This month in art, both 5th and 6th grade classes are working on Square One Fundraiser projects. Students are creating a mixed media self portrait. Students had fun digitally altering a picture of themselves. After it was printed, students designed the areas around their picture. Once the entire student body has completed the project, their artwork will be sent to Square One to have scanned onto stickers and order brochures. You will then be able to order gifts that will be here around Thanksgiving. students are very excited about sharing their artwork with family and friends.
Art with the Family:
September 10 & 11 is Family Fun Days at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. This month families can create art inspired by Africa. Both days this activities will be ongoing from 1-4 pm.
September 24 & 25 is Family Fun Days at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. This event will offer an informal look at the exhibit, Photographs of the Sky & Cosmos. Hands on activities including a spinner of the planets and stars.
Websites of the Month:
www.square1art.com- Check out cool products for our fundraiser!
www.tuxpi.com- Try creating your own fun pictures at the same site we used in class
www.nelson-atkins.org- The Nelson is an amazing world class collection of art work so close to us...and its FREE!
Art for the Summer
Here we are at the nearing the end of another school year. Each year goes faster and faster. As students are winding up the year I just want to say what a great year we have had and I will miss the students over the summer. I am already planning new projects for the upcoming year. Over the summer, I encourage you to include art in your summer activities. Here are a few suggestions of summertime art:
1. While planning your vacations, look up art museums or galleries that near your vacation destinations.
2. Not leaving the area, try a staycation and go to the Nelson Atkins museum, see the Monet Waterlilies.
3. Go to a ceramic shop and make a family project.
4. Mahoney State Park in Nebraska is a great place to camp and they have an awesome craft lodge to make ceramic, wood and leather projects
5. Checkout Parents Magazine for some great local art daycamps.
6. The Nelson Atkins Museum offers kids workshops in painting, printmaking and sculpture.
7. Go to the Lake and make sandcastles!
8. Make hair braids and friendship bracelets.
9. ExploreHallmark Cards Visitor Center and Kaleidoscope.
10. When its hot outside, cool down with some indoor arts and craft projects.
As for what is going on in classes, 5th graders are currently working on creating idioms in clay. They have been very creative in the process. This coinsides with the Surrealism unit. We talked about the art of Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. We have also started American Regionalism and America's most famous painting American Gothic by Grant Wood. Students will be drawing parodies inspired by this famous painting.
6th Grade All year students are making large Chinese parade dragons. They are turning out amazing! We plan to have them completed to share for the musical intermissions.
6th Grade Rotation students have also been working on Chinese art. They learned about Chinese brushpainting and made bookmarkers as well. They will also make a Chinese lucky cat out of clay too.
Enjoy this last month of school and have a wonderful summer.
Mrs. Reynolds
1. While planning your vacations, look up art museums or galleries that near your vacation destinations.
2. Not leaving the area, try a staycation and go to the Nelson Atkins museum, see the Monet Waterlilies.
3. Go to a ceramic shop and make a family project.
4. Mahoney State Park in Nebraska is a great place to camp and they have an awesome craft lodge to make ceramic, wood and leather projects
5. Checkout Parents Magazine for some great local art daycamps.
6. The Nelson Atkins Museum offers kids workshops in painting, printmaking and sculpture.
7. Go to the Lake and make sandcastles!
8. Make hair braids and friendship bracelets.
9. ExploreHallmark Cards Visitor Center and Kaleidoscope.
10. When its hot outside, cool down with some indoor arts and craft projects.
As for what is going on in classes, 5th graders are currently working on creating idioms in clay. They have been very creative in the process. This coinsides with the Surrealism unit. We talked about the art of Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. We have also started American Regionalism and America's most famous painting American Gothic by Grant Wood. Students will be drawing parodies inspired by this famous painting.
6th Grade All year students are making large Chinese parade dragons. They are turning out amazing! We plan to have them completed to share for the musical intermissions.
6th Grade Rotation students have also been working on Chinese art. They learned about Chinese brushpainting and made bookmarkers as well. They will also make a Chinese lucky cat out of clay too.
Enjoy this last month of school and have a wonderful summer.
Mrs. Reynolds
Celebrate Spring with Monet!
