Shaving Cream Earth

This was the art lesson my partner and I created. We were learning teaching the importance of our earth and keeping it healthy. We also tied our lesson into Earth Day and celebrating all that our earth provides us. My partner and I decided to create an earth from shaving cream and paint. The students put shaving cream on a wax paper surface and then drizzled blue and yellow paint over it. The students then swirled the paint together to make an abstract affect and create green paint. Once the students printed their paper on the shaving cream and paint it left blue and green swirls and texture. I had a lot of fun creating this lesson and art activity. It was neat to see the different techniques and how no two earths looked exactly the same. We could also use this activity with older students when they are learning about all the planets and solar system. 

Pup Up Book

Within this lesson we created pop up books. We had to write a create story and illustrations. The pop up book was a good idea because it was different for the students. Not many books are written and illustrated in a pop up style so this was something new for some of us. It was a lot of fun writing a story with my partner and putting our own creativity into it. I like the fact that we could write about whatever we wanted to, that is a great way to see a students interests and creativity. I plan to incorporate much art into my literature lessons. The students can create various stories with illustrations. One way I would do this would be through the app, Scribble Press. I worked with this app in during my junior field experience and all the students love it. The students would write a creative story on the computer and then draw illustrations to support their writing. 

Clay Frogs

In this art activity we created clay frogs! This activity was also a lot of fun. I really enjoyed working with the clay; for, no other lessons gave us the opportunity so this one was something new. I also really enjoyed painting the frogs. It was interesting to see everyones creativity when painting the frogs, no two were exactly the same. I would use clay in my classroom, it would be something different for the students and they would have a lot of fun with it. I would incorporate this clay activity with a social studies lesson. When the students are learning about our history and the difference of living from then and now I would have the students create a clay bowl. The students could experience how dishes were made before we simply bought them from the store. They students could them paint them any way they please. 

Dream Catchers

I had a great time with this activity! It was something different, I never thought about making dream catchers as an art activity but it was a lot of fun. It really enjoyed working with the beads and creating patterns from them. I would definitely use this art activity in my classroom. I actually had the opportunity to see it used during my junior field experience. The students were learning about Native American history and we made dream catchers and teepees. The students had a lot of fun creating them! I would also incorporate this art activity into a math lesson and the creation of patterns. During math the students learn about number and shape patterns. Therefore, I could use this activity to practice patterns with the beads and colors. 

Sundials

I found this activity to be a lot of fun! It was really neat to see how art can be integrated into Social Studies so easily. We were having fun with art while learning the history of sundials. I also really enjoyed this activity because we could make it as personal as possible! We were asked to follow a few guidelines but most of the art was our own creativity. Not only did we get to create our sundials but we got to see how they worked by the shadow of the sun. This art activities could also be integrated into a math lesson, particularly when learning about telling time. It would be beneficial to teach the students the history and advancements of how we tell time. Telling time began with the use of sundials but we now use clocks and watches. The students could take their sundials outside and tell the time through out the day, then compare that time with the actual time read on a clock. 

Japanese Art - Origami

This art activity focused on Japanese art, the folding of paper. We learned much about origami and its rich history. I found this activity to be interesting and definitely something new. I honesty never thought of origami as popular art, I thought of it more as a hobby. Therefore, it was neat for me to see it in the art form. I would definitely introduce my students to origami, especially when learning about art history or Japanese history. I also feel it would be beneficial to use a mentor book to introduce origami and meaning, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. However, I would have to be sure to make this lesson developmentally appropriate for the students. Creating origami and the story should be used with older students. 

Printmaking

This art project was a lot of fun! Printmaking was an exciting project because it was something new. For, most of us had never created prints before. I would use this activity in a science lesson, particulary when we are learning about nature and our environment. The students would be asked to go outside and draw what they see in our playground environment (trees, flowers, playground equipment, etc.). Once the students have completed their drawings we will create their prints. Each student will be asked to make two prints, one for themselves and one for me. With the prints the students have made I will create a class book, Our Playground Environment, to display each students work. The class book will be available for the students to read at any time.