Go Froggy!

Spring is here! Draw frogs.  There are so many cool facts about frogs to make science fun! 

"Hey Cousin Joey! Its good to see ya!" exclaimed Frankie Frog.

I'm hungry...

What do frogs eat?

Castle for the Child Within

Every child has dreamed of going to, or living in a castle.  This place may be real or even make-believe.  Yet, it sparks stories, oh so grand! I had a chance to revisit my childhood dreams, when a teacher approached me and asked about creating a background for a play, featuring a compilation of fairytales. First, I thought "another thing to do".  Then I began to fantasize and my imagination ran away with me.  WHOOSH! As a kid, I often wished I could play in a castle. Soon the excitement of bringing this to life-size seemed quite doable.  I wanted it to become a reality for the students in my school.  

I wanted them to experience going from idea, to model, to life-size.  I wanted them to experience "DOABLE". 

 This project supported the mandated literacy components:

• ·      Characters
• ·      Settings
• ·      Events
• ·      Problems
• ·      Conclusion

 We needed a background or setting to support the characters and events. 

First, I created a paper model. I used simple shapes like rectangles, squares, triangles, and circles.   Then, the students and I recreated it on a larger scale.  The students were intrigued about changing the scale and adding texture to make it look more believable.

The play was a success!  Many children wanted to draw and write fairytales of their own.  It was amazing to see and hear their creations and stories. I always tell them that they can create their own worlds inside and outside of their imaginations.

                                                               Go Literacy!

More building settings for stories...

A starry night in the city...

 A starry night overlooking the the water...

The students enjoyed creating their own setting for their stories and movies.  Art making stimulates and develops imagination and critical thinking in our students.


This fall, my art class was focused on supporting our science curriculum.  Most grade levels had a common thread ...night elements.


This was an exciting way to take their everyday and night experiences and make science meaningful to them.


Ah-Ha! Nocturnal Animals! What creatures come out at night?

Give the students a blue or violet piece of construction paper and tell them place a moon into the scene.  You immediately have a connection to their real life experiences.  Floods of experiences, stories, wonderings, and imagination spark for science!

"We all have to eat sometime!" growled the coyote.

Art making motivates and engages children in learning.

JANUARY: In Remembrance of Varnette Honeywood

I didn’t know that Varnette Honeywood had died.  She was an important artist in my life.  In the 1980’s , Bill Cosby introduced her vibrant, colorful, artwork in the backdrops for the sets for the television show The Cosby show.  I had been teaching already for a while and loved to cut paper images.  I thought nothing of it until the day I say her artwork.  Her style of collage and painting everyday scenes really made feel so at home in my soul.  I remember, my father buying many of her works of art and adorning an entire wall. We would laugh and reflect on the connections we had every time we gazed at one of her works.  Before I knew it I had taken risks in art making by creating similar scenes from everyday life using colored construction paper and other mixed media.

http://blackartinamerica.com/forum/topics/the-loss-of-varnette-p

I especially was fond of her silhouettes or profiles of African Americans.  The arrangement and compositions were simple but the colors and patterns created such a powerful impact. 

In remembrance of Varnette Honeywood, I would like to create a school project reflecting the diversity of our school and world using profiles and silhouettes. 

( These are my steps.)

• ·      Locate or create templates or patterns of facial profiles
• ·      Gather multicultural colored paper for skin tones
• ·      Make a list of professions and uniforms
• ·      Gather collage supplies: papers, fabric scraps, ribbons, glitter, ect
• ·      Use wall paper samples to create backgrounds for each profile
• ·      Make templates of accessories
• ·      Gather Little Bill Book Series for reference

I CREATED SILHOUETTES. I DREW THEM ON TAG BOARD.  I THEM TRACED IT ONTO COLORED PAPER.  I CUT 3 PIECES AT A TIME.     1/12/12

Building Settings for Stories

One starry night....where?  One starry night in the desert....Yes indeed! Inspired by the infamous painter VanGogh, we were able to create night time story settings.  Now all we have to add are the characters/actors to the set.

Off and Running...