Fifth graders just recently learned about the life and art of Monet. They even created an Impressionistic style picture. Taking your child to see the exhibit would be a very exciting connection between the classroom and a family, creating a great memory for all. The Nelson Atkins Art museum is free to the public, however this special engagement does require purchasing tickets. Prices are as follows: Members: FREE, Adults: $8, Seniors over 55: $7, Students 13-19 with ID: $5, Children 12 and under: FREE
5th Grade Art Classes- As mentioned above students have recently finished an Impressionism unit as well as a Post-Impressionism unit. In the latest unit, students learned about Vincent Vangogh and got to paint with palette knives. Currently students are creating Cubist style portraits, inspired by Pablo Picasso. Very soon we will be moving on to Surrealism and Regionalism.
6th Grade Rotation Art Classes- I am very excited about what is happening in these classes. Students are working with Chinese brush painting. They are experiencing this with authentic Chinese brushes, ink stones, sumi ink sticks and rice paper. These supplies are made possible through the generosity of parents who made purchases from the Square One fundraiser.
6th Grade Year Long Classes- Since the last newsletter, students have made plaster Mardi Gras masks and Junakroo headdresses inspired by the Bahamas. Next up, we will be making two large Chinese Parade Dragons. These will be made as authentic as possible, so that the students can actually parade in them. The dragons will be used in the up coming Mulan Jr. Musical and the Chinese Showcase.
6th Grade Chinese Showcase- All sixth grade Elective and Core classes will be participating in a Chinese unit. Students will get to participate in a variety of activities related to China. Special activities include; visiting with Chinese artists and guests, a field trip to the Nelson Atkins museum to view the Asian collections, the Mulan Musical and a Student Chinese Showcase. The showcase will be set up for students to highlight their work and share what they have learned in all subjects. They will be presenting the Chinese showcase to the 5th graders in May.
What's happening in Art Class.....
In fifth grade, students made some wonderful Impressionism landscapes. They used oil pastels to create their masterpieces. Some were inspired by Monet, and created water garden scenes, while others chose seascapes or mountain scenes. Now we have moved on to the ever famous Vincent Vangogh. The students love hearing about the artist who cut off his ear! Vincent used a palette knife to paint most of his painting. This year I bought plastic palette knives for the students to use. I am excited to see their talents come to life in these new paintings. Though we haven't started, the kids are getting excited about the opportunity to paint with a palette knife.
In Year Long students did some amazing weavings, some of the best student work I have had. I am really proud of them. They have also completed some paper molas. Traditionally, molas are made from layers of fabric sowed together and then cut to reveal various colors. Molas are created by the the Indians of the San Blas Islands, which is located off the coast of Panama. Next up for the year long students will be to learn about Carnival. Carnival started hundreds of years ago as a spring festival through out the years it has spread through Spain, Rome, Venice, France, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States, were we know it as Mardi Gras. Students will be making masks inspired by this ancient custom.
Rotation Art students have cause for celebration! The sarcophagus are finished! Yea! We have moved on to paper Greek vases. Many of the classes will be finishing these up this week! All of our projects will be much shorter than the Egyptian. We will be working on Chinese art, following the Greek vases. The Asian unit will be an important one, the core teachers and elective teachers are working together to make this a fun unit. We will finish this unit up with a trip to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum, and a showcase of student work. The sixth grade students will be exhibiting and presenting their work to the fifth graders in the form of a traveling museum. More details of the Asian unit will come in my next posting.
In Year Long students did some amazing weavings, some of the best student work I have had. I am really proud of them. They have also completed some paper molas. Traditionally, molas are made from layers of fabric sowed together and then cut to reveal various colors. Molas are created by the the Indians of the San Blas Islands, which is located off the coast of Panama. Next up for the year long students will be to learn about Carnival. Carnival started hundreds of years ago as a spring festival through out the years it has spread through Spain, Rome, Venice, France, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States, were we know it as Mardi Gras. Students will be making masks inspired by this ancient custom.
Rotation Art students have cause for celebration! The sarcophagus are finished! Yea! We have moved on to paper Greek vases. Many of the classes will be finishing these up this week! All of our projects will be much shorter than the Egyptian. We will be working on Chinese art, following the Greek vases. The Asian unit will be an important one, the core teachers and elective teachers are working together to make this a fun unit. We will finish this unit up with a trip to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum, and a showcase of student work. The sixth grade students will be exhibiting and presenting their work to the fifth graders in the form of a traveling museum. More details of the Asian unit will come in my next posting.
Snowmen are Sculptures too!
Well I hope with all these snow days, students have had a chance to get out and make a few snowmen and forts. That is my wish at least. Since students have not been able to come to art class as much, I can only hope that they are making a few sculptures in the snow. By the way, did you know that you can use watercolor paints to paint your snowmen? It's true, and you will have an original sculpture like none other!
