3rd grade Map Makers

I always like to collaborate with classroom teachers and integrate academic subjects into the art curriculum. Since student were studying land forms in their classroom I thought this would be a great art lesson. We looked at all kinds maps and talk about how they are used. We discussed and reviewed land forms and talked about how a map is different from a landscape painting as a map is a birds eye view. Students learned about cartography and what a cartographer does.

Students designed their own map of a fictional or real place. They had a lot of freedom to create and were required to include the following: water and land, a title, a compass rose, and a map key with at least six land forms. 

Kindergarten Polar Bears under the Northern Lights

We discussed where polar bears lives, their decreasing habitat, and other characteristics about the animal.  Students learned how to combine basic shapes to create a polar bear.  Next class we learned a wet on wet watercolor technique and used salt to absorb the pigment to create an interesting effect to look like snow or starts in they sky. We talked about how we need to color carefully around the polar bear in order to use the negative space as our white color.  Here are some of their amazing paintings.

1st grade winter landscapes

To bring in the new year and celebrate the winter season first grade created winter landscapes. They learned  what a landscape is and how it differs from a still life and a portrait.  We discussed how objects in the distance get smaller as they are farther away.  They used sharpie to outline and bring out their bare branch trees and watercolor paint for their skies.

5th grade Geogria O'Keeffe Study

5th grade looked at O'Keeffe's art work. We discussed abstract art and how she enlarged and zoomed in on her subject which made her paintings look semi abstract. Students reviewed warm and cool colors as well as positive and negative space. They were introduced to values and used various tints and shades to make their leaves or leaf more interesting.

2nd Grade goes to the Taj Majal

We took a virtual trip to India to visit the Taj Mahal. Students learned about the architecture and why it was built. They are studying India in their regular classroom so this project was a good tie in to their curriculum.  We talked about symmetry, using size to show distance,  and one point perspective (which is a fairly advanced concept for 2nd grade but I like to give them options and provide a challenge for students who want to attempt).    We used watercolor paints to finish them up. They are amazing.

5th grade Mandalas

I gained inspiration for this art project after attending the Colorado Art Educator Conference in Breckenridge this November.  We talked about Mandalas and radial symmetry. Students learned how to make a mandala using radial symmetry buy folding a price of paper into 8 sections and writing a word in one of the triangles and tracing it onto the other 7 sections.