Art for All

Happy 2017, everyone!  I wanted to share a few art projects we did when we were learning about art and artists.  Throughout the week we did a variety of projects in a variety of styles.

I found this YouTube channel with videos about many famous artists.  They loved watching a video before doing artwork by each artist we were studying.

At the art center, the kids used pointillism to paint a tree.  This was just before Christmas, though you could make evergreen trees and paint snow on them as well.  I printed 3 different types of evergreen tree clipart on white card stock.  Students used a Q-Tip to paint dots to cover the tree.  After they dried, students went back with colors and added ornaments and other details.  The majority of the kids really got into the pointillism aspect and used dots to cover their trees.  Others tried to use their Q-Tip as a paintbrush, which did not have the same affect.

They were very observant about pointillism and Georges Seurat.  I had some art books at the library and every child who visited there had to bring books to show me pointillism, not because I asked them too, but because they were so excited to share this with me.

Another project we did was based on Paul Klee's style.  Students were given squares and rectangles as well as a 5x7 sheet of black construction paper.  They could cut the squares to make triangles or skinny rectangles.  Their goal was to cover the paper.

Our third project was Andy Warhol-inspired.  I cut mittens on the Ellison and brightly colored construction paper into quarters.  They chose 4 different colors of paper quarters to glue onto a 9x12 piece of construction paper.  They then chose 4 mittens and decorated them with construction paper crayons.  Each mitten was glued to a paper quarter.  I chose to use warm colors for the paper quarters and cool colors for the mittens, but that is personal preference.

The kids' favorite project of the week was doing art like Michelangelo.  I taped a 9x12 piece of white construction paper on the table for each child while they were at lunch.  When they came back, we watched the YouTube video (links above) about Michelangelo.  I sent them to stand behind their seats and told them we were ready to get started.  I passed out oil pastels (I didn't want paint dripping in their faces, on their clothes or all over my carpet) and told them we could get to work.  They looked a bit puzzled.  I said "Oh, you need paper.  It is under the table".  

They were on their backs on the floor under their chairs.  Every 2 kids shared a set of oil pastels.  I asked them to make a seasonal scene from a season of their choice.  It was so interesting to watch them figure out how to draw while laying down on their backs.  For some of them, the space from the floor to the bottom of the table was a stretch.  

Every week in my newsletter I ask a question to review a skill or get family opinions.  The week after this unit, I asked parents to ask their child which was their favorite.  Only 2 kids didn't choose the Michelangelo as their favorite.  I will absolutely do that project again!

I hope this gave you a few ideas to try with your students.  Have a great week!

Apples Galore

This week we learned a lot about apples.  We kicked off our week of apple fun with a trip to the apple orchard.  Students and their families were invited to meet our teacher team at the apple orchard last Sunday afternoon.  We found that Sunday works better than Saturday due to a large soccer league in our city.  The orchard staff does short presentation, then families are invited to pick apples at their leisure.  Families are responsible for transportation, supervision of their children and the cost of the apples they pick.  We are a high poverty district (we qualify for no cost lunch for all), yet still have a pretty good turn out!

Monday morning we put the apples I picked to good use by making applesauce.  I peeling and cored all the apples Sunday afternoon, then students were in charge of cutting the apples into pieces and putting them into the crockpot.  After cooking down the apples, we added some brown sugar and cinnamon.  At the end of the day, we tasted delicious applesauce.

We worked on a little apple book throughout the week.  I purchased a lapbook pack on TpT.  I modified to what I thought we could handle.  We worked on it a little bit at a time throughout the week.

The flap on the right has the season of the tree, but this student was absent today and I sent everyone else's home before taking photos.  The kids were so proud of this little activity.

We created these little cuties from First Grade Blue Skies at the art center. I didn't give them any patterns other than the stems which were just cut strips of brown paper.  I taught them how to round the corners of a piece of construction paper and created an example in front of the class before setting them loose for the week at the art center. There was also green paper available, but it wasn't a popular apple color. I didn't do glyphs or anything, just an art project for them to do independently.  The "noses" you see are magnets I made to hang their artwork on our chalkboard.

