A little Klee in action...

Paul Klee!

I am so thrilled with the Paul Klee "Head of Man" project that I found on Art Projects for Kids. (As I am pretty much all of her projects).  I had already completed a Marc Chagall project [stay tuned for photos...] with my second graders, and they were hungry for more surreal art! 

I made the circle stencils for my kids out of cardstock, and had them trace them about halfway ("a little more than halfway") up the page (vertically).  For the eyes I did a dot in the very center, and then one on each side of the head, so that they are nice and even.  Then two "hops" for the tops, and two "skips" for the bottoms, and circles for pupils.  I had them connect any two squares or rectangles for the mouths. 

For the neck I made sure to demonstrate what is "too skinny".  And then straight out to the side for one nice square shoulder, and straight out to the other side to complete the figure.  The lines were 5 for the head, and 5 for the body. 

Everything was traced in Sharpie marker, and then colored with oil pastel.  No colors should touch on the inside of the head and body, and the background should be two analogous colors (we discussed this with a color wheel). 

Protractor Crazy!

As it is my first year teaching, there have been several projects that I have facilitated with 2 different grade levels, to see which works best.  I really want my students to enjoy what they are doing, and I am finding that students are most enthusiastic when I strike the perfect balance between challenge and success (I guess this might seem obvious, but again, its my first year guys!). 

One of the assignments that I did this with was my Frank Stella inspired protractor project, based on (Ta-Da!) Stella's own Protractor Series.  We discussed Stella's life and works, deliberating the notions of abstract vs. realistic art, as well as organic versus geometric composition. 

I am so thrilled with how stunning were their results!

You Are Beautiful!

As a proud and nerdy member of the School Safety Team, I decided to help my students promote some positive energy around our school community during our Week of Respect by introducing them to the You Are Beautiful project.  If you have not checked this out yet, please hesitate no longer!  It is a stunning example of how street art can enhance a community in a "beautiful" way.  

My Fifth graders and I discussed the differences between street art and graffiti, and deliberated the moral implications regarding the surreptitious creation of art on someone else's property.  We decided the best idea was to ask for permission!

Imagining Colors!

For my first project of the year with Kindergarten and Second grade students, we read "Frederick", by Leo Lionni.  With the Kindergarten students, we began by discussing the colors of their summers.   Students then found their seats by identifying their names on the "thought bubbles" that I prepared.  They then filled in their bubbles with the colors that they pictured in their minds. 

Second grade students created the mice by using templates for the body and ear shapes, and then completing the eyes, tails, and arms and legs with scraps of the ear paper.  These were then displayed in the hallway together, as a lovely tribute to the end of summer!