Crazy Legs by crazy kids

When I saw this lesson by Phyl at There's a Dragon in my Art Room, I went crazy (har har) for it. How ADORABLE are these little legs made by little kids?

This year's group of first graders really grasped onto the idea of texture, actual versus visual. They identified loads of textures--"my dad's face feels PRICKLY!"--and saw examples of visual texture in famous artworks. One little sweetie even brought in a list of all the textures she found at her house. Precious overachiever.

We used a fancy cutting secret (folded paper, draw once, cut once, very fancy) to make a pair of shoes. We had boots! We had heels! We had athletic cleats! Goodbye art room, hello DSW!

Glued to some old junky paper, our shoes were ready for legs. (I color-coded classes, giving each class their own ugly color, haha.)

Then, our legs were ready for socks! Everyone was told to make a matching pair. Here are some legs in progress:

I put out an all-call for ribbon, rickrack, fabric, et cetera. Thank goodness for the teacher who forwarded the list to her parents, who really came through. Combined with a Rubbermaid bin full of ribbon that I snagged at a yard sale for a whopping $1 (the tub alone is worth more than that!), the leg makers had lots of lovely scraps from which to choose!

YESSSSSSSSS!

I liked this project for so many reasons. The kids loved it--half the battle. It was great for working on gluing skills (huge huge huge), cutting skills, and measuring/estimating by eye. I think it's a keeper!

Happy Election Day from your friends the African Amulets

Happy Election Day, USA! I hope all you American art teachers get out and vote today. The Connells were out at the polls this morning. Interestingly, it was not I, the mid-name-change Bachman-Connell, who had trouble registering, but Mr. Connell! Ha! I was listed under my maiden name, while he was nowhere to be found in the books. Luckily, our nextdoor neighbor was the big wig in charge and took care of business for us neighborhood newbies.

Anyway, here are some completed African Amulets for you to enjoy as you wait for the results to trickle in tonight!

To achieve the effect you see, kiddos painted their amulet with either black or brown tempera paint. While the paint was still wet, tiny sponges were used to dab and wipe away the desired amount of paint, leaving a stained look. I love the way the brown paint gives a wooden look, while the black looks more stone-like. The kids can't wait to take 'em home.

Paint on...

Paint off...

This amulet reflects its maker's personality, ha!

I forgot to mention earlier--we jam to African music while we do these! It makes it so much more fun! There are some expressive dancers in fourth grade, hehe.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Connells!

(Vanity disclaimer: in this photo, my hips do lie, as I am not actually shaped like a mustard bottle.)

Fall-ing for value painting

Please excuse the lame title. I'm kinda lame sometimes.

Anyway, when my husband proposed last April Fool's Day (that's a doosie of a story for another day), I booked a photographer right away. And right away, she referred me to Pinterest. I've been pinning like a madwoman ever since. And now, who isn't? I found this picture on another teacher's pinboard:

Sadly, it linked back to a Flickr account, which meant no explanation, no plan, nada. Last week, I decided to give it a go with my third graders, figuring out what to do along the way.

We began with 12x18" black paper. I went with black instead of white in order to better hide our initial pencil lines. Every kiddo drew three leaves, all connected, some overlapping. Each leaf was sectioned off with a few veins.

Tracing our pencil lines with bottled glue was... messy. Some kids got it, some kids not so much, but we got 'er done. The biggest issue was finding a good spot for 20+ pieces to dry, as all of my drying racks are slanted, which doesn't bode well for gloppy, drippy glue!

 

Once the glue was dry, we discussed color values. I gave each kiddo a piece of egg carton with white tempera as well as the color of their choice. Everyone mixed their own tints, then shared their cartons with classmates. Each leaf had to be its own color.

We'll be mixing shades next time. So far, so good! Thanks again, Pinterest, you wonderful and cursed black hole of free time.

Hurricane Sandy: Part II

It's Wednesday and already it's been a wild week. With a family wedding last weekend, the big ol' storm, and two days out of school, I'm so out of whack. Please forgive the inundation of non-lesson posts these past few days. I promise to get an actual lesson up today or tomorrow. Until then...

We've weathered (pun!) the storm here in our part of PA. At the Connell house, we had a few small branches come down, but considering our house is surrounded by old, tall trees, we were quite happy with a couple of manageable limbs. Half of the lattice wall on the back porch flew off, too--not a big deal at all. The basement is dry, we have power, our home is in tact. Amen!

There were many who didn't fare so well, including some neighbors. I cannot believe some of the images I'm seeing from New Jersey and New York City. Our prayers are with those who were affected.

On a lighter note, here are some of the ways we got through the howling wind and crashing rain earlier this week:

Contemplated life...

Watched TV...

Snuggled with a slipper...

Took a nap (or two or three)...

Looked around suspiciously...

Hid under a pillow...

Back at school today. On Halloween. After a four-day weekend. NEAT! Should be an interesting day!

Happy Birthday, Bob Ross

Have you seen Google today? It's all Bob Rossed. Yup, Bob Rossed.

I'm a little disappointed that it isn't interactive. I feel like paintin' some happy trees! And I feel sad for Bob that his head is supposed to be the 'G' in 'Google.' No one wants to have a G-shaped head.

Bob's show first aired on PBS in 1983 (a year before I was born). I think the only time I saw Bob in action was when I hung out with my Opa, probably when I was in elementary school myself. Opa was an amateur painter and liked to watch The Joy of Painting for some Rossy tips.

The Connells' costumes are set for this year, but maybe I'll be Bob Ross for Halloween next year! Though I'm sure I wouldn't look this good:

http://dubuhdudesigns.typepad.com

And now, because I'm home from school today with some time to surf (the Internet, not the flooded streets outside), please enjoy this happy little collection of the birthday boy:

About the Bob Ross Google Doodle

5 (Happy Little) Things You Didn't Know About Bob Ross

Bob Ross, Inc. 

Rest peacefully, Mr. Ross!

Hurricane Sandy

For those of you living and teaching on the East Coast like I am, my thoughts and prayers are with you as you endure these next few days. Here in PA, we're off school today and tomorrow as we wait out Hurricane Sandy, a.k.a. Frankenstorm.

We're somewhere under that dark green scariness..

Right now, we're experiencing pretty high winds and lots of rain, though the worst is supposed to hit tonight. Power outages are predicted, as is flooding. My husband and I just bought our home in August--we closed on the first day of school, in fact--and haven't experienced any poor weather thus far, lending to my Nervous Nellie attitude over here. Not sure what to expect. Thankfully, both of us can be home to monitor things, as Mr. Connell is a teacher as well.

As long as the power stays on, I'm hoping to work on a little art project of my own over here, an old typeset drawer converted to a jewelry organizer. That, and reading art blogs! And maybe pinning on Pinterest. And snuggling with my storm buddy:

Rudy, the world's most wonderful weiner dog!

Be safe, friends!