Clay Burger Update

Well I've definitely found a keeper! I love this project and the kids do too! We based the project on Pop Art and the way famous pop artist took and everyday object and made it into art. I fired the burgers with the toothpick inside to hold them together, then the students painted the layers and used Mod Podge to glaze and help hold the burger together. Some students got a new toothpick and put it back through, especially if they had an olive on top. I am very pleased with this project! Nice work 4th Graders!!!

CLAY Burgers-POP ART!

I started a pop art unit with 4th grade students this week. I have seen clay cupcakes floating around the Internet but I decided to go with clay burgers. I love Claes Oldenburg's food sculptures so I decided to base the project around him and pop art. The students had a BLAST on this project, lots of creative ideas. I held them all together with a toothpick. My plans are to pull the toothpick out before firing and return once the clay is cooled. I will have the students paint their burger and seal it with mod podge. I thought about glazing but decided tempera paints will look bright and 'pop artish'..so stay tuned for the end results! Glad to be back in the blog world! I hadn't had much to share because my classes were all working on the 'Square 1 Art' fundraiser...more on that later! Happy Wednesday Y'aLL!

Flag & Shading- Pastels

 4th graders made these flags all while working with lines and shading. Using curved lines and shading with those curved lines made all the difference in this project. Students really had to work hard to create depth by using light and dark tones. We did lots of stepping away and looking to see how much flatter straight lines look compared with the roundness of the curved lines. Also looking that darkness recedes and lightness comes forward. These are big concepts for fourth grade, but they're oh-so smart! The end results are just wonderful! They go so well with our other veterans day decorations!

Supplies:

12X18 White

Rulers

Pencils

Red & Blue Chalk Pastels

Black or Blue Crayons

Day 1: Make 4 diagonal lines in opposite directions across a landscape paper. Curve the first row into frowns, and the second row into smiles...keep going with this pattern. Make simple stars ( upside down 'V', legs out & a 'W' doing the splits). Shade with pencil first making sure to use curved lines rather than straight.

Day 2: Shade the same with the red pastel as the pencil (on the sides) and use your pointer finger to blend the red for a lighter/softer tone. Make sure to curve with the smile or frown shape. Outline the stars in black or blue crayon and do the same as the pencil and red only top left of course is the blue. This took 2 full one hour classes.

Pumpkins with Glue Lines

Happy Happy Friday All! Here is a little project (2 day-er) I did with my 4th grade students this week. We talked about contour lines, how a raised surface from the glue creates a shallow relief, secondary colors and last how to make a lighter or darker shade of color without using black or white. I used this Pumpkin Tutorial to help guide them a bit. Sometimes I find my own demonstration is even better with another visual option...for all you visual learners out there! I got the inspiration pinspiration from HERE, she did the project with older grades. Love these, really brings some fall to the air hanging in the hallway! I'm outta here! Happy weekend Peeps!

Seascapes- 4th Grade

In our fourth grade curriculum we are supposed to create a seascape. My notes from last years project said 'try something new!'...I guess it was what the kids would call an 'Epic Fail!' So I developed a multi-media project covering everything under the sun: line, warm/cool, texture and a little 3-D. The top photo is how it started and the final of the sailboat popping out. The kids have really gotten excited about this project and are totally into it! We started with line designs in the waves, a warm sunset or sunrise out of tissue paper, foil frame for texture and a boat from construction paper that pops out. I cut a slit in the water and stuck the boat in so it really looks like it's in the water. So I hope this is a keeper!

Polyhedron Ornaments

This is a project I've taught for several years and a favorite of the students. I cut 4.5 squares, the students need 4 white and 4 other colors, I chose Christmas colors ofcourse any will do. Use the template to create 8 nice circles. Decorate only the white with very detailed patterns or scenes. Once finished use the equilateral triangle as a folder. To put it all together I used regular Elmer's, put two sides together (one white, one color), then bend and put 2X2, then 4X4 for a whole Octahedron shape. I punch a hole at the top & string!

