Are you art smART?

Artists' Brains Have More 'Grey Matter' Than The Rest Of Ours, Study Finds

This article links art with increased grey matter and brain activity.  More support for why art needs to be part of our lives.  A tiny bit of exposure is not enough!

Art & the Brain

www.weareteachers.com

Envirothon Hats!

I have been working with the Envirothon team before school and over lunch to help them create some super snakes and quiet quail hats! This hat challenge is always an interesting project. I have to figure out how to make a hat that represents their animal, is easy to make in a limited time frame, and is water proof (in case of rain on Envirothon day)! I love seeing the students wearing the finished project. 

Today, the Environthon team goes off to the competition! Good luck Envirothon team! I hope your hats make it through the day.

Support the Arts!

We cannot provide an environment that fosters our students' true passions if we do not place a high value on arts education. Arts education does not just teach about art or music or drama. Arts education teaches valuable 21st century skills, like collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity. When we cut arts education, we are cutting away at providing an education that educates the whole child.

Gyotaku- the Art of Japanese Fish Printing

Second grade is learning about Gyotaku. This lesson incorporates learning how to do printmaking, how to make a watercolor painting with salt, using contrasting color temperature (warm vs cool), and a little art history. There is always so much more to lesson than what meets the eye!

The end result is a fabulous piece of art and a fantastic learning experience!

Recent Displays

Action Painting display shows off second grade work. Thanks to some super helpful sixth grade girls, I we have displays of our artwork. I find myself so busy this year, that I rarely have time to do a display myself. I am so thankful for the sixth grade girls who are willing to give up their recess time to do displays for the school.

Awesome displays by sixth graders! Thank you girls!

Fun with apps!

During clean up time, quick and efficient cleaner uppers sometimes have a few extra minutes at the end of class to explore with the iPad. Yesterday, we tried out Disney's Creativity Studio. It had a great little video from a Disney artist and gave steps to help students learn to draw cartoons. Here is a Mickey from one of our first graders. Very impressive, especially since it isn't easy to draw with your finger!