Kindergarten Chalk Pastel Spiderwebs

Any art teacher will tell you that Chalk Pastels vs. Young Artists can be a tough match! However, with some careful modeling, monitoring and let-it-go-ing, this colorful dust storm can be turned into beautiful artwork! 

Kindergarten artists used Elmer's glue to trace a spiderweb design on black paper.  After it dried, they used chalk pastels to fill in each closed shape created by the glue. 

 

Of course we started this lesson by reading Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk.

Outdoor Art

Fifth and sixth grade artists took advantage of some fine fall weather to enjoy the outdoor spaces created with our Artists-in-Residence.

Painted Trees inspired by "Where's the Elephant?"

 

Elephant, snake and bird live in a beautiful jungle. Then someone starts cutting down trees and soon their home is destroyed. This book uses colorful, whimsical illustrations to make kids think about the effects of deforestation.

Artists in grades K-4 read "Where is the Elephant," by Barroux and discussed the author's message.  Then we used Sharpie markers and liquid watercolor paint to create many different types of trees inspired by the illustrations in the book. To inspire our tree paintings we went outdoors to observe our surroundings and used the inspiration guide below.  This reminds us that there is no "right way" to draw a tree.  Our bulletin board also features a hiding elephant, snake and parrot, just like the book.

 

Zentangle Feathers for Thanksgiving

Artists practiced their Zentangle doodling by creating beautiful feather designs.  Some students chose to add words in their feathers to tell what they are thankful for.  Others may have reflected on feelings of gratitude while creating their feathers. Zentangle doodling offers a calm opportunity for reflection and thankfulness, whether creating a piece that expresses this or being mindful during the creation process. 

Harvest Bean Mandalas

As the art teacher, I frequently have random boxes and bags of supplies appear in the art room.  One of the donations that I was most excited about was a bag of jar kids. Kindergarten, first and second grade artists used these lids to create Harvest Mandalas using different types of beans and seeds.

Fall Trees and Leaf Collages by Grades 1&2

First and second graders created beautiful leaf collages and fall trees for our bulletin boards. The fall colors are passing, but we still have their artwork to brighten our hallways through "Stick Season." 

Leaf collages

Here are our collages made by first and second graders from our leaf rubbings and leaf printing. 

Leaf Printing and Leaf Rubbings with Watercolor Resist