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.

Why Kindergarten is Awesome!

I love my kindergarten students. Yes, they have the attention span of a gnat, and it's kinda like herding cats or goldfish most days, but they are so easy to please.  Today, we "dunked" our clay textured heart pendants, and strung them on a rainbow shoelace. (I discovered years ago that a bucket or two of acrylic paint with a lot of water allows many to add color quickly.  With the older kids, we dip first, then add details later, but for this project, dipping adds the splash of color needed).  To add a little bling, we strung a few beads on either side of the heart.  I mentioned that they might want to create a pattern, but they were so stinkin' excited to get their little fingers on my beads, that they could not concentrate on a pattern.  And THAT is why Kindergarten is awesome.  A shoestring and a box of beads, and they were in heaven- they strung away, until I cut them off, so that we'd have time to tie the ends all up.  The "Meat" of the lesson was a focus on texture, and basic clay techniques.  We made small slabs, and experimented with a variety of objects to create texture.  I cut out a heart from each one's slab, and then they used some of their left over clay to roll a coil, and create their initial, which we attached to the heart.  I poked holes, and fired, and well, you know the rest! 

On the Farm

The kindergarten students and I have been working on texture.  We created these little farms by using odds and ends around the art room.  Way back at the beginning of the year, this group practiced painting by covering an entire paper with sky color.  We used it as a backdrop for our Red Grooms exhibit, and now that the exhibit is down, we recycled them by making our farm sky with them.  Wallpaper was used for the ground.  The rest is an assortment of crafty left overs. 

This Lesson keeps getting better...

Ever have one of those projects that you love to teach, but you keep re-vamping it every time?  For me, it is the Kindergarten Texture Plaques.  When I first began teaching 15 yrs ago (yikes) it was a lesson I taught to the Kindergarten as a way of exploring texture, and introducing clay and texture tools.  It was a big blob of clay, and we strung yarn through them, and wore them home.  Fun.  Then, I found a couple awesome packs of alphabet cookie cutters.  We began to cut out their first initial, out of the best section of their textured clay.  Even better.  This year, the lesson fell around Valentines day, so I first had them cut out a heart from their textured clay, and then we rolled coils and made their first letter to attach to the heart (including those language/writing skills).  I just so happened to have a huge donation of rainbow shoelaces (random) which we strung onto the hearts, and those finished with more time were allowed to use my beads to create a pattern on both sides.  The kids are delighted, and so excited to wear them home.  We used tempera cakes to paint them, and I had them put a coat of Acrylic Polymer Medium over the top to add a little shine.

Jim Dine Hearts- Kindergarten

So, this time of year, love is in the air (or at least, excitement is).  The little ones are seeing hearts pop up everywhere, beginning to talk about their valentines and I'm starting to see the shoe box valentine mailboxes walk into school.  Perfect time to review shapes, and symmetry.  The kindergarten students and I have been talking about textures.  So I taught them how to use texture plates, and we rubbed away.  Then, we cut our textured papers into hearts, and embellished them with a variety of textured materials such as paperclips, cotton balls, ribbons, foil, and beads/buttons.  After that all dried, I squirted a paint/glitter medium mixture onto their papers, and they spread, mixed and swirled with their paint brushes.  Our final step was to use black glue to "draw" the hearts back on top.  Very fun way to use a lot of textures, and bring in the always fun Jim Dine Hearts.