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I absolutely LOVED this project, as did the students! We are very excited to share it with you. One of the most fun things about having fourth grade at our school this year has been that I get to explore a whole new set of projects with them. This project was designed to go along with their IB unit "Structures." The goal of our work was to experiment with the structure of a very common object- the chair. I used this video to introduce the idea to students- Just by watching this video, my kids started to get excited about the project. Our first day was spent sketching, planning, and dreaming- and some kids were dreaming BIG! We had plans for race-car chairs, rocket ship chairs, even a chair with a built-in smoothie maker! Then it was time to get to work! Students spent the next three class sessions constructing their chairs. My job was to dispense the hot glue, so I did not get to circulate around the room like I normally would when students were working. But, this meant that students had to solve their own design problems without my input! I was so happy to see them taking ownership of their designs and really striving to make them successful! The requirements for the project were:
Our construction materials were anything and everything... odds and ends from the hardware store and the craft store, along with anything else I had in my storage cabinets. I did have some special requests for items like glitter and glow-in-the-dark paint, so I accommodated those requests the best I could! This video was another great inspiration- a professional furniture craftsman at work! I love how he tells his story, from starting out as a kid building skateboard ramps, and how he transitioned to the beautiful work he does today! He also does a great job explaining the importance of science and math for his craft. Here are some in-progress pictures. And here are a few of the finished designs! Each student also completed a reflection sheet about their creative process. This project will definitely be one we repeat each year!
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Recently our school hosted an event promoting literacy. The theme was "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"- all about baseball. We had baseball books, snacks, games, music- even some real baseball players came to visit! Our art project for the night was inspired by the circular shape of a baseball- we did "Circle Painting"! The concept of Circle Painting was developed as a way to bring harmony and unity to communities through collaborative art-making. (Visit circlepainting.org for more information and to see how Circle Painting has transformed communities all over the world!) The main goal behind our Circle Painting project was for painters to create any design they wished using ONLY circles. Also, the painting is meant to happen in a very respectful and considerate way- you can add to a circle someone has already made, but your additions shouldn't cover up or overtake the original circle. I loved seeing our school community make art together. Students, parents, siblings, grandparents, and even the teachers had a part in making these artworks happen! And here are some of the finished canvases. They are gorgeous! One of my very favorite books to use in our classroom is Barney Saltzberg's Beautiful Oops. This book is all about taking something that you think is ruined and turning it into something amazing. It teaches problem-solving and creative thinking, which is important not just in the Art room but in everyday life! This video gives you a quick glance through the book . . . I also showed each class this video of Barney Saltzberg himself speaking to a group of students. They loved getting to "meet" a real author and illustrator! I absolutely love the way he explains his creative thinking process- it's definitely worth watching. We spent three class sessions exploring ideas from this book. The first week we used scraps of newspaper to create paintings. Students were encouraged to use the shape of the torn paper to inspire their creations. Making a rainbow. A girl with a ponytail. Purple mountains and a rainy day at the beach. A kitty with a purple nose. (Sometimes we think better on the floor!!) The next week we made animals out of paper scraps. Instead of throwing the crumpled papers away, we used the folded-over parts to make the animals' heads! In the final week of this exploration, students turned drips and splats of paint into drawings. These classes worked collaboratively on large papers-- And these students worked individually to create their designs-- A fire-breathing dragon. A ballerina in a tutu. A baby flamingo. A butterfly in a garden. "I made a beautiful spider." "I made a spaceship. I made an alien." "I made a toothbrush. I made it from a splat of paint." And this one is my favorite- "I made a mug." It's a broken coffee mug with the coffee spilled everywhere! Finally, we put all our creations together into a display to share with our school community. "When you think you have made a mistake, think of it as a opportunity to make SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL!" This super-fun project was inspired by kindergarten's current IB unit, which is about exploring what creativity is, how to be an original thinker, and what it means to be curious and to ask good questions. In the Art room, I want our kindergartners to "think outside the box". I talk to the kids all the time about how they can see the world with their "artist eyes" and that it's okay to have a completely different idea from someone else. To me, that's what it means to be creative! For this project, we were inspired by the contemporary artist Hanoch Piven. His art consists of collage-style portraits using anything and everything! Often, the "stuff" he uses to make someone's portrait gives clues about that person's personality or occupation. Here are some examples of Piven's work: Then our kindergartners got to experiment! We spent one whole class period making as many faces as possible with lots of different materials. It was fun to see how everyone used similar objects, but in unique ways! In the next class, students chose one of their designs to glue down to a background they had already made. Here are some of the completed designs! |
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