Birds & Birches inspired by Lois Ehlert

"Do you think birds know when it's going to snow?" 

asks Lois Ehlert in her book "Snowballs."

We looked at Ehlert's creative collages and then made painted paper using the watercolor resist technique.  We used music pages for our birch trees and collaged colorful birds in the trees. These gorgeous collages and Ehlert's amusing illustrations remind us that winter is anything but cold and gray!

Jazz Collages by Romare Bearden

 

There are lots of great ways to explore Romare Bearden's work using a variety of online tools and games.  

CLICK HERE to tour Bearden's collage "The Block" while listening to Jazz music that inspired his work.

CLICK HERE to visit the interactive Kid's Modern Art Museum at MoMA.org and make an online collage inspired by Bearden's work.

The Bearden Foundation has many other resources to explore Romare Bearden's work.   

First and second grade artists made collages inspired by Bearden's work. We started by painting colorful backgrounds and line-drawing musical instruments. We listened to Jazz while we worked!

Students photographed their work. While this skill still requires some work, it helps meet the Presentation part of the National Art Standards. 

Morning Mindfulness Painting to Music

"Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally"   - Jon Kabat-Zinn

Our Morning Mindfulness group practiced mindfulness through art by painting to music.  We tried to quiet our internal judges and be in the moment while creating.  We focused on the process of creating, rather than the finished product.  We experimented with different painting techniques that incorporate use of body or breath.  Overall, we felt focused, creative and calm while creating beautiful artwork.

"With My Own Two Hands..."

Check out this video of Ben Harper singing "With My Own Two Hands."


What can you do with your own two hand to make our world a better place?  Each of us has the ability to make small differences that change our world.

First and second graders watched Ben Harper sing "With My Own Two Hands," then talked about ways that they can make a difference in their world.  They also learned to sing this song in music class and will be performing it at our school concert this week.

Inspired by Romare Bearden's Jazz Collages

First and second graders learned about artist Romare Bearden. Bearden lived in Harelm during the birth of the jazz age. Many of his mixed media collages show jazz musicians and dancers. We looked at many of Bearden's jazz collages and then created our own using a variety of materials.