Pinch Pots by Grade 2

Students created these pinch pots with lids using self-drying clay.    They then decorated with oil pastels before painting over with black paint, creating a "resist" effect.  The final touch was a fancy bead for a handle on the lid.

Recycled Magazine Bowls by Grade 4

I love projects that use recycled and found materials - so this project is one of my all time favorites.  Fourth graders rolled up colorful magazine pages, and then coiled those rolls, in order to create these fantastic  bowls.  Here are photos of the students hard at work as well as of some of the finished products.....

Shape Creature Magnets by Grade 3

Third graders brainstormed and sketched imaginary creatures that combine characteristics of two or more animals.  They worked from their sketches to create these vibrant wood-shape magnets.

Tessellations by Grade 4

A tessellation is created when a shape is repeated over and over covering a plane, with no spaces or overlaps.  Fourth graders observed the tessellations of M.C. Escher before embarking on their own.  They created tessellating shapes by cutting and rearranging index cards, and then used their imaginations to figure out what those shapes looked like.  Here are some great completed examples:

Contour Line Still Life Drawings - Grade 5

Fifth graders used the iPad app Sketchbook Express to create these drawings.  First they used the iPad to photograph a still life.  Next they carefully traced the contour lines of all the elements in their photo.  Finally, they erased the photo, leaving only their drawing!

Optical Illusions by Grade 5

This is a great project that I found on the blog of another art teacher called Art with Mr. E.

 Fifth graders created the illusion of 3D by using line and value.

Fall Reflections by Grade 4

The final products came out stunning!  Fourth graders learned that you can turn markers into paint, and created these beautiful fall reflection paintings.

Accordion Architecture by Grade 3

Third graders learned about many architectural details such as quoins, dormer windows and cupolas.  They used this knowledge to create a neighborhood of 5 buildings.

Tall Pumpkins by Grade 1

We celebrated Halloween by creating these expressive tall pumpkins!

Wild Thing Puppets by Grade 1

First graders learned that a texture is how something feels, like bumpy, furry or scaly.  We read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and looked extra carefully at the textures of the wild things.  First graders created these puppets by drawing many different textures.

Creating Fall Reflections by Grade 4

Fourth graders have been practicing drawing trees.  Once they fill their skyline with trees, they will add water to their marker drawings, essentially turning the marker into paint.  The final step will be folding the paper in half to make a reflection print.  Photos of the final products are soon to come!

Kindergarten Landscapes

Kindergartners learned the term "landscape" and created these vibrant drawings using oil pastels.

Dinosaurs by Grade 1

First graders learned to draw dinosaurs using simple shapes.  They colored using oil pastels, and blended colors in three areas of their drawing.