Mooseltoe Art Lesson

Ever heard off Mooseltoe?  It is a book by Margie Palatini.  Henry Cole is the illustrator.  It is a great book at Christmas time!

Are these not the cutest moose you have ever seen? My good friend, Renee, uses our art blog for references to teach cross curricular activities in her 2nd grade class. I can't quite explain our friendship, but I can say it has been a wild ride over the years =)

Last year, 1965 posted this lesson here:

http://2soulsisters.blogspot.com/2015/12/7-rudolphs-and-dasher-dancer-and-prancer.html

Renee was looking for something artsy to do with her 2nd grade and follow up with a writing activity for her bulletin board and the second part of this "Mooseltoe" unit.

Catch phrase...just what is this Moose thinking?

What to buy at the grocery store? or maybe... What time the Pep Rally starts.

Is he flipping channels waiting on the next Hallmark movie to come on TV?

Check out the facial expression here on this deer...

Hangry? Confused? Baffled?

CRACKS me up and oh what a fun writing lesson this will be on these moose.

Supplies:

Creativity

A little Right Brain

A little Left Brain

12 x 18 white drawing paper

Paint...watercolor or Tempera

Markers

Water bowls

Paint brushes

Reference photos

*Discussion of detail of a moose: antlers, eyes, nose, mouth, etc...

I was in the midst of clean up after teaching my 6th grade art class yesterday and I got a text from "Dear Friend, Renee" - it was somewhat of an SOS. 

Renee: Hey, my kids want to paint the antlers beige. I don't have beige watercolor...what do I do?

1969: Water down the brown... a lot

You see our friendship just works. No questions asked. It just works. Point blank. End of story. She ask me specific questions about art lessons at random times and I reciprocate the questions on many other topics on any given day at any given time.

We speak our own language that only a few understand. The main thing we do is share ideas and brainstorm with one another. When you find a teacher friend that is a real friend, and you can share with it just makes your job so much fun. I think that is one reason 1965 and I have blogged since 2010. It is because we get to share with one another and connect with other art teachers and future art teachers via this blog.

Here is another link to a similar lesson:

http://sharpiespaintandpaper.blogspot.com/2012/12/mooseltoe.html?m=1

Sharpies, paint, and paper! Oh my! 

Art Education Blog introduced this project to her second grade by reading the book "Mooseltoe".  They used 18x24 white paper (when making something as large as a moose you go big or go home! :) tempera paint, watercolor paint, oil pastels, glitter, and permanent markers.  The kids were so excited about the the size and loved how they turned out.   Visit the link above to check them out. Super cute!

So, when was the last time you tried to draw a deer?

Bust out a pencil and give it a whirl. This type of activity is good for the soul.

 

One last link to share...check it out

http://mrswilliamsonskinders.blogspot.com/2011/12/reindeer-and-grinch.html 

Tons of information on how to take an arsty craftsy idea and expand on it into a unit that offers many cross curricular activities. 

Tripod Textured Slab Mug TIME!

Tripod Textured Slab Mugs were the right way to go with my 7th Graders.  Usually, the kids work really hard and have poor results.  I am not sure if the project that I choose is too complicated or maybe they have not touched clay enough.  I have had 3 years of art with these kids and feel like they have made great progress.  If you judge by these mugs and know their background, you would probably say that they have come a long way.  

So how did this project come to be?  I really wanted to use the slab roller with my 7th Graders.  I came across a video on Youtube by Karan Witham-Walsh.  She has a great Youtube channel Karan Witham-Walsh YouTube Channel.  Also, you can find Karan's work on Etsy at Karan's Etsy link.  I found Karan's video How to Make a Tripod Slab Cup.

Directions:

The kids watched the How to Make a Tripod Slab Cup Video.

I rolled out the slabs.

I showed the entire video.

I gave the kids the slabs.

 I showed clips of the video again and again as we worked.

The kids began the process of making the cup.

I gave them the option of using texture on their clay cups Texture Stencil Examples.  The stencil were very forgiving on some of the less than perfect craftsmanship.

