Weaving trick

I can't believe I've been teaching this lesson for 11 years and only now did this trick come about. A thoughtful parent volunteer slid paper under the center of the loom while the kids were weaving their designs (such as squares and rectangles). It's so smart! Wonderful trick!!!

Rolled Paper Beads a Success!

The rolled paper beads the 4th-5th graders (and a few 3rd graders) made for our Cultural Arts Day on the Lake Victoria Region of Africa were amazing! This was a lot of work but it was fun to make something so beautiful out of recycled paper. Each bead started off as an isosceles triangle, cut from junk mail or old magazines. A little glue and a little patience is then all it took to form a lovely, biconal bead. All students at our school wore the necklaces, that were handmade by the 4th-5th graders, on Cultural Art Days. The lovely BeadforLife ladies visited us that day and many families purchased necklaces made in Uganda to wear as well. The excitement was contagious!

Women in Uganda make these exact types of beads and beaded jewelry. The only difference is they seal the beads to make them waterproof and they make hundreds of beads. The sales of these necklaces help the women and their families have a better life. Many women invest the money they earn and start their own businesses, in many fields, after their 18-month training with BeadforLife. Check out the necklaces at beadforlife.org  This is a great project for kids and adults with a wonderful community and global connection.

Photos: necklace created by 3rd grader, Beadforlife bracelets, The Spirit of Uganda dance troop

Creative Play - art, mentorship and play area design

Connect with Nature through Weaving

The Tinkering Studio @ the Exploratorium

Who doesn't love sand?

I've been so inspired about the benefits of PLAY thanks to my 18 month old daughter and visiting Nueva School to hear Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. speak. What is play? It's a mental and physical activity not related to survival. Thompson says it's "the spontaneous activity of children", a "signature mammalian behavior". David Elkind says it's "the inborn disposition for learning, curiosity, imagination and fantasy". Is our society losing unscheduled and creative play? Screen time, soccer practice, parents worried about children's safety...all threaten "free, undirected play".  What does this mean? Could it be a link to higher rates of obesity, stress and increased ADHD? Felix Adler says "we need to give children lots of sunshine when they are young. They are going to need it later." Thompson sums his ideas up by saying "play is the sunshine of childhood".

What can I do? In a few years, trust (gulp) my daughter to play on her own without constant supervision. Obviously some safety nets have to be established. Right now, I'd like to infuse some play into my K-5 school through our weekly advisory program. I don't just want to provide more recess but opportunities for kids to explore, be dramatic, role play, build, and create. I'm going to let the students drive. Will they want to work with legos, make handmade paper, build a ship to play in? Older kids will eventually pair up with younger kids so we can have a little mentoring going on. Finally, I must not forget empathy. Employing "design thinking" strategies...the older kids will need to find the need of the younger kids. What does our school lack? What do they want more of? I just need to remember from Thompson that adults don't need to improve on play. I just need to facilitate.

I'm looking forward to my task. Play on!

WAC Holiday Party

Proud of my displays for the WAC company holiday party (good job Sanford & team). Helped Laura run the craft station...shrinky dinks were a hit as always (loved the Justin Bieber ornaments) and the sparkly peppermint playdoh dazzled all. Not to mention holiday cards, snowflakes and more. On an epicurean note, I especially enjoyed the corndogs & rootbeer float at the carnival themed party.

Ugandan Art Ideas

Soap Carved Mask:
Just finished my first ever soap carving- how did I escape childhood without doing this? This is a possible craft for our school's Cultural Arts Day on Uganda in 2012. With 30-45 minutes, the kids may need to finish at home if they are perfectionists like their art teacher.
*Tools: plastic knife, chopstick, toothpick and popsicle sticks.
Remember to look at all sides while carving. Be prepared- soap dust everywhere! At the end, kids will need to wash hands with water only.

2D African Mask:
The 4th & 5th graders are drawing African masks with oil pastel & pastel right now in art class (see above sample and directions below). We will watch a video of a mask dance/rite from Western Africa http://www.sorosoro.org/en/the-mukuji-rite-with-the-punu-from-gabon

**ADDENDUM ON MASKS: we learned during our African studies that masks are more Western African than Eastern. Thank you to Francis, Ed, Elizabeth and company for all your great work on Cultural Arts Day!

Batik with spray bottle:  Another idea for a craft rotation.
*Tools: white crayon or candle, paper, diluted paint in spray bottle (I used tempera), paper towels
Kids draw designs, adult teaches proper "spray bottle techniques" (quick, open & close motion~ not slow and incomplete pull). Each kid gets up to 4 sprays, then wipes off extra "dye" with a paper towel. A new, double-folded school paper towel is placed around batik like a folder to get home safely.

Beaded Necklaces:  
Tools: recycled glossy mailings (campaign mailings, Bed Bath & Beyond Coupons, etc), scissors, glue, old pencils, string, pony beads
Kids will make necklaces in art class before CAD, to be worn the day of.
http://www.beadforlife.org/video/4DVDRoll.html

Clay Tips Unveiled

We just finished a successful week of clay lessons. I do clay for a school of 750+ kids in one week. It is a fast-paced, productive and exhausting week. Thank goodness for my "clay angels" (a.k.a. parent volunteers). I'm sharing my top tips with all of you:
1) practice with playdoh the week before (see previous post for recipe for homemade playdoh) or at the very least, draw your ideas.
2) get help with cutting the clay! I now have a scale out. Most grade levels get 1/2 pound of clay per child. Although I can eyeball the clay, I find the scale helpful to people who don't work with it much so they can calibrate their cuts.
3) Label materials. See photo. This helps volunteers and kids with clean up.

4) Label projects. I now have teachers write absent kids' names or "all present" on a post-it note and stick it to the clay box. Soon I'll make a spreadsheet of kids who were absent for the clay day and the glazing day so I can catch those kids sometime before our spring art show. My goal is to have everyone in the school complete the clay lesson

5) Post directions for parent volunteers. I get specific with these directions such as "write name only on the bottom of clay" (otherwise names creep up the sides of pinch pots and names get painted over later).

Yes, this is art class- it should be creative and fun. However this is the one lesson we can't finish the next week (not gracefully anyways). All kids and volunteers know the expectations. When the bell rings, they need to "make it work". I think we're all really proud of ourselves by the end of the lesson.

Play Dough!

Who doesn't love play dough? The homemade kind is so much better than store bought. We just finished using it in art class as a preparation for our clay project (gives the kids a chance to plan their project) and I used it at a baby shower I threw (we played sculpturades which is like pictionary but 3D rather than 2D). This play dough is not edible (I've heard the salt levels can be toxic). Here's the recipe I use:

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup water

½ cup salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Food coloring

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Use a wooden spoon to stir over medium heat until ball forms. Turn the hot ball out onto a counter or cutting board and begin kneading as it cools.

Yields 4-6 small balls