Fifth graders are getting excited about their Impressionism landscape pictures they are working on. They will be completing them with oil pastels. Students learned how the invention of the camera changed the art world forever. Make sure you ask your child how photography effected artists of the 1800's.
In Sixth Grade Rotation, I am seeing the light at the end of the Egyptian tunnel! With all of the snow days, I thought we would never get this project done. However, the students should be finishing up in 1-2 more classes. Their sarcophagus and mummies are looking great and will be ready to display soon.
Sixth Grade Rotation classes recently finished a project inspired by Polish folk art. They made intricate paper cuttings called Wycinankis pronounced (Vee-chee-non-key) This was the first year that I have taught this project at this grade level, and the students really did a great job, I was impressed. They are currently working on a weaving inspired by those of Peru. The people of Peru make wonderful weavings using bright yarns and colorful patterns. Students are forming patterns in their tapestries as well.
Fifth graders are getting excited about their Impressionism landscape pictures they are working on. They will be completing them with oil pastels. Students learned how the invention of the camera changed the art world forever. Make sure you ask your child how photography effected artists of the 1800's.
In Sixth Grade Rotation, I am seeing the light at the end of the Egyptian tunnel! With all of the snow days, I thought we would never get this project done. However, the students should be finishing up in 1-2 more classes. Their sarcophagus and mummies are looking great and will be ready to display soon.
Sixth Grade Rotation classes recently finished a project inspired by Polish folk art. They made intricate paper cuttings called Wycinankis pronounced (Vee-chee-non-key) This was the first year that I have taught this project at this grade level, and the students really did a great job, I was impressed. They are currently working on a weaving inspired by those of Peru. The people of Peru make wonderful weavings using bright yarns and colorful patterns. Students are forming patterns in their tapestries as well.
Happy New Year!
Wow! We have completed half of our school year; I can't believe 2nd semester is already here! Coming back from the break is always refreshing. We have had some much needed time off to catch up on family time and relaxation. Oh, and I am sure some of you found some wonderful Square One Art presents under the Christmas tree made by your favorite budding artist. But now it is time to get back into the routine of school and making some more wonderful art!
In fifth grade we will be continuing our journey through time, starting off with the Impressionism period. We be learning about some more modern artists this semester including Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Grant Wood and Andy Warhol, just to name a few.
In Sixth Grade Rotation class, we will be learning wrapping up our mummy project (no pun intended, of course) and moving on to a brief unit on Greek vessels. We will also touch base on many of the units covered in social studies, such as India, Africa, Japan and China. I have been working with the other specials teachers and social studies teachers to bring together a very exciting Chinese Unit that we will work on throughout 2nd semester.
In Year Long Art we have covered many countries already and I have many countries in store for second semester. Some of these countries include Poland, several countries in Africa, Peru, Haiti, Mexico, and North American Indians.
As with every year, I work along with Mrs. Williams to put on the musical. This year we will be putting on the musical Mulan, which I am very excited about since it will tie in nicely with the 6th grade Asian units. The props are mostly crafted by our talented students. In the coming months, students can look forward to helping out with these special set props. Look for more information coming soon. We also can use any parent volunteers that would like to participate in the production. Please feel free to contact Mrs. Williams or I if you would like to lend your time and talents toward making this year's production a success.
Happy New Year,
Mrs. Reynolds
In fifth grade we will be continuing our journey through time, starting off with the Impressionism period. We be learning about some more modern artists this semester including Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Grant Wood and Andy Warhol, just to name a few.
In Sixth Grade Rotation class, we will be learning wrapping up our mummy project (no pun intended, of course) and moving on to a brief unit on Greek vessels. We will also touch base on many of the units covered in social studies, such as India, Africa, Japan and China. I have been working with the other specials teachers and social studies teachers to bring together a very exciting Chinese Unit that we will work on throughout 2nd semester.
In Year Long Art we have covered many countries already and I have many countries in store for second semester. Some of these countries include Poland, several countries in Africa, Peru, Haiti, Mexico, and North American Indians.
As with every year, I work along with Mrs. Williams to put on the musical. This year we will be putting on the musical Mulan, which I am very excited about since it will tie in nicely with the 6th grade Asian units. The props are mostly crafted by our talented students. In the coming months, students can look forward to helping out with these special set props. Look for more information coming soon. We also can use any parent volunteers that would like to participate in the production. Please feel free to contact Mrs. Williams or I if you would like to lend your time and talents toward making this year's production a success.
Happy New Year,
Mrs. Reynolds
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