Fused Glass Christmas Tree - Class Project

This is a clear piece of glass with the coefficient of 90. It has small pieces of glass glued on to it with regular Elmer's Glue. We fused it in the glass kiln and sold it as a class project at our School Auction last year. Really simple, but fun to do.

It measured like 12 inches by an 8 inch base.

Enjoy=)

1969

Hand Print Ceramic Tile Mirrors

Look how these turned out! Love them....you guessed it a school auction item. See details of other mirrors done in the same way here.

Happy Tuesday =)

1969

Pumpkin Clay Rattles

These are such a cute idea! Have you ever made rattles in art class? If not, all ya need to know is how to make 2 pinch pots.....mend them together. Place several small clay ball inside of the rattle before you mend. The larger the balls the more dull the sound will be. If you want a high pitch sound then you should make smaller balls.

Google how to make clay rattles and tons of information comes up for you to research and share with the kids making the project. Be sure to poke a small hole in the bottom as this will help in the firing as doing this will hopefully secure that the rattles will not blow up.

I'll do another post soon of other themes my students chose to make. I thought this would be a good quick post as we are almost to December and moving away from Fall ideas into Winter ideas in my classroom.

Hope you all have a wonderful cyber Monday =)
xox 1969

Mixed Media Watercolor Fish

Pretty simple but effective lesson. Draw out fish using pencil on 12x18 white paper. Color in fish with crayons or oil pastels. Watercolor the background. Outline in black markers. You can do this lesson in 2 class periods. All kids were successful with this unit. The big item I focused on was using the entire page! This lesson lends itself to being used with a book from the library to tie in Language Arts. It is also a great way to work in the use of the Elements and Principles of Art.

Happy Sunday...1969

A Few More Turkey Ideas =)

Turkey Time........GOBBLE GOBBLE.....these are a few turkeys that we have painted over the past few years in art class. A great way to teach pattern or even an artist's style! Happy Thanksgiving everyone...I hope you all had a good one...I know we did - nothing better than family, food, friends and a good game of volleyball and football in the front yard!

How does a clay ceramic turkey end up on the front of a school's Thanksgiving Card?

How cool is this....Slab Rolled Turkey created by 7th grader. Well, we thought it was so funky that we made it into our School's Thanksgiving Card. Check it out below!

Slab Rolled Turkey - White clay. Used Texture pads to create texture on clay. Wire and beads for feet and for the hanger at the top! So simple...easy and effective!

Front of card for the school

Lay out of the card cover to cover

Inside of the card

This is how it all got started in the kiln! Oh, the PR possibilities for a school via the art room!

x0x0 1969

Ron Clark and his Teacher Talk is SPOT ON!

by karen #1965 third grade teacher....i am from the south...and i have been teaching 20+ years...and this is my blog...and i can express myself and my thoughts...and i agree with this guy...i know folks from all over the world stop by...and things may be different in ur neck of the world...but this is pretty much how it is in the south in the usa...seriously...things were so different in the 1970s...the teacher was respected...my parents would never question the teacher...if the teacher said so, well so be it...i guess the world has gotten so twisted...what happened?...has the media sensationalized so much that parents have been brainwashed with distrust?...what is it with the parents in their 30s and 40s? (hey, i am in this group)...i truly feel like i was called to be a teacher...i remember telling one of my favorite teachers when i was in high school that i would never be a teacher...never....and so, i went to college and got a degree in design...as i went through the design program, i did think about teaching...but i had told my favorite teacher that i would never be a teacher so i didn't bend on that one...well, i got out of college...and guess what?...i hated design...i hated selling...it was not my thing...so...in the meanwhile, my sister was majoring in art ed..my best bud was majoring in regular ed...and i loved kids...and at some point i decided i would pray and ask God what the heck he wanted me to do...i listened to him...finally...and went and got a teaching degree...once i got in the education program, i knew it was the right thing to do...loved being creative...loved the kids...the stars lined up and i was finally on the path that just felt right.............so...this teaching thing...it was God's idea...not mine...and i figure if He is in it, well it has gotta be good...

if you have not read the ron clark letter...go ahead and check it out below...and ponder...if you can figure out what happened to change the parent-teacher dynamics, write CNN...and maybe i will comment on ur article one day...

p.s. to all the mamas with little kids...please put the dang cell phones down and love on ur kids!...

happy tuesday, november 22, 2011!

