Now that our warm color fall trees are complete, it's time to focus on another fun matte that comes along this time of year ... spooky things! Our element of the week is balance, and our new "smartest artist" vocabulary word is symmetry (said with an elongated sssss like Simon the snake, of course). I have been teaching them that sssssymmetry means both sides of an object must be the ssssssame by using my pet ssssssnake named SSSSSSSimon (my arm) in ssssssspooky sssssssslithering movements. We compare the two sssssssides of our faces, our bodies, and locate objects around the room that are ssssssymmetrical. The fantastic first grade artists (woop! woop!) at R.V. Daniels used ssssssstencils to create these fun, ssssssymmetrical, ssssspooky bats this week. And I am having way too much fun hanging them in my hallway for effect :) Enjoy! And of course, I had to make myself a little "BATTY" too! In order to keep the passion alive, sometimes art teachers have to gather together as a tribe and just MAKE STUFF. This past weekend was the Florida Art Educators Association conference in Naples, and man oh man, how necessary! Just an entire state's worth of art teachers sharing ideas, lessons, advice, and that's not even mentioning the FREE SUPPLIES we got to collect and bring back to our classrooms! Here's just a sampling of the workshops Ms. Holloway was lucky enough to experience in my jam packed three days there....... This is an Ndebele doll made with all kinds of fun mixed media: water bottle, fabric, beads, twine, yarn, feathers, fluff and love! A multicultural integration lesson focused around Zimbabwe and the 'right of passage' ceremonial dolls that are given during important moments in life. We created ours as self portraits which I think my kids will LOVE. Future art club project? I think so!!!! This workshop was called Mindfulness Mandalas and we actually got to meditate! The instructor guided us through several different types of mindfulness techniques that we can use as calming and connecting methods with our students. My RV Daniels artists already have a bit of practice with this (as we know) but I've got even more tools now in my meditation toolbox that I can't wait to break out with them :) Young inner artists, be released! And of course, the time away with other art teachers is inspiring, rejuvenating, encouraging, and I get to spend quality bonding time with my personal favorite mentor and role model, the first Mrs. Holloway :) Meanwhile, back in the art room ...
Having a sub can be nerve wrecking because you never know what you're going to come back to. Luckily, I had an amazing sub who followed my lessons, and the kids created some pretty impressive dream houses ... and maybe even missed me :) Gotta love this! |
the teacherMs. Holloway is a native Floridian, although she went to school in Philadelphia, then worked in the mountains of western Montana the last ten years. She is happy to be back in the south inspiring young minds to create amazing works of art to share with the world! Archives
September 2019
|