Cityscapes with 1st grade

Greetings all- it's been awhile, but if you are reading this, you probably know how crazy the beginning of a school year can be.  The kiddos are amazing this year, but there is so much to do!

The 1st graders have been exploring architecture; specifically cityscapes and skyscrapers.  We began by looking at a variety of city structures such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Chrysler Building, Willis Tower (in the old days, this was The Sears Tower) and other buildings.  We compared and contrasted, and to get a little math in, we used the "Greater Than/Less Than" symbol as we discussed features, sizes, etc.  And, we each created our own skyscrapers, which were assembled in the hall to make a giant skyline. 

This project stemmed from that.  It's an oldie, but a goodie- the kids think it's just magical.  I had the students fold their paper lengthwise and draw a cityscape across the top.  They used water soluable cray-pas to color and trace.  While I didn't force a lot of small details for this project, I did encourage a variety of buildings.  When the students had completed the coloring, sky included, I sprayed their paper with water, they folded, and rubbed.  When they opened, it revealed a reflection of their city on the bottom half of the paper.  I made this a one day project to assess how we were progressing with the idea of city buildings, but you could extend it in a variety of ways- having students do preliminary drawings, or layer colors, or even be a little pickier about pushing hard and tracing important details.

I don't know what it is about this one- but I love it in an abstract sorta way.

Home Sweet Home

Since Mr. E posted his Clay Facade project in progress, I figured I'd post my results.  I give the kiddos a pre-sized paper, usually about 6x9.  They draw a house (using lots of my pictures from my files to avoid the typical square house/triangle roof).  Then, I have them cut out their picture and use it as a stencil, placing it directly on top of their slab and cutting around it.  They often make changes as they build from clay, but it gives a good starting point.  And, it holds them slightly accountable to the design they chose.  On a side note- I keep the "stencils" until all classes have created their facades in case someone in another class was sick on the day we drew houses- this allows them to catch up quickly, and I find that they still make changes, and personalize the house to their taste.

I cannot say enough about Mayco "Stroke N Coate" glazes.  It has the clearcoat in it, the colors are bright, and a little goes a long way.  I only glaze a choice few projects with 2-4th grades.

I pulled examples of colonial homes, since the students were/are discussing Paul Revere in Social Studies. Some caught on, others, well, not so much.  Either way, good texture on the roof, and nice even glazing.

So curious

Bless this 4th grader's heart.  He is so meticulous, and while that is a good thing, on a clay day,  our projects tend to be one day doozies, that have to be done, since I may not see the student again for days.  But, this one was willing to risk it drying out, if I put it in a bag, and tried to remember to spray it- and, for the most part it worked out.  We lost a couple of the turrets. but most of it made it- he's been glazing for 2 days (2 hour long art session) and I am so curious to see how these bricks glaze.  Usually, my kiddos slap a coat of glaze on, and we call it good- but with the Mayco Stroke N Coat glazes, there is such a variety of color, that students like this have a great time with the paint job.  This year is the first year that any of the kids caught on that if they left the mortar unglazed, it would have a very realistic effect.  I loaded this up tonight, and will be so excited to see it tomorrow.