Crunch Time!!

We have 20 school days until the art show...yikes!
As students complete art projects throughout the year, I frame one project at a time for each class.  I put the framed artwork in the student's homerooms for display until the art show.  This works great---I have a place to store them and the kids love that they are displayed in their rooms.  Just under 200 artworks left to frame!
On top of finishing up all of our projects for the picture frames.  I am also going to attempt to complete a 96 square foot bottle cap mural with all students k-6 in one week.  No pressure!

(Thank you to Fairview's art teacher for the awesome handprint project idea!)

Keep saving bottle caps!

I am attempting to make a bottle cap mural with all of my students K-6!  We are still in the process of collecting them.  Wish me luck!

 This box sits outside of my classroom.  Kids drop bottle caps in it as they collect and bring them in from home.

 On my back counter I have color coded boxes.  When the box outside of my classroom gets full we sort the bottle caps into these boxes.  When the boxes get full I put them in large trash bags in a storage room.  Soon, we plan to take all of these bottle caps and create a mural (every student k-6) to hang in the school for display.  

Taylor separating bottle caps. 

Audubon Inspired Birds

My fifth graders recently finished this Audubon inspired project.  The student's always get excited when they get to work with metal.  The best part of this project is every single one turned out great!  I love successful projects like these!

Exploring with iPads!!

I checked out our library's two iPads to use with my MD students.  The results were exciting!  Even the teacher and aides were having fun exploring the art applications.  

Doc. Camera...Finally!

I was so lucky to be able to use our science teacher's document camera this week!  He said use it for as long as you want, so I plan to keep it for awhile. ;)  It was very exciting to have the project projected on the smart board blown up so large the kids could see all of the details without a struggle! 

My work station.

Student's working on their projects.

Finished Projects 

   

A new art community.

I've decided to create this blog to keep in contact and share ideas with other art educators.  I'll start with showing you my home away from home.  Our school is three years old and is a HUGE improvement from where we came from (I have heat in this classroom!)   

This is my view from the front of the room by the chalkboard.  Yes, I do have a chalkboard in a 21st century classroom! I know it looks VERY plain for an art room and I'm working on it.  I love the storage space, counter top space, large sinks, and roomy table tops for the kidos.    

This view is through my student's eyes. 

This is an overall view of my room.

This bulletin board is right by the door.  As the student's walk in they can see what they are working on as well as other grades and get a preview of our feature artist.

This is my class behavior chart.  Every time the class has a great day they earn a sticker for their crayon.  When the class earn 12 stickers they have a free art day.  During this time they use wiki sticks, clay, free draw, etc.

The number one rule in my room is never say the words "I can't".   I used to have a tombstone on this bulletin board that read "R.I.P. I Can't".   I told the students he died and we are not to talk about him again.  It is a little gloomy,  I know.  A teacher down the hall read a book with this poem to her student's and they insisted that she give it to me.  I was excited to change it to a cheerier brighter "I can't" bulletin board.