and as a learner. The second graders enjoyed a 100 line challenge with watercolor in which they painted as many different kinds of lines as they could imagine. They also created leaf mono-prints, inspired by the fall colors. In class they are studying Bethesda, so we made clay buildings that could be found in Bethesda such as Pet Shops, Toy Store, Yogi Berry, and the Library:
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Third Grade Artists also made self-portraits and experimented with clay. They enjoyed creating in 3-D and made an imaginative variety of ceramic pieces! For their Living Globally Performance, they created superhero capes which identified their own Social Skill "Super Power". Third graders are currently completing their ceramic weaving looms and have recently started their Mixed-Media Best-Self Frames.
Warmly,
Jan
