Stamped Ceramic Bowls

Directions:

 

Kids smushed clay into Styrofoam bowls.

 

Kids stamped clay with rubber stamps.  (I had a request for a horse stamp.  I did not have one.  So heads up for all you teachers with horse lovers.  Get a horse stamp!)

We let the bowls sit for a week.

 



 

We fired the bowls.

 

Kids glazed fired bowls.

(Notice how I covered JJ's bottom with construction paper?  I covered all the bowls with construction paper because first graders would have glazed the bottom.  If I had a stilt warehouse close to the school campus, I would let the kids glaze the bottom.) 

 

 

Then, we Fired it UP, one last time.  When I fire up the kiln, I always yell "Fire it Up" and think of this song by Modest Mouse:

 

 

Finished product. 

Easy beginning clay project for first graders.

 

1965

Melted Baby Food Jar - Mirror Mirror On The Wall...

 

 

 

 

This is an item sold at our Southern Soiree (Maclay School's Auction) Click here for previous post.
We collected baby food jars.
Had kids put glass beads on bottom with Elmers Glue
Placed in kiln at (ceramic Skutt Kiln) Cone 015 on slow holding for .10
Took out and mosaic-ed on to a pre-made picture frame from Bisque Imports.
Cathy Hicks, Maclay's Lower School Art Teacher, was in charge of this item and we all think it turned out way funky cool!
Already thinking what we can do next year for our school's auction!
1969

Fly Away Old Art Supplies...In the form of a Butterfly!

The Butterfly Project-

Was it written on my lesson plans? No 
Were the supplies purchased for this specific project months in advance? No
Was it typed into curriculum tracking online website? No   

Was it planned 5 minutes before class showed up? Yes
Was it fun for kids? Yes
Did the lesson make kids think critically and enjoy the process? Yes

Honestly, I just decided last minute that I did not like my 2nd grade plan.  I walked in the supply room and just stood and looked.  I share the supply room with the high school art teacher.  I must say, the room is looking pretty much like a yard sale gone bad with a few nice packs of construction paper left at this point in the school year.

I saw a 6 pack of finger paint that had been donated.  I thought, well that is fun.  Took it back to the classroom and thought Ink Blot BUTTERFLY. 

Directions:

Get 18 x 24 paper

Fold the paper in half

Talk a little about symmetry (oh yeah, 2nd Grade classroom teachers will like)

Kids drew what they thought half the butterfly would look like

(loved this part because kids were engaged in a risk-free problem solving situation)

We looked at each other's half a butterfly and encouraged one another

Kids then put the finger paint on half of the butterfly

They folded

Some did not like results

They re-applied paint

And folded again

Very successful project

After the butterflies dried, we outlined with oil pastel. 

Then, we used old donated ribbon from the yard sale gone bad.

The last thing?  Just hot glue the antennae on (pipe cleaner) and twist away!

This is funny

Adeline's butterfly evolving

Seriously, I thought that I had never seen such a mess!

Here are 2 messes.  One is the butterfly mess.  The other is the
HOT MESS, Adeline!  Love her!

Here is Adeline's butterfly made with the yard sale gone bad supplies. 

More butterflies for your viewing pleasure-

Butterflies reminds me of "Fly Away"

The song by Lenny Kravitz

U know Lenny?

He is Roxy Roker's son.

Who is Roxy Roker?

Remember the sitcom The Jeffersons?

Cool, huh?

💙, 1965

1965

Boat Buoys ~ Middle School Art Lesson

After Spring Break and a week at the beach, I came home thinking of cool beach art. I wanted to do a lesson with boat buoys using oil pastels, watercolor and teaching some of the Elements and Principles of Design.So, I put my thinking cap on and my ever so talented students produced these pieces! I think they turned out GREAT!

1969

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Paint a Cooler

My daughter, Callie, has been in the process of painting a cooler.  The cooler is being donated to "Get Cooler for Camp Cooler Painting Competition".  The coolers will be on display at Night Of the Arts on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at the Terrapin Beer Company in Athens, GA.  The guests at the event will be able to drop tickets into their favorite coolers to finish off the "People's Choice" voting.  Everything raised at the Night of the Arts will benefit Camp for a Cause which is a UGA student organization that supports Camp Twin Lakes:  a camp for kids with serious illnesses and other life challenges.

The cooler had to be based on Athens, GA.  Callie decided to do music because music is a big part of who we are and Athens is certainly a music town.  

Here is how the cooler painting process evolved-

 

My fav band ever-REM



 

 

My fav band ever and my fav song ever-"Don't Go Back to Rockville"

If you are interested in voting on Callie's cooler, please do.  Just follow Camp for A Cause link and vote for Callie's cooler.  Callie is a pre-med student at UGA.  Callie's passion is helping people with disabilities achieve better health by incorporating art and music in their lives.  Camp Twin Lakes mission is to provide summer opportunities to those who have serious illnesses and disabilities that might not otherwise get to attend camp. 

 

Directions for the Cool  C o O L e R-

 

Sand down the cooler to get the shiny off.

Prime the cooler.

Paint the cooler with acrylic paint.

Put many coats of Modge Podge on the cooler.

Spray a few coats of polyurethane on the cooler.
Wrapped a little thin wire around the handle.

 

💙1965

Circles In The Sky

 

Yes, I saw this lesson on Pinterest. Pretty cool way to let students create freely with Patterns while using color to make the sky pop! Many ways to teach this lesson with all students having success.

1969

Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture!

Directions: 

Show the video below of how a Polaroid picture works.

Explain to kids that after the picture shoots out of the camera that most people shake the picture and watch it develop.

Take a picture of the kids with this magical camera. Don't forget to shake it!  A guarantee for some Oohhs and Aahhs!

Find Polaroid One Step Camera Clipart online.

Kids draw a picture with colored pencils of something that their one step camera would photograph.

Love this Charlie Brown version of Hey Ya (or Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture song) 



Oh yeah...Kids will recognize the One Step Camera as the Instagram icon. 
1965