Today we had caramel apples for a snack.  I precut the apples into slices.  When it was time to snack, we dried the apple slices with a paper towel, and I cut a small slit into the apple then inserted a popsicle stick into the slice.  My kiddos dipped their slice into a tub of caramel sauce then sprinkles or mini chocolate chips.  Who knew: every kid ate the skin on their apple today!

It was a great week of learning about apples!  What kind of fun did you have this week?  Next week we'll be learning about our 5 senses, taking a trip to the local Nature Center and its picture day.

Dot Day

This week we focused on The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.  We used the Guiding Readers pack as the basis for our study of the book.  Today I tried to incorporate dots and the idea of giving something a try/practicing.  Warning: Picture overload!

All of my students were invited to wear dots to school today.  For those that did not wear dots, I gave them 12 garage sale dots.  Some of their ideas were great!

This little guy's bowtie had polka dots.  He was so proud of it!

This guy and his mom create a special shirt for the day.  The kids thought it was so cool that he got to color on a shirt.

I loved her sun glasses with polka dots!  She was really good about not playing with them.

We had a special dot snack: M & M cookies.

During reading center time, we used Bingo daubers to dot our answers with beginning sounds or CVC words.

At the art center this week, my kiddos created dot art using various sized dots from the Ellison.  A few of them wanted to exercise their creativity and use scissors to modify their dot(s).

The last thing we did was write a goal, sign it and put it in a swirly gold frame.  These are going with the idea of growth mindset, and are displayed on our closet with the word "yet" above them.  The kids thought it was so cool to sign their names.

It was great to see them having fun with activities related to the story and making the connections on their own.  I'm looking forward to finding ways to incorporate things such as these with other stories we focus on this year.  If you have ideas to go with other stories, I'd love to hear!  

Have you entered my Kwik Stix giveaway? The giveaway ends Sunday night.   Have a great weekend!

Kwik Stix Review and Giveaway

My class and I had the opportunity to review Kwik Stix by The Pencil Grip company.  I received a sample when I attended I Teach 1st this summer, and I knew my kiddos would love these!

I began by e-mailing the company to ask for a sample, and I was very impressed with their quick service and getting questions answered.  I knew these Kwik Stix would be great for the whole year, but at the beginning of the school year, when messes seem to be abundant, I knew these would give us the opportunity to paint with less of a mess.

Kwik Stix were used on the flower petals and the center of the flower.  The center of the flower is construction paper and the petals are card stock. 

We read the story Chrysanthemum during our second week of school.  We had a project to do with our names, and I knew Kwik Stix would be perfect for the kids to use independently at the art center.  After coloring, students used permanent marker to write the letters of their names.  It was very easy for them to write with permanent marker over top of the Kwik Stix coloring.  We used this pack (minus the white) for our project.

My kiddos described Kwik Stix as "lipstick" and "glue sticks that color".  They were fascinated by how quickly the dried.  I loved how easy it was for them to color, and how bright the projects turned out.  As they were working, my kiddos couldn't stop commenting on how much they liked Kwik Stix.  Many students asked where Kwik Stix could be purchased.

I not only liked how great their projects turned out, but I appreciated that students were able to grip the Kwik Stix as they would a pencil.  They easily filled in their flower petals and were excited to see the finished product. The area stayed remarkable clean with no spilled paint cups to worry about.  The Kwik Stix that did end up on the table were easily removed with a wet paper towel. 

My students and I cannot wait to use Kwik Stix again!  We'd love for you to try them out too!  You can save 15% at The Pencil Grip website using the code YOUWIN15.  You can also enter below to win a 12 pack of assorted Kwik Stix.

I hope you will consider trying Kwik Stix.  I look forward to hearing your great ideas for trying Kwik Stix!

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First Week...Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

We survived our first week of kindergarten together!  This is always an accomplishment in K!  We had some bumps in the road, but overall, it was a great week.

