Pre-K Cardboard Menagerie and Fabric and Button Collages

Pre-K 136. Omari's kangaroo on the top right is unpainted because he was absent on the painting day. It looks great the way it is though. 

Pre-K Cardboard Menagerie 

Pre-K artists constructed these adorable one-of-a kind animals by arranging and gluing together different shapes of cardboard. We looked at animals on the smartboard and noticed how we can look at the different parts of their bodies and determine what shape we think each one most resembles. Using this strategy of breaking a whole down into parts and then putting a whole together out of those parts, the children built animals by carefully choosing different rectangles, triangles and ovals to represent legs, tails, bodies, whiskers, wings, horns, kangaroo pouches, etc. 

After constructing the animals, the children used their color mixing and painting abilities to really bring their animals to life. Children were only given red, yellow, blue, black and white paint so any colors other than those, such as pink, brown, light blue, etc. were mixed by the students themselves.

Pre-K 130

Pre-K 130

Pre-K 132

Pre-K 132

Pre-K Fabric and Button Collages
After having a read aloud of The Quilt Story written by Tony Johnston and illustrated Tomie dePaola for inspiration, Pre-K artists explored collage making with fabric, ribbons and buttons. This richly tactile activity strengthens fine motor skills and develops sensory understanding. Gluing fabric is very different than gluing paper because fabric acts differently that paper. Students discovered many different things they could do with the fabric such as folding it, layering it, looping and shaping ribbon. Gluing buttons requires using the right amount of glue for a heavier object. Some students created representational collages while others focused on exploring juxtapositions of color and shape.

Pre-K 136

Omari made a snake out of fabric scraps, ribbon, lace and buttons. Pretty clever indeed. I love how it hangs off the page.

Pre-K 130

Pre-K 130

Pre-K 132. Nathan's on the top left has pile of buttons glued one on top of another that comes about thee inches off the page.

Kindergarten and First Grade Butterfly Garden

Kindergarten and First Grade Butterfly Garden

Visual Art, Ms. Triplett

Kindergarteners and First Graders made these beautiful, unique collage butterflies and flowers. We read Waiting For Wings by Lois Ehlert and learned about how butterflies start out as caterpillars, then create a chrysalis around themselves in which to change into a butterfly and that butterflies drink nectar from flowers. Students learned that butterflies have two forewings (the top wings), two hindwings (the bottom wings), an abdomen, a thorax, a head with two eyes and two antennae. Students represented each of these parts and made made their butterfly wings were very detailed and beautiful. Jimmie decided to make a bat to hang out with the butterflies. For visual and informational inspiration about flowers, we read another Lois Ehlert book, Planting a Rainbow. Students created a gorgeous garden for their butterflies.

4th Grade Fabric Collages Inspired by Gee's Bend Quilts

bulletin board display of 4th grade fabric collages

Yamajesty from class 4-214 was inspired to create this large and extremely creative work of textile art

detail of bulletin board display

detail of display

4th Grade Fabric Collages Inspired by the Quilts of the Women of Gee’s Bend

Classes 4-248, 4-214, and 4-330 learned about the quilts made by the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. We watched a video about the history of Gee’s Bend, a rural community comprised primarily of descendants of the slaves of the plantation which used to be there. The women of Gee’s Bend have been creating striking and stylistically unique quilts for generations. In the 1970s an art historian came across the community and saw some of these quilts hanging on clotheslines. Since then, Gee’s Bend’s quilts have been recognized as extraordinary works of fine art and have been shown in museums around the world. Students discussed their reactions to the video and then created fabric collages inspired by the quilts of the women of Gee’s Bend.

Gee's Bend quilters

Gee's Bend Quilt

Gee's Bend quilters

Gee's Bend quilt with her creations

Gee's Bend Quilt 

3rd Grade Mandalas

3rd Grade Mandalas

Students learned about Mandalas, which are spiritual symbols in religions from India, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Students viewed and discussed many images of mandalas, including large mandalas created on the ground.

Students learned that mandalas are examples of radial symmetry. They created their own mandalas using oil pastels and watercolor.

Pre-K 3D Models of Places in the Community

Building a Community

PreK students have been learning about community. In Art class, they discussed many of the places that are part of the community. Each student constructed a community place of their choice using cardboard and glue, developing and discovering many skills and techniques. Once students had finished building their places they used paint to make them colorful and to add details. Here they are all together to form one community.

3rd Grade Self Portraits with Meaningful Imagery Inspired by Frida Kahlo's Self Portraits

Students observed the self portraits of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. We discussed how Kahlo used meaningful and symbolic imagery in her many self portraits to visually communicate important things about her identity and feelings. Students thought about and shared what backgrounds and images would convey important things about themselves and why. Then they created sketches of themselves from observation using a mirror and added a personally meaningful background. For example, Shawan from class 3-232 created a background of rain falling because he likes the rain and being outside in the rain. After creating preliminary sketches, students painted their self portraits with meaningful imagery on larger paper.

Students thought about and shared what backgrounds and images would convey important things about themselves, and created their own self portraits with personally meaningful imagery.

Jack's self portrait at the Bowling Alley

Jeremiah's self portrait at home with his dad

2nd Grade Bridges and Kindergarten/1st Grade playgrounds

Pictures of some of the finished bridges and playgrounds

2nd Grade Bridges:

Brooklynne's "Friendship Bridge"

Mercedes's "Rainbow Swamp Bridge"

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Playgrounds: