Do Bunnies Really Lay Eggs?

Spring has sprung in our neck of the woods! (And my allergies can prove it...)
Time for an art lesson with bird's nests and colorful eggs. And since we're making bird's nests, lets give 'em some texture.
Materials:
9x12 background construction paper
4x6" white construction paper (for the eggs)
crayons
scissors
white glue
pasta noodles, we used spaghetti because it's fun to break into pieces (When I told the kids the truth about the fact that these noodles had been sitting in a dirty cupboard in my garage for over a year, not one child put any in their mouths.)

Hey, who says an egg can't be in the shape of a football - (this little guy was so proud of his idea:)

Thanks to San Gabriel Elementary artists!!!!

Miro People

Image by kamikazecactus via Flickr

I finally got to teach this MIRO PEOPLE art lesson. Big thanks to Deep Space Sparkle and Miss Tabarcea for sharing their Miro art lesson examples.

We used black crayon to outline. (Sorry kids, no pencil first.....Can you teachers hear the audible "awwwww" right now?) Then painted with watercolors.

See the nifty little watercolor palette to the right of the artists above and below? These are so easy to store and something about their tiny round size makes me think the kids treat them a bit more carefully than the usual box sets they're used to. They're currently priced @ $1.29 and I got them here.

Thank you Santa Rosa Academic Academy students!!

M.C. Escher Quote

Image by Cayusa via Flickr

At moments of great enthusiasm it seems to me that no one in the world has ever made something this beautiful and important.
M.C. Escher, Netherlands, 1898-1972

I love this quote because I've seen the eyes and faces of children who've created their own art and they beam with pride and confidence similar to Escher's. At which point I feel so privileged to be in their presence.

Lines for Turtles and Fishies

Here we talked about lines and patterns and designs, then we drew some simple turtles and fish. Then it was time for the 1st graders to cut loose with their lines and designs to decorate their animals. This lesson was super fun and I want to thank Deep Space Sparkle for the inspiration. (I know I've seen similar lessons elsewhere too, so please pat yourself on the back if you're reading this and you have it on your blog too, thanks!)













Big Thanks to San Gabriel Elementary first graders!!!

What kids say (and draw)!

This one has been floating around the internet and teacher's lounges for a while now...but if you haven't seen it, you'll get a laugh. Make sure you read the caption.

This parent was saved by the truth, but there have been times when students will tell me things that their parents would be very embarrassed about if they knew their child was blabbing about it. (They're funny things.) All you parents out there, don't worry, I'm a professional-and it's "in the vault"!

Always check your kid's work before they turn it in. After it was graded and the child brought it home, she returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to be very clear on my child's illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole in a strip joint. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This picture is of me selling a shovel.

Asian Koi Fish

Image by jcolman via Flickr

The students were learning about how Chinese immigrants saved the day when it came to building our railroad out west, so I decided to it was time for some Asian art. Steps:

Use white pastel (crayons will work too, just not as dramatic) to draw the outline of a Koi fish on blue construction paper. Here are simple drawing instructions.

Draw back fin, and the top of the body.

Add the bottom of the body.

Add the nose, and fins.

Add the eyes.

2. After adding the eyes, the students trace their white outline, very gently with a black pastel.
3. Then the students outline random blotches with orange pastel, and color the blotches in with orange, yellow, and red.

4. Lastly the students color in the white, and added some white waves in the background.

Thank you Flamson students in Ms. Brosette's 8th grade class!!!!