Kindergarten Snowmen Make Me Smile

 

For several years now I've seen my Kindergarten students cutting & gluing skills go down.

To many hours on devices....not enough time for such activities in the classroom...there are several reasons for this happening.  I needed to change my expectations & my projects a bit.  By this time, I use to have my kindergarten students creating snowmen with hats scarves..etc.  They were able to give them a bit more "personality". (They do have a little personality in how they cut & placed the pieces.)  Now, I just want to give them opportunity to develop the necessary skills/abilities to create!  There is a ton of time spent on how to hold scissors and cut properly that they use to come to me already able to do.

  That being said...I LOVE KINDERGARTEN!  

I LOVE KINDERGARTEN ART!!

How can you not smile when these young artists create!! 

They bring such joy to everything they do.

Kindergarten Fall Collages

Our kindergarten students this year are AMAZING!!!!!!!  I'm seeing some amazing stuff, and really am excited to work with them over the next 5 yrs!  I love their fearless attempts at creating leaves!!!  I showed them a number of ways to draw leaves before we got started, and asked them to at least try a few of them.  Not only did they attempt a number of different types of leaves...they successfully cut them out!  That is not an easy skill for the 5 yr old hands!!!  I loved how a few of their shapes & color choices reminded me of IKEA fabric! ha ha  

Rizzi City Building Collages: 1st Grade

My student teacher was with me a couple years ago during her practicum class field experience.  I was working on a James Rizzi unit at the time, and she remembered the student really enjoying it.  So she decided that she'd do a Rizzi lesson with the first graders for their cityscapes.  They've been turning out very fun & colorful!  I think Mr. Rizzi would be very proud to know his work is inspiring so many!!!  

Paper Sculpture/ Texture Focus: Kindergarten

My student teacher wanted to do a texture plate rubbing background on the papers before the students created a rough, bumpy, and smooth paper sculpture on top of it.  I think they turned out wonderful, and this is a twist on an old project I'll continue to use. Another reason why it is so great to have student teachers...they bring something different to the table!!  

Snowflake Rainbow

 The last couple days of school I was attempting to finish all my grading for the nine weeks.  When that task was finished...I taught my students how to cut snowflakes.  4th grade was too busy finishing things...so they did not participate in snowflaking.  I had my students go step by step with me for the first 2..but after that they were able to do it on their own.  I only asked for 1 snowflake from each student to create this display outside my room.  Not all finished more than 2...so I did not as many as I had been hoping for.    I did the rainbow background because I just needed color in the hall! 

 I couldn't hack doing only blue background paper.

Monster Dolls/Soft Sculptures: 4th Grade

I have a few more posts coming with these guys!!!!  I really do love all the little personalities they have.  

ENJOY LOOKING THROUGH THEM!!  

(ps..I'm still getting the storage message error/issue thing! However, by going to photo manager in microsoft (standard on our school computers)...I resize the photos to Web Large...and am able upload them. Photos below a certain size do not count against your storage)

Collage Snowmen: Kindergarten

Now is the time I usually see my kindergarten students turning the corner!  It is exciting for me as an art teacher to witness such a transformation....often from nondescript markings to beautiful works of art.  They are doing so well at handling glue/scissors.  Well...most of them.  I heard yesterday I had an upset parent because their child has cut up their pants the past two times they've had art.  I'm assuming it was done in my room, but I did not see the "crime".  There are 21 students in the class...the tables are not made of see through glass....and they are required to stay in their seats.  So I did not see it happen..or the aftermath of.  I honestly can say I've not had a student do that in my 16 yrs of teaching.  I've had them cut themselves, trim their hair a little...but never cut up their pants/shirts.  Hopefully this will not happen anymore....I've been going over scissor safety/rules with every class.  

Monster Collage: 1st Grade

I love monsters...aliens...creatures!!!!  Every time the bookmobile came to our village...I'd be the first one on asking for every book they had on the topic!  Sweet memories of staying up late with my dad and watching Star Trek & other crazy shows/movies about such things. As an art teacher...I ADORE ART WORK ABOUT THEM!!!!  Aren't these great!!!  SO UNIQUE!  None of them look like my teacher example...which truly blesses my heart.  Nothing worse than seeing 100 pieces of art that look like little clones of your own.