A few of our favorite things include:

• HeidiSongs: We focused on color words this week. They loved singing and dancing.
• Guiding Readers: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was our story this week.
• Playing on the playground
• Snacktime
• Art (no art teacher at our school though sadly)
• Friends
• Sharing our day with our families via SeeSaw (try it out by clicking the link)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom headband

Chicka Chicka snack...sadly, I didn't get a snack of them making them or of one just on it's own.  It was too busy passing out snack parts!  It is a nutty bar (trunk), apple slices (branches), grapes (coconuts), Alphabits cereal.

Fun at the block center

This week we will learn more color words and will read Chrysanthemum.  We will also focus on our names and the names of our friends.  Check back at the end of the week for a review of Kwik Sticks that will be used for an art project this week!

What Are Our Goals? 2016

Today I attended a leadership meeting in my district where we discussed our focus and goals for the year.  We talked about how to make a difference for our students.  How can we encourage them to set high standards for themselves and believe they can achieve?  Are we holding ALL kids to high expectations?  How can we help kids love reading and learning?  Does everyone in our building/district buy into this idea?

As I was sitting there, I was thinking, "Isn't this why we do what we do?"  I do what I do because I think it is what is best for the kids that I have in my class at that time.  Many of these goals/thoughts have been things I've really been thinking about over the past couple years.

Adventures in Literacy Land just did a book study in July on the book Reading Wellness.  Then, Em from Curious Firsties, wrote a post about a love of reading.  For the last 2 years, I would say the majority of my kids are excited about reading.  I've been asked a few times how they got there, and I really believe they got there by reading.  I love to read, and I offer a lot of opportunities for my kids to have the chance to read. Just look at these girls below, they LOVE reading!  What can we do to make this a reality for all kids?

Reading on the bus on the way to a field trip.

Independent reading in a comfortable area

I believe in experiences for kids.  We know, as a high poverty area, that many of our students do not come with a lot of experiences.  What can I provide them to make their learning meaningful and help them make connections?  Many of these experience have to happen in our classroom or immediate surroundings, but what can I do to make this happen?  These experiences are some of their (and my) favorite memories because they help them fall in love with learning.

How can we support all students to meet high expectations?  I think one way is to teach them how to support one another.  Some of their best learning can come from each other! I am big on collaboration and learning how to work with others in my room.  This is a life skill, and I think it isn't too early to start.  I am not real big on competition in my room, unless you are competing against your self to get better- then by all means, go for it!

I need your help!  I'd love to hear your ideas for helping kids learn to love reading.  What do you do in your classroom to foster this love?  Are there resources you can share?  What do you do to help all kids feel like they can achieve?

What can you teach us?

Back to School Sale and Giveaway

The TPT Back to School sale is coming Monday and Tuesday August 1 and 2!  I always struggle to decide what I "need" right now and what can wait.  I tend to spend more on my classroom at back to school time rather than later in the year, so I try to spread my TPT spending accordingly.  I also usually end up kicking myself in a couple weeks when I want to use something that has been on my wish list and I didn't buy it when it was on sale.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kari-Bolt-Clip-Art

To help you if you have this same problem, I'm going to share a few of my kids' favorite things and give you a chance to win a $10 TPT gift certificate so you can spend a little that isn't your own money!

My students love my fill-in-the-blank books.  This is how I share some of the theme information that we work on.  Have students fill in some of the key words related to the topic helps them retain more of the information.  Topics include: insects, human body/senses, seasons, space, motion, feelings and animal characteristics.

The most popular fill-in book is My Amazing Body which includes 2 books: one about body systems and the other about the 5 senses.

I created a bundle of all these books if you are interested in multiple topics.

If you are looking for solid shapes, I have a mini packet with solid shapes activities for young kids.

You can enter the giveaway for the $10 gift certificate below.  The giveaway will end at midnight Tuesday morning so you will still have Tuesday to shop during the sale.  Happy shopping!
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