This was a group project for the 3rd grade. They created an Abstract Sculpture like the work of Alexander Calder. Then they each got a chance to tag the sculpture with their own design. It's a fun bright mix of playful colors, shapes and designs. It just barely fits in the display case by the gym at school. You really have to see it in person to get the design and flow of the project.
Weaving is one of those skills that I have a love hate relationship with. When students get it weaving is peaceful and fun and it feels like a connection to our history... but somedays it just seems like knots and yarn on the floor too. This year to change things up a bit the 4th and 5th grade did basket or cup weaving instead of straight loom weaving a fun variation. Some of these projects will go home unfinished to be finished up over break when kiddos have lots of free time. Overall I am impressed with how hard students have been working on these.
I love group art. It is a chance for students to work together and make something bigger then we typically have time for. The 4th graders used their radial symmetry skills to make so beautiful snowflakes for me on Acetate and then we added a touch of glitter and hung theses as a group mobile. Pictures don't quite do it justice it's prettier in person.
With a short day of school today I wanted a fun short project for the 1st and 2nd Grade students that I saw. So we made these really cool snow-globes. We started with a blue circle of construction paper and used color pencil to add a shine (reflection of light) and a shadow (dark spot) onto our snow-globes. After that kiddos decorated with things that reminded them of winter or christmas. We finished these in little stand up bases, (I actually called over to all the gift wrap stations at the mall and had them save me the empty rolls which I spray painted black and silver. So students just need to cut slits into their piece and slide in their finished work). They were a really fun little project and great because early finishers got to decorate both sides of their snow-globe and kiddos who needed more time to think or work still got to take home a completed project today. 
This week in Kindergarten we worked on our painting skills. Learning to hold a brush and get the textures we want from paint take time. So this one day project was about working paint in layers, first base colors, then textures and then details. We chose to paint tall tall pine trees, because they have great texture in their needles. Some students added ornaments or lights, presents or snow, each one is different but I was very impressed with how well kiddos did with this one day painting lesson.
We read Giraffe's Cann't Dance and Down by the cool of the Pool both illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees we looked at how he made his animals come to life through their movement. Then the Kindergartens created their own giraffes and other animals and tried to make them look like they were singing, dancing or playing an instrument. Finally we looked a Vincent VanGogh's starry night and created a background to go our animals. I love this project. This is one I do every year with some minor modifications and every year they are one of my favorites. Students love the stories, they love the animals and the art work is always beautiful. If you come into school these are hung on the main board by the office. Hopefully they make all our school visitors smile the way they made the kids and I smile.
