100 Following! Wow & Thanks!

Thanks so much for your support here at The Clever Feather! Doing my best to keep new art work posted! Thanks for looking and following!! Greatly appreciated!

Origami Mobiles

Several years ago I taught a summer school enrichment origami class. It was a 2 or 3 week course where middle school students only made origami. Our last huge project was to make mobiles. Well, I don't know really what I was thinking when I made my examples from straws...because they have warped of course...duh!  Since I have my classroom back I re-did them all over the summer. On one I used pencils which I loved and the colorful one I used BBQ stick skewers. I check into how much these things cost on Etsy and I was amazed to see they can go for close to $100! Yikes! They are quite a bit of time but so worth it hanging in a classroom, even a child's room. I think things hanging from the ceiling really make a room or classroom even more cozy cool! Do you have anything special hanging around? :)

I'm back! Oh yea!

So I was FINALLY able to download some pictures here! It took me 3 WHOLE days to get back in order. Here are the pictures in reverse order. So much to unload, organize and hang up...one of the most dreaded days ever! Time sure does fly though!

First week has gone great and I am so happy to be back into my classroom after a year on wheels. My classes are busy going through our basic procedures and class expectations. Our school is using the positive behavior policy I've read a lot of other blogger's using too-lots to implement but great things after I've heard!

I started with some simple high success projects with the students, pictures coming soon.

I hope everybody's first week, day ? Whatev!...has gone super!!

New Look, New School Year...

A brand new school year is up and coming quick, but I'm sure I don't even need to tell you that! Summer always goes fast but life anymore with two kids just flys period. I'm so ready to get back into my classroom after a year on a big honkin' cart. I miss my space, my tables, chairs, sink, and just my classroom home. I love to decorate my room so it feels homey and comfortable, I already love to be there but extra comforts add a little more cush! Here are some things that make my room a little more like home:
*Little 4 cup coffee pot sending waking coffee bean aromas down the hall, everyone knows when I've arrived
*My fridge with water, soda and lunch-sometimes you just need a refreshment
*Microwave-b/c you how those lean cuisine's get backed & stacked up in the teachers lounge
*Pictures of my little darlin's as well as the hubster
* Holiday decor: fall things, halloween, Christmas, Easter, spring...you name it-we have decor
*Personal artwork-or from college since I've had no time to make my own since I got married, had kids and work full time...someday
*Vases full of spray painted sticks add height to the room & are nice for hanging those Christmas ornaments.
* Butterflies, lanterns, & mobiles hanging from the ceiling


So I had lost my room due to a building that was packed and out of rooms. The addition is finished and my room will once again become an art room instead of a 4th grade class. I am very excited to get started putting everything back in it's place. I will post pics as soon as I get back into it.
So the summer has been busy taking care of two kids, my daughter is almost 4 and my son is already 9 months...geez! 
I decided today to re-do my blog and freshin' things up a bit around here. I am having trouble posting pictures today though & no spell check...so give me a break peeps. I wanted to show you what I'd been up to re-making for my classroom but guess it'll have to wait. I see my post board but it looks like some icons are missing for some reason-or it could be this computer is as old Mother Hubbard. Any whoo, will keep trying.
I'm looking forward to getting things back in action in the art world and posting new ideas, sharing info and just being awesome art teachers!
Here's to the last bit of summa time folks!

Happy Summer!

This is the end of a year on a cart! So happy to get my room back! The new addition is finished and my art tables just arrived back this morning! It will be great to have my own space back for next year and a big perk returning in the fall! Here are a few of our summer projects that will be on display this summer at our local Culver's restaurant.

No real plans around here for me. Just back to being an all day mommy to my 7 month and 3.5 year old. The blog will slow down a bit, it's always good to take a break!

Have a great summer to all! Enjoy, take time for yourself and family!

See ya soon!

Chameleons Grade 3

My third graders love love loved this!! Their classroom teachers said they were doodling these chameleons everyone on their notes, notebooks and scratch paper. I showed them this step by step video HERE and then they followed me again step by step on the board. We also worked with shading and blending oil pastels. Very cool!

A lil' Mondrian-Kindergarten

Students in Kindergarten had previously worked with vertical and horizontal lines. We continued those lines right into a Mondrian style project. We reviewed primary colors and created a pictures based from Piet Mondrian's painting Broadway Boogie Woogie. Student enjoyed making city blocks, streets and colorful cars!

Cupcakes! 1st Grade

I showed students several cupcake images to observe the variety of toppings, colors and icing types. We did a step by step drawing together in pencil, then outlined with sharpie and finally students used tempera cakes. Once dry we cut and glued onto a matching color. I think next year I'll try watercolor instead for brighter paints. Looked fun in the hallways! Students love this!

Cityscapes-European Inspired

Students looked at cities like Paris, Florence & Moscow to compare the style of city they would create. We talked about the roof shapes, window styles and the way people live in a city compared to a smaller suburban town. We drew step by step breaking down each piece into shapes and worked front to back. We finished in tempera cakes, I do think watercolor would be a better option for next year. Fun and colorful!

Oil Pastel Still Life-Grade 3

I started this lesson by talking about a still life and showing a few examples a still life from artist like: Van Gogh, HenriRousseou, and Rachel Ruysch. I would normally set up a still life but it's one less thing I need to manage on a cart (back in the classroom next year! woohoo!). I demonstrated several ways to draw a vase and also showed ways to draw different types of flower. The students were supposed to show balance with their flowers, add a light and dark tone to each color and color with the shape. The only coloring that could be straight was the table which is flat. We were trying to show dimension with the two colors (ex: light green and dark green for the stem). I was excited with the results! They look amazing hanging in the hall! The black construction paper worked well with the oil pastels too!

Alma Woodsey Thomas Collages 3rd Grade

Inspiration:

The Eclipse-Alma Woodsey Thomas

Bubble Trees-Thanks Pinterest!

This was a little project inspired by some Pinterest pictures I'd seen done with buttons. I decided paper would work well especially with bright colors. It reminded me of bubbles or gumballs so 'bubble gum trees' became the name ;)! Here's how I started:

I created a template for the tree and the kids traced it on black construction paper. Step 2 they glued their tree onto a larger pieces of construction paper (I tried light blue and light green-both looked good). Then...I had different sizes of various colors for the kids to cut out their circles and layer on the color and sizes. The students did really well and the results turned out great! Love Pinterest!

Cheetahs!

In 3rd grade we talked about a cheetah and what makes them so different from a leopard and jaguar. I told my story about when I went to the zoo last summer and thought I was looking at a cheetah but it was actually a jaguar. So we found that cheetah are have 'tear marks' that make them stand apart from the other two cats. Cheetahs of course run faster and have solid spots where a leopard and jaguar have rosette type spots. Anyways, really cool info. Kids were into it. We did a cheetah drawing in black crayon on day one and painted with a yellow-orange color. Day to we used a variety of greens to create a grassy area and if time the students cut little black dots and glued around as a frame. Kids did an amazing job! Love these!

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!

Swamped!!

Wowza it's been busy since I've been back from maternity leave! I am usually so organized but lately it's not going so well. Maybe it's because I am on a cart this year or more classes and less plan time or a new baby at home or just a combination. This is just a peak of my back storage rack...messy! Hopefully just a few more months and I'll have my classroom space back and then I can get back to my organized self.