You know those art lessons that you really want to do, but continually move it to the back burner because you're really nervous about trying it? (Or maybe it's just me?)
The first time I saw Stefan Bucher's "Daily Monsters" I flipped. So wonderfully simple yet fantastic. I so wanted to share the idea with my students but my fears were:
1. Ink. My classroom is not an "art room". I don't even have a sink in my room. (So far, I'm the only art teacher I know without a sink.) Hence, using INK for a project seemed daunting at best.
2. Blown Ink Monsters. Sometimes when I give my students lots of freedom/little instruction many of them freeze and look at me like I just told them perform brain surgery. I then spend a significant portion of the period coaxing these students to really stretch and come up with something creative w/o me spoon feeding it to them. I realize this is my job, but when my lessons are more structured and the expectations are more defined, my job becomes easier.
Well, I bit the bullet before spring break & assigned the students the task of creating their own "Ink Monsters". I showed them some of the Daily Monsters created by Mr. Bucher first. Then my fears quickly disappeared and I had a blast watching and listening to my students create fun and fanciful monsters.
Step 1 - drop some ink on paper, we used white construction paper size 5x7"
Step 2 - blow ink around with a straw, we tried skinny stir straws too and they didn't work as well as regular straws. I also cut the straws in half, thinking the kids wouldn't have to blow as hard. I'm not a scientist though, so I have no idea if this was true.
Step 3 - Embellish the ink blot w/ a black marker and create a monster.
These are some of the Monsters they created:
What grade level made these?
ReplyDeleteThese were made by high school students:)
ReplyDeleteI did this project last year with my Grade 8 & 9's- they LOVED it. I like this lesson as it seems every student can be quite successful with it.
ReplyDeleteIn my first school, I didn't have a sink either, so I can truly empathize!! I used a big metal bucket which I had to dump out and refill after each class. I got used to it but when I think back now I wonder how I managed!! lol!
Miss, Thank you thank you for sharing that at one time you too didn't have a sink. It's so good to hear from someone else who knows what it's like:)
ReplyDeletethese are wonderful. You are brave though. I know exactly what you mean by pushing certain lesson back. Great project. congratulations.
ReplyDelete