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.