Once they got the cup made, we wrapped in Saran Wrap and put the cups on the shelf.

On the following day, we watched a video on how to make handles jescia hopper Youtube video on how to make handles.  Great video!  They made handles and attached them to the cups.  Oh yeah, we had mugs!

We let the mugs sit for a week.

Then, I fired the mugs.

We glazed.  

Some kids chose to drip glaze here and there.

I really like the results.

I like coffee.  I would definitely drink a cup of Joe from one of these mugs.  I was wondering where cup of Joe saying came from and googled to find these 3 possibilities.

Well, there are two popular theories about the origin of this phrase: One is in regards to Josephus Daniels, who was Secretary of the Navy. On the month of June, 1914, he banned all U.S. Navy ships from serving alcoholic beverages. The sailors weren't too thrilled with the decision, because they had to resort to the next strongest drink on the list, which was coffee!Since Josephus Daniels was the one responsible for banning alcohol and "forced" everyone to make the switch to coffee, the sailors nicknamed the drink after him, thus it became "a cup of joe," Joe being short for Josephus. That's the theory anyways. 

However, a more plausible theory comes from Snopes, where it's explained how the word "joe" can simply mean the average man. For example, perhaps you've heard someone say: "I'm just an average joe." That means he's just an every day, ordinary kind of guy. Therefore, a drink involving the word "joe" would show that the drink is for the common man, or the average person. (http://www.knowyourphrase.com/phrase-meanings/Cup-Of-Joe.html) 

There was a New York company named Martinson's Coffee (Andy Warhol liked to paint the cans) owned by a man named Joe Martinson. The neighbourhood of the company would be saturated by the aroma of roasting coffee, and coffee therefore became known as 'a cup of Joe'. (https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070224120839AAcoJtL) 

What else but "Cotton Eye Joe" by REDNEX?

1965

Using Chalk Art to Spread Positive Vibes

We wanted to be proactive on campus and allow students a way to communicate ways to respect one another. We decided to have a "Chalk It Out Day" with the Fine Arts Classes. 

We researched several places online to gather information:

http://www.minnemamaadventures.com/2014/09/30/kindness-chalk-anti-bullying-movement/

http://www.minnemamaadventures.com/kindness-chalk/

https://www.facebook.com/events/868448173257178/

http://www.omaha.com/eedition/sunrise/articles/middle-schoolers-spread-anti-bullying-messages/article_4251a754-0531-57bc-a410-5d60dc969ef6.html

 http://chalkthewalks.com/

http://thejoyteam.org/chalk-walks/ 

http://brilliantbodywork.com/about/blog/positive-chalk-mantras 

Our "Kindness in Chalk" / "Chalk It Out" was a success. We were charged with encouraging positivity and inclusiveness around campus - we want to try to create a unified community and fortify our one school MINDSET.

Our positive messages written in chalk were a success!

Positive Thoughts

Generate Positive Feelings

And This Attracts A Positive Life 

Full Of Adventurous Experiences!

Positivy ROCKS on our campus! Try it on yours.

1969

Tints and Shades of Winter

In the art lesson below, the night got dark really fast!  Oops, we added a little too much black!  Oh well, sometimes I let kids goof.  I have found that the kids seem to learn better when they see what their mistakes can cause.  Don't we all?

Directions:

I gave the kids blue, white, and black paint.

I told them that I wanted white to gradually turn to light blue, medium blue, dark blue, and then eventually to black.

Once they got the layers of tints/shades of blue, they painted a winter scene.

Then, they splattered some white to represent the snow. 

Some of the paintings look like a snowstorm rather than a serene winter night.

Oh well.  Things sometimes turnout a little different than you plan.  Art teachers are very aware of the many surprises in store when doing art with kids.

Everybody lives and learns.

Perfect song for this post...The Bangles singing "Hazy Shades of Winter" with scenes from the movie, Less Than Zero with Robert Downey, Jr. and Andrew McCarthy (1987).

1965