Zebras

I found this great idea over at Blue Moon Palette-found at the link below
http://bluemoonpalette.blogspot.com/search/label/Zebra

I let the students change up the color if they chose to. We talked about lines, animals and the word domesticated. We learned that horses are domesticated but zebras are not. So we did a comparison of zebra v. horse.

For color we outlined in marker and colored in crayons. This was a great starter project for my 5 classes of 4th grade. Thank you so much Blue Moon Palette!

Burger Art-Back by popular demand!

This is one of those keeper projects! The students always ask about it and seem to really enjoy it. I found this project a few years back and not sure what site it was even on. I've seen other blogs show it too. I do it with 4th grade and we focus on shapes, line and texture. I tell the kids that we want people to get hungry looking at these! Pop art of course- a little Clas Oldenberg:http://unamericanaincucina.com/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/dualburger.jpg always does the trick. Then we view several picture of burgers from all the fast food places and some homemade looking ones too! Students can hardly wait to get going and I love this one too!

4th Grade Straw Weavings

A first timer project here for me. The 4th grade curriculum says they should do a fiber weaving. I decided to use straws and fun colors of yarn. I googled 'straw weaving' and found pretty clear directions. I started off step by step slow to being with but this project was either a jump out success for some or an ultimate struggle for others. It surprised me how some classes had no problems and in other classes hands were up everywhere. I almost needed an assistant. This took us 3 class periods and I thought the end projects actually looked really good. The kids are going to used them as book marks.

Snow Globes-4th Grade

This project was back by popular demand! I saw a similar idea over at:http://oodlesofart.blogspot.com/, but we changed it up a little. Be prepared, this project took us a good 4 classes! Yikes, I know, but the results were SO worth it! We learned so much vocab with this one: perspective, close-up view, transparent, trapezoid, landscape, winter scene & fore, mid & background. The students really got into the inside drawing since it was supposed to look close to their home...some added some things like a fireplace :)! We started with the outdoor scene in the snow globe, drawing, colored pencils and diamond dust glitter in the snow. We added a trapezoid as the stand. Then we created our background, we drew the perspective part together, then they added their own home-like ideas, colored in with construction paper crayons. They look amazing hanging in our hallways! Great job 4Th graders!

Tiny Weaving

4TH Grade Tiny Weaving:
Started with a white piece of 80# paper (12X18)...students created an abstract painting on it. Splatter, smearing, using the top of the paint brush for texture and pretty much anything goes. On day 2 I used the paper cutter to make tiny 1/2 inch strips, while students chose a color of construction paper and created a loom making 1/2 space between the lines. We wove the painted strips through and then added magazine strips going horizontal. I cut all the tiny strips with the paper cutter, the students only cut their loom. This took us 3 classes.

End of 1st Quarter!

Blog uploads have been taking WAY too long and have been WAY too busy to wait. Always a busy fall around here.
We've finished up our first quarter of school, had parent teacher conferences and are ready to move on to winter projects. I wanted to add in this little weaving project in. I had the Fourth graders do this last spring, but just found one laying around and thought I'd post it since I try to do different stuff from year to year. I believe I saw this on http://artwithmre.blogspot.com/.

Our take on the Klimt 'Tree of Life"

I had noticed the Kustav Klimt project out there on several blogs. Here was my take on teaching about the Austrian artist's 'Tree of Life." We talked about Klimt and Symbolist who are know for their fantasy & mystery style art. Students painted swirls and curls with the gold paint, during the next class they added fantasy/mystery items with the construction paper crayons. All done on 9 X 12 black construction paper, took us two 60 minute classes.

Value & Shading

I found this idea at Mr. E's blog...great stuff over there! My only problem with the project was it way way too time consuming. This took us 4 weeks! Next year if I do it I will try a smaller size like 8x8. A great way to show deminsion in work and get the message across about value. I think everyone will be ready to move on to something new next week! Thanks again Mr. E!