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.

Silhouettes

I found this art activity to be very creative! The focus was silhouettes, but with a personal twist. It was a lot of fun trying to find magazine clippings that relate to me. The activity also required me to be creative because I had to think out of the box to try to find images that mean something to me. I think this art activity would be beneficial to do at the beginning of the school year. For, it would allow the teacher and the students to get to know one another. I would also use this activity in a Social Studies lesson. Because silhouettes were extremely popular in our history I would ask the students to pick an influential person from our history and become the "expert" on that person. The students would have to research that persons life and create a silhouette of them. The students would fill it with magazine clippings or images that pertain to their persons life. 

Scratch Art

This activity was a lot of fun! It was one of the first time I have worked with scratch art but I greatly enjoyed it. It was almost like magic starching the paint off and seeing the color underneath - kids would love this! This activity focused on the difference between foreground and background, as well as different scratch art techniques. I would use this activity as an introduction and "practice" for a larger art project. For the larger art project I would ask the students to choose an animal of their choosing with different values, such as light and dark. The students would then have to use the different scratch art techniques to demonstrate the different values on their animal. 

Watercolor Animal

I loved how this lesson was introduced with Finding Nemo! It got the entire class engaged and excited for the upcoming art activity. It was a lot of fun designing my own turtle and making it look like it was swimming underneath the water. The watercolor techniques I learned were very beneficial to making the water look real. If I were to extend this lesson into my classroom I would integrate it into a science lesson. This would be a great activity to use with students learning about animals and their different environments, especially ocean animals. Within our science class we can discuss the various animals that call the ocean their home. The students can then draw their favorite animal and the environment they live and complete the art activity with their water colors. 

Far Away Vs. Close Up

I found this project to be a lot of fun because I loved working with the different mediums. We were able to use almost any medium we please. I personally liked working with the oil pastels, they were extremely vibrant and blended together easily. The purpose of this art activity was to see the difference between a far away image and a close up image. If I were to use this activity in my classroom I would correlate it with a literature lesson. For this lesson the students would all read a book of their choosing. The students would be asked to pick an important object from their book and invasion how they perceive it to look like. The students would then have to draw that image from far away and then close up. 

Hidden Animals

I had a great time with this art activity! It was a project unlike any other I have ever done before, which made it a lot of fun. I would use this activity in my classroom is a variety of ways. This project allows students to experiment with the various art elements and color schemes. Therefore, this project could be used as the introduction to a larger art project asking the students to focus on the elements of art. I would also use this activity as an extension of a science lesson. Because this project highlights and reveals hidden animals I believe it would be a great activity to use when discussing camouflage animals or animals that have the ability to blend in with their environment. 

The Dot

I had a great time with this art project! This art activity was an extension from the book, The Dot, which is a great book to get children to fall in love with art. With this activity we were asked to create art from a single dot. I really enjoyed this activity because it made me think out of the box and us my creativity. I also enjoyed it because I had the opportunity to work with different mediums and see how the different mediums work with one another. 

This activity could be extended into various different lessons. I would use it as an extension into deeper art exploration, allowing the students to use multiple mediums within the same project. I would also extend this activity into a language arts lesson. The students would each have the opportunity to chose a book of their interest. Throughout the book the students would be asked to highlight one simple object and create an art project around it. 

Elements & Principles of Art

-- Elements & Principles of Art --

Line

This photo demonstrates line. The structure of the boat contains an abundance of lines, varying in weight and length. I took it at the San Diego Harbor, while on vacation this summer.

Space

This photo represents space - it creates the feeling of true depth. I also took it in San Diego while on a summer vacation.

Color

This photo demonstrates the different hues and intensities of colors. It is a photo of my cousins cake on his fourth birthday.

Emphasis

This photo represents emphasis. The eye is immediately drawn to the pink board. I took this photo at the NSIC Swimming Championships.

Pattern & Repetition

This photo is of swim flags, which demonstrate a color pattern and repetition. I took it at the NSIC Swimming Championships. 

Introduction Footprint

An introduction footprint is an effective and fun way to get to know your students. It also allows the students to get to know one another while demonstrating their own individuality. Within this introduction activity the students will be asked to trace their footprint on construction paper. The students are then able to design their footprint in any way they please, as long as their name is visible and they use three different mediums (crayons, paint, stickers, etc.). The students are greatly encouraged to be creative and put their own personal twist on their footprint. Once the students have completed their footprint they will have the opportunity to share and it with the class. The students will describe each design on their footprint and explain how it portrays to their life. For example, on my footprint I drew an apple and alphabet blocks to illustrate my passion for teaching.

Introduction footprints can also be extended across the curriculum. They are a great measuring tool to be used in both math and science. One way the students can measure their height throughout the year is with their footprints. Each student can tape their foot vertically on the wall, creating a ruler from the floor to the ceiling. At the begging of the year the students will stand by the footprint ruler and record their height. Throughout the entire year the students will have the opportunity to measure their height in footprints and keep track of how much they have grown. This activity teaches the students that anything can be used as a measuring tool. The students will also find meaning and fun in tracking their height through the year.