What teachers really want to tell parents

By Ron Clark, Special to CNN

updated 9:12 AM EST, Tue September 6, 2011

Teacher Ron Clark is pictured with his students.

Editor's note: Ron Clark, author of "The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers," has been named "American Teacher of the Year" by Disney and was Oprah Winfrey's pick as her "Phenomenal Man." He founded The Ron Clark Academy, which educators from around the world have visited to learn.

(CNN) -- This summer, I met a principal who was recently named as the administrator of the year in her state. She was loved and adored by all, but she told me she was leaving the profession.

I screamed, "You can't leave us," and she quite bluntly replied, "Look, if I get an offer to lead a school system of orphans, I will be all over it, but I just can't deal with parents anymore; they are killing us."

Unfortunately, this sentiment seems to be becoming more and more prevalent. Today, new teachers remain in our profession an average of just 4.5 years, and many of them list "issues with parents" as one of their reasons for throwing in the towel. Word is spreading, and the more negativity teachers receive from parents, the harder it becomes to recruit the best and the brightest out of colleges.

So, what can we do to stem the tide? What do teachers really need parents to understand?

For starters, we are educators, not nannies. We are educated professionals who work with kids every day and often see your child in a different light than you do. If we give you advice, don't fight it. Take it, and digest it in the same way you would consider advice from a doctor or lawyer. I have become used to some parents who just don't want to hear anything negative about their child, but sometimes if you're willing to take early warning advice to heart, it can help you head off an issue that could become much greater in the future.

Trust us. At times when I tell parents that their child has been a behavior problem, I can almost see the hairs rise on their backs. They are ready to fight and defend their child, and it is exhausting. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I tell a mom something her son did and she turns, looks at him and asks, "Is that true?" Well, of course it's true. I just told you. And please don't ask whether a classmate can confirm what happened or whether another teacher might have been present. It only demeans teachers and weakens the partnership between teacher and parent.

Please quit with all the excuses

And if you really want to help your children be successful, stop making excuses for them. I was talking with a parent and her son about his summer reading assignments. He told me he hadn't started, and I let him know I was extremely disappointed because school starts in two weeks.

His mother chimed in and told me that it had been a horrible summer for them because of family issues they'd been through in July. I said I was so sorry, but I couldn't help but point out that the assignments were given in May. She quickly added that she was allowing her child some "fun time" during the summer before getting back to work in July and that it wasn't his fault the work wasn't complete.

Can you feel my pain?

Some parents will make excuses regardless of the situation, and they are raising children who will grow into adults who turn toward excuses and do not create a strong work ethic. If you don't want your child to end up 25 and jobless, sitting on your couch eating potato chips, then stop making excuses for why they aren't succeeding. Instead, focus on finding solutions.

Parents, be a partner instead of a prosecutor

And parents, you know, it's OK for your child to get in trouble sometimes. It builds character and teaches life lessons. As teachers, we are vexed by those parents who stand in the way of those lessons; we call them helicopter parents because they want to swoop in and save their child every time something goes wrong. If we give a child a 79 on a project, then that is what the child deserves. Don't set up a time to meet with me to negotiate extra credit for an 80. It's a 79, regardless of whether you think it should be a B+.

This one may be hard to accept, but you shouldn't assume that because your child makes straight A's that he/she is getting a good education. The truth is, a lot of times it's the bad teachers who give the easiest grades, because they know by giving good grades everyone will leave them alone. Parents will say, "My child has a great teacher! He made all A's this year!"

Wow. Come on now. In all honesty, it's usually the best teachers who are giving the lowest grades, because they are raising expectations. Yet, when your children receive low scores you want to complain and head to the principal's office.

Please, take a step back and get a good look at the landscape. Before you challenge those low grades you feel the teacher has "given" your child, you might need to realize your child "earned" those grades and that the teacher you are complaining about is actually the one that is providing the best education.
And please, be a partner instead of a prosecutor. I had a child cheat on a test, and his parents threatened to call a lawyer because I was labeling him a criminal. I know that sounds crazy, but principals all across the country are telling me that more and more lawyers are accompanying parents for school meetings dealing with their children.

