Broken Clay Transformed

When it is time for my students clay artwork to be fired in the kiln, I always know that a few will not make it out in one piece.  My students look forward to working with clay and learning new techniques.  They spend many class periods perfecting their work.  I always try to remind them about the potential for an air bubble to form in their clay if they make something and roll it back up.  

Even with all the coaching and reminding, something always breaks in the kiln.  I know this is frustrating for my students; to work for many class periods on something only for it to emerge from the kiln in pieces.

Below is one way I try to salvage the hard work of my students.  In fourth grade we made face jugs:  These two student's jugs did not survive the kiln.  Instead of throwing them away I had them glaze their jugs like everyone else.  After the glazing process is complete, the students arrange their pieces on a piece of mat board and glue them down.  The result is a completely different piece of art!  These students, even though there jug was not in one piece, left the art room with smiles and were very proud of their creations!



Feathers for Lunch

Third graders read the book Feathers for Lunch by Lois Elhert.  The story is about a cat that gets out and discovers different birds but all he catches is feathers for lunch.  Elhert's illustrations are wonderful! She also labels all the birds and has each one's call written beside it.  She also includes plants in her book that she labels as well.  At the end of the book each bird is identified along with facts about it.  

We drew our favorite bird after reading the story.  The next day we learned how to make a bird using Model Magic.  We learned about how to make forms (cylinder, sphere) and about using an armature (toothpicks to help the legs stay straight).  The students had a great time with this!

Crazy About Quilts

Students in fourth grade study North Carolina.  Quilting is one of the arts of our state that I like to incorporate into art!  The students used skills in measuring, design and pattern to create these quilt squares.  They were combined to create a class quilt!

Fourth Grade Quilt Collages

I wanted to work with quilts in third grade as well.  We concentrated more on measuring with this quilt.  The log cabin quilt is a pretty easy pattern to follow because it consists of one-inch strips of different lengths.  Third grade also created their own patterned paper for these collages using paint, stamps, and drawing materials.

Third Grade Log Cabin Quilts