Kindergarten is Playing in the Snow!

I wanted to revisit self portraits with kindergarten.  

I break down full body self portraits using shapes in a demo first.  Then I let the children go back and draw their body.   I then do another demo showing them how to add in details(eyes, nose, mouth, hats..etc).   I don't do step by step...."guided drawing" because  I feel that they become to robotic looking & lack the child's personality.
I love my kindergarten students...they are AMAZING!!!!!!!

        

Winter Self Portraits: 1st Grade

Fun wintertime self portraits!  I introduced students to facial proportion, and how to draw eyes & noses a bit more realistic.  My expectations are that they attempt to apply the new information they've been given in regards to drawing faces.  They were suppose to draw the mittens covering their mouth, but some did not.  Still super cute! 

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.

The Little White Owl: Kindergarten

I recently posted my "go-to" winter books for kindergarten!  

This week I'm reading The Little White Owl.

I have some amazing...I mean AMAZING kindergarten artists!!!!  I had them cut out the ovals for the eyes from white paper so they really POPPED on the page.  We drew our picture first.  They were instructed to make a fun pattern on the belly of the owls.  We then used construction paper crayons to color.  I really push "finishing" their work craftsmanship wise....so that it truly looks completed.  I love the results!!!

This owl has seen things!!!!

Books in the Art Room: Winter

Fall has been fun..but it is time to turn our attentions to winter!  It will be here before we know it.  I do my best to have WINTER books & not CHRISTMAS.  I stay away from holidays as much as possible since they are a day...and seasons last for months (so the art is relevant longer!).  Plus..not everyone celebrates the same holidays...or in some cases..ANY holidays. 

So here are some of the winter books I use in my classroom! 

Winter Bulletin Board 2016: BEGINNING

I've been posting my winter collaborative boards for as long as I've been blogging.  Each year I try to tweek/improve/change things.  This year I was thinking about Tennessee (I teach in Nashville)....so we're going to make Winter in the Smokies!   Each class makes different parts of the bulliten board..and then we assemble it.  It will be up from the end of Nov. till mid Feb.  The kids understand they won't get the pieces back, and are totally ok with it!! (You just have to prepare them for that from the beginning!!)  

Here is a link to my past winter bulletin boards!!

http://www.artwithmre.com/search/label/Winter%20Bulletin%20Boards

The Dots: WINTER

I loved this project so much at the beginning of the year...that I could not just throw it away.  It has been given new life with the passing seasons!  For winter...it is hats  & mittens! The faculty/ staff  & students have loved seeing the transformations

      

      

I'll include the previous incarnations below....

THIS IS WHERE WE STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

(FIRST WEEK PROJECT K-4)

HERE IS WHAT IT TURNED INTO FOR FALL!