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How to draw ribbon with 2 pencils

Primary Colors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddYUw7a4erk&feature=player_embedded

Grade 4: Moonlight and Bamboo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRfGOa85prQ How to paint bamboo video.
This lesson was inspired by artworks from Dr. Brown Elementary School @ artsonia.com. We started by reading a book about the  Chinese culture and then we traced lids to make the moons and filled the paper with chalk, blending with paper towels. Week 2: We watched the video and I demonstrated. Then students practiced first, making sloppy copies to perfect their technique. When ready, they painted over the chalk. Students loved this project. Be sure to stress that the moon is far far away and the bamboo will overlap them.:)

Grade 1: Primary/Secondary Pumpkins fall 2013

We started this lesson with one of my favorite children's book, The Big Pumpkin, by Erica Silverman. The children hang on every word and it's really fun to read! After the book, we drew the pumpkins together with my friend Elmo. (How did we teach with out one?) We first painted the lines red, then added yellow to make orange. I added a little blue at the end to mix  brown for the stems. (I filled up old hair die bottles for easy squirting.) Week 2: I gave blue and yellow to paint grass, leaves, vines and skies. I put the paint out on plastic lids and gave no water at the tables. I taught the students how to wipe their brushes clean enough with paper towels.
 

Grade 2: Mr. Seahorse Collage - fall 2013

I connect art with literature all the time in my primary lessons and I  often add a nonfiction component as well. We started this lesson with Eric Carle's book, Mr. Seahorse. After reading, we used a decoupage technique for our prepared paper. The following week  we read Seahorse Fry by Ruth Owen, which was great because it reiterated all the facts we learned from Mr. Seahorse. Then I used my Elmo to show how to draw the seahorse bodies. After drawing one together, the students then made a baby seahorse, on their own. They cut them out. The third week students pasted down their seahorses, added eyes with sharpies and made seaweed in three different shades of green. The last steps were to sponge paint sand and print some bubbles.

Third Grade Robots - fall 2013

This lesson was inspired by posts on artsonia. The students each made 2 thumbnail sketches to plan their robots. Then they chose their best one and drew it large - 9x12. We used stencils and rulers to draw the shapes large. The next week they painted most of their robots gray and we used black on one side for shadows and white on the other for the light. The third week they painted colorful details  to finish. No 2 robots were the same!

Clay projects from 2013

1. These projects were made by grades 3 - 5 last spring. This year's clay projects were funded by an MEF grant paid for by the Consortium of Florida Edu Foundation. Thank you so much! The children so look forward to making clay projects. 

Fourth Grade Weavings - Folk and Bugs from 2013

The fourth graders enjoyed weaving on their homemade cardboard looms. They had the choice of making bugs, people, or book marks and some students sewed on  beads as well. I was inspired by some similar projects on the Artsonia website.