The 4th grade cut papers to make these cornucopias in an earlier class. You can see the steps for the lesson in an earlier post. They loved learning about mosaics and really got into this project. They sketched out what fruit, veggies and flowers they had wanted with white pastel. They filled in with papers and glue that was poured on trays and used with a paintbrush for easier distribution. They then used oil pastels to set a background.

We talked about the colors of fall and the shape of corn and how the field corn came in different colors. We drew corn together after discussing which way horizontal lines went and then which way vertical lines went. I gave them long pieces of paper and we drew the shape of corn, filling in horizontal and vertical lines with oil pastels. They then could use any colors they wanted with watercolor to fill in their corn and backgrounds. They might look like pineapples and carrots, but these corn paintings are the most beautiful, fun corn paintings I have ever seen. :)

The 6th grade is exploring Ancient Civilizations and cuneiform writing came up as a topic. The students used air dry clay to create tablets that will hopefully stand up on display. They used their Ipads to look up the alphabet and used a small wooden tool to write their names on the tablets. They rolled out the clay and designed ways to make them stand up without toppling over. 

The 8th Grade made Angel Wings for a mural in the middle school hallways. After looking at Kelsey Montague's Art, we discussed murals and the design of them. I had the chance to visit her angel wings in Nashville so I showed them pictures of myself, to get an idea of how large the mural was, and also showed them pictures of my sister at the smaller wing mural intended for pets. (Side note: We had no clue it was for pets when we took the picture. We thought it was just for sitting angels...haaaaa!!) 

The students designed different feathers on large 11x14 paper, fitting about 4 a sheet. They could use any medium to design: watercolor, pencil, marker, oil pastels. I drew two large wings on blue bulleting board paper, about 6 feet long. I let them design the placing of the feathers. The next week they painted papers with acrylics that would be cut up and used for the top layers of the wings. They turned out amazing...stay tuned for picture. A great photo op for the students.  

These are going to be gorgeous when done but they are still works in progress. We started by looking at contemporary mosaic artists online and the students loved seeing all the different ways mosaics are used...for stairs, columns and, even, pothole covers. They broke into groups and used a class period to cut their mosaic papers. Seeing them collaborate on who would cut which color was the best. We drew a cornucopia on scrap paper as I explained that it was the shape of a goat's horn and that Greek and Roman mythology use the cornucopia as a symbol for bountiful food and that is why we use it at Thanksgiving. The next week they redrew their cornucopia and fruit on black paper and started building their mosaics. Stay tuned. 

The kids loved these finished projects. After leaving them in the art room for a week to dry, they came running in the next week, looking for their baby owls. I wanted to give them a project where they could be creative and add some texture because later in the year, I really want the students to use their creativity to add texture and materials to their paintings. We used old cardboard tubes and bent the ears down to make the tufts of the owl's head. We did talk about the parts of the owl...the tufts, the talons, the wings. I put a slit on the top of the tube and a slit on the bottom for the students to tuck their yarn into after wrapping it around the tube. Some did this easily, others had a hard time, so, it was a good project to get them used to using their fingers for small tasks. They then designed their own beaks and feet, and used painted papers to add wings. We added eyes with glue. 

First Grade Watercolor/Oil pastel Turkeys
These turned out so fun! The students were given dark oil pastels, purple, blue, black. I took them step by step through a turkey drawing. We went right to the good paper for our turkey drawing after they watched me demonstrate two times. Sometimes, I like them to draw it out on a 'sloppy copy' first but this week we were in a time crunch, so right to the good copy we went. They then watercolored in the turkey and background in any color they wanted. And, we added a real feather at the end. Next year, I might add a tiny hole to the top of the turkey head and place the quill through the paper and tape behind. Apparently, lots of feathers were flying off our little turkeys with just glue stick. But, an easy fix. Love their little turkeys! 

This was a two week project. I cut out strips of paper and the students had to go 'shopping' at our art store...which is just my counter in the back of the room, with trays of art supplies...ssshh, don't tell the kids...they think it is the best. They could pick out two colors of paper strips for their turkey bodies. I had the bodies precut with slits for them. We wove the strips through the bodies. They needed some help but they got the hang of it pretty quickly. The next week, they made their turkey heads, added legs and drew their own feathers. I let them glue the heads on where they thought was best. What a fun turkey project!