Update

I guess I ran out of steam on blogging.  I probably won't do much other than announce when I upload student work.  I have about 3 years left to retirement and am putting more time into my music.

However I would still like to share what I'm doing in my classroom and other items of interest.  I hope some of you may find the things I share useful.  I have benefited greatly from the ideas of others and want to do my part in sharing what's working in my art class.  These days I use Pinterest a lot.  I get many ideas for projects and centers from my fellow Pinterest "friends."  My page is here.

My web page is down (deleted accidently) and so I've put my classroom art projects here:  https://www.facebook.com/artmakeskidssmart   If you "like" the page you'll get updates.  You can also join here:  https://www.facebook.com/MrTisArtSmart  (add me as a friend) and you'll get update notices here too.  I think it's only necessary to like the art page for the notices however.

I've recently added the following:

 Block Art

             Christmas Stations 2014 

Clay Projects 4th and 5th grades

I have lots of other albums on the page as well and more are coming.  God bless and Happy New Year to all!

Frankenstien

This is a project that was easy to get ready and the kiddos loved it!  I make the materials available for all grade levels except that for kindergarten and 1st grade we did it step-by-step together.

I cut the hair out as a rectangle and showed the kids how to zig-zag cut the hair.  Even the kindergartners caught on to this.   For K-1 I pre-cut the 8x8 head and the smaller neck square.  I always cut the pieces down for the younger kids so they don't waste paper.  For older kids I direct them to the scrap box.

I found this idea on pinterest.  More examples can be seen on my Facebook community page here:  ArtMakesKidsSmart

 

What I love about letting kids do their own thing....

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  And don't get me wrong:  I model basic ideas and even sometimes require certain activities (like when we learn how to make a pinch pot with modeling clay).  But when it comes time to "express" one's inner artist,  I get out of the way.  I observe and help with ideas where needed.  I ask questions.   I am always surprised by something new.  More examples can be found here.

REM

Cardboard Construction Center

 When I was first introduced to the idea of cardboard construction I was hesitant because it seemed to be an impossible storage task.  But with a bunch of boxes, each with a class name on it, I was able to keep each class's creations separate and organized, even in my very small room.

I set out pieces of cardboard that I had cut in a variety of sized, tape, glue, toilet paper rolls, and other things, and told the kids to build.  I offered a few helpful suggestions here and there but didn't give a lot of instructions on what to make (or even how).  I find that too much information leads to carbon copies of my ideas so I focus on technique and only what's necessary to get started.  I keep my eye on the works in progress and offer help when I see it's needed.

I'm amazed at the results.

Bean Art

It's been a long while since I last added something to this blog.  I have added too many after school activities to my list of "things I want to do" that I've had little energy to add much here.  I've been taking classical guitar lessons and I actually practice every day.  So I've been putting in a lot of energy in that pursuit. 

Well, I have some pictures of some of the things the kids have been doing and I'm in the sharing mood.  So here goes.

My art room is set up with 6 different stations.  In one of those stations I rotate different activities on a regular basis.  Currently station 4 is a "Bean Art) station.  I'm surprised at how popular this was with the kids.  Someone gave me a whole lot of different colored beans and so I put them in a tub along with some glue and gave the kids a few examples.  Here are a few of the results: