Weaving - Popsicle Stick Looms

I do weaving with my grade 3 students, and while I love weaving and fibers, the part where you take the weaving off the loom and tie knots in the warp threads about does me in with 160 kids - many of whom don't know how to tie knots.

An art teacher friend of mine, Mrs. Hockenberry of Lake Local Schools posted photos of cute lanterns her students made, and part of the lantern was a weaving on Popsicle stick looms. I tried the project out last summer with my Stark State Kids College classes, and decided to do it during the school year.

7 sticks

Wood glue

Make the square frame first

Optional: Decorate with Sharpies

I also finally figured out a yarn dispensing system that keeps me sane. I precut a slew of colors and wear them around my neck while I teach. When a student needs more yarn, I pull off the color they need quickly.

Fibers rawk.

Plain Organized: Window Paint Marker Cabinet Labels

I've had to move my Avondale classroom a few times. I started writing what is inside each cabinet on the OUTSIDE with a washable window paint marker.

This way, if I change rearrange something on a move it's easy to change the sign to remind myself of where it is now!

Glazing Stations for Ceramics

I love clay.  I love glazing clay. I really feel strongly that even the littlest kiddos should be able to make and glaze a ceramic piece EACH school year.
 

I have 7 and 10 (2 schools) color-coded tables - so each table has a corresponding matching color of glaze. Sometimes we get all fancy and I throw in a few crystal glazes instead of a straight gloss color.  The set-up per table is one big placemat, one portion cup of glaze, one nasty paper plate under the glaze cup (it gets reused a bazillion times), and 5 paintbrushes (hopefully, matching that color).

Before we start, we sit as a group for the glaze demonstration and lots and lots of talk about how there are two things that travel - YOU and THE CLAY. There are two things that do NOT travel - the glaze and the paintbrushes.  I say this about 100 times.  Maybe more. ;)  We also talk about what happens if you do mix the brushes, what happens if you use too much glaze, what might happen if you drop your clay.  This info is also projected onto the TV screen / SmartBoard:

I encourage the kids to not sit down, because then there's usually a chair out to trip over. And, I encourage them to set their clay on the placemat while they paint - but that doesn't always happen. Paintbrushes are supposed to be set down on the paper plate when someone is finished with theirs.

I know there's debate on what works best.  We've done quite well with this system.  When we're done, the clay goes in a box lid, students help me collect the supplies, I slap lids on the portion cups, put all the cups in a Rubbermaid bin with a wet sponge to keep them damp, and off we go to wash our hands.

Before you ask... I have 31 classes (almost 800 kids) with 35 minute-long class periods. 4-day cycle. Yep. :)  [UPDATED for the 2021-2022 year - 36 classes, 860 kids, 30 min classes]

No Glue for You! - Glue Trick

Teaching opening and closing glue to kindergarten students... because sometimes you just get tired of saying "Twist it shut!" over and over (and, they probably get tired of hearing it). We scrunch up our necks, bringing our heads to our shoulders for SHUT glue or closed. Then, lift our heads waaaaay up for open (glue cap twisting up). The "No Glue for You!" part is mostly for me, and the parents when they hear it. ;) 

We also hold our glue up in the air when it is closed at the end of class. Then, we tap glues with our neighbor and say "Cheers" and put them into our table buckets. Because it's fun.

4th Grade Color Wheel/Line Designs - Diversity Event

Our district is hosting a Celebrate Diversity event in January 2015, and has asked for artwork to be displayed from the elementaries. My grade 4 students usually open the school year with a line design/pattern project and some sort of color wheel review. This year, I tried to kill three birds with one stone, so to speak. After reviewing patterns and line designs, we painted with watercolors (reviewing the color wheel and color mixing). Then, we talked about images that symbolized peace, diversity, unity and added those to the centers of our "wheels." 

Idea tweaked from a Pinterest post - HERE

Plain Organized: Warm and Cool Colors

This year, I am really trying to drive home the concept of warm and cool colors with my grade 2 students (and remind the older ones). I made these posters after seeing a cute Pinterest post, and their size works well for many things. I got a hold of a pile of different color rubber laminate(?) pieces and glued magnets on their backs to make a sorting game. And, I use them to label supplies when I can!

Posters used in bins at one school - set out for kids to use

Posters with Johnsonite samples (magnets glued to the samples)

Scrap paper bins - Warm and Cool

Laminated paint swatches with magnets glued to the backs

 

Dot Day 2014: coLAR Mix App

This is worth checking out if you have access to iPads or tablets for your art classes.  I borrowed one iPad per table from our third grade class set at Avondale and loaded the coLAR Mix app on each. There are a bunch of different papers the app has available - we used the one specifically for Dot Day.  I did a quick demonstration of how to use the app -- first, design and color your dot (stay inside the circle), then open the app and open the picture taking part of it.  If you keep the colored paper in view, the paper appears blue, announces it's processing, and then you are in business.  You can change the view to multiples or a few versions of 3D. The kids figured out extra tricks too (getting down quite low, holding the iPad at a certain angle to get more "planets," how to get their hand AS part of the dot, etc.).