Teachers walking on eggshells

I feel so sorry for administrators and teachers these days whose hands are completely tied. In many ways, we live in fear of what will happen next. We walk on eggshells in a watered-down education system where teachers lack the courage to be honest and speak their minds. If they make a slight mistake, it can become a major disaster.

My mom just told me a child at a local school wrote on his face with a permanent marker. The teacher tried to get it off with a wash cloth, and it left a red mark on the side of his face. The parent called the media, and the teacher lost her job. My mom, my very own mother, said, "Can you believe that woman did that?"

I felt hit in the gut. I honestly would have probably tried to get the mark off as well. To think that we might lose our jobs over something so minor is scary. Why would anyone want to enter our profession? If our teachers continue to feel threatened and scared, you will rob our schools of our best and handcuff our efforts to recruit tomorrow's outstanding educators.

Finally, deal with negative situations in a professional manner.

If your child said something happened in the classroom that concerns you, ask to meet with the teacher and approach the situation by saying, "I wanted to let you know something my child said took place in your class, because I know that children can exaggerate and that there are always two sides to every story. I was hoping you could shed some light for me." If you aren't happy with the result, then take your concerns to the principal, but above all else, never talk negatively about a teacher in front of your child. If he knows you don't respect her, he won't either, and that will lead to a whole host of new problems.

We know you love your children. We love them, too. We just ask -- and beg of you -- to trust us, support us and work with the system, not against it. We need you to have our backs, and we need you to give us the respect we deserve. Lift us up and make us feel appreciated, and we will work even harder to give your child the best education possible.

That's a teacher's promise, from me to you.

Complimentary Color Collages

This is a super easy way to teach a color wheel unit on Complimentary Colors! Most of the time I use paint to do this, but I saw this lesson on another art blog and borrowed it from Tekenen en zo 

http://kidsartists.blogspot.com that's the English version  Art Edcuation Blog has some really cool ideas. Check it out over the holidays when you have a break. The lesson was a huge success. I had 9x12 assorted construction paper for the kids. I also had 2x2 complimentary colors cut. They had to follow the recipe and match them up in each square.

Happy Monday =) 1969

Auction Items from Art Class

Here are a few ideas that we have made in the past for our school's auction!

Enjoy...1969

Ceramics do SELL and they are ever so FUNCTIONAL =)

North Florida Fair Art Show!!!

We sure do love an art show!

Holy Comoforter respresented our Fine Arts Department really well this year.  Wow! Look at all those ribbons =)

Happy Saturday!

1969

3-D Paper Pumpkins...Gobble 'Til You Wobble =)

A few more items to help with those filler lessons throughout the holiday season. How about a 3-D paper pumpkin? These are super easy to make. All you need is orange paper. Cut 5 circles out the same size. 1 circle needs to be 1/2 the size of the other 5. You can see from the visuals how this works. Fold the 5 circles in 1/2 and cut a slit in the middle. Use the smaller circle to slide the each individual circle's slit on....super easy. The kids were allowed to decorate them using other papers from the scrap box. These were the detailed pieces - like the stems, vines, leaves...etc. I have taught this lesson off and on over the past 20+ years and it is always a success because the kids want to be able to make 3D art! Enjoy! 1969

I also found this sign on Pinterest! I thought it was hilarious. The kids could have made tags and put them on the pumpkins too!

Thanksgiving Artsy - Craftsy

Hey! Happy almost Thanksgiving! We decided to make use of those toilet paper and paper towel tubes that people donate. These turned out really cute. I gave the kids instructions on make something to do with Thanksgiving. We worked in good craftsmanship and some of the Elements and Principles of ART! I was pretty pleased with them. I can see some of these guys being used as decorations at home over the next few TURKEY Days!

Hope you have a good one =)

1969

kids love duck tape!

by karen #1965 third grade teacher...kids can do cool things with duck tape...adults, too...here are a couple of things that my kids have been doing...

check this out...duct tape girl on youtube...

(pause playlist)

so get some duck tape...and create!

happy wednesday, november 16, 2011!