Taking a Closer Look at Nature with First Grade

Looking up from a bugs view

Looking up at the trees 

Trout Lily 

 First grade students are taking a closer look at nature. First graders have been observing gardens and forests from a bugs view and using their imagination to create a mixed media piece of art.

cantaloupe in a raised bed garden 

great use of overlapping and tons of forest critters

overlapping and lots of color

This student just started but already off to a great start!

Second Grade Gnomes and Bird Nests

Second Graders learned about how to bring a fairy tale to life in this lesson about Gnomes.  I got the idea from Cassie Stephens.  The kids loved it!  They were studying fairy tales in their ELA classes so I thought I would incorporate that into art.  The Brothers Grimm were from Germany and so is the legend of Forest Gnomes.  After a brief history of gnomes and Germany's Black Forest, second graders made painted papers to use for their forest.  They made a forest collage with these papers and created their gnome from a paper roll.  Their gnome needed to have an occupation or a hobby to show off in the Black Forest.  Below you can see some of their ideas!

Gnome Bulletin Board Closeup

Gnome Bulletin Board

Teacher Gnome

Teacher gnome has her papers to grade in one hand and her pointer in the other.

Spider Gnome

This Spider Gnome is complete with its own web, newspaper headline and Peter Parker's camera.

Bakery Gnome

This gnome is a baker with cake and spatula in hand.

Another view of the board

Japanese Gnome

Japanese Gnome is in his canoe with a Japanese flag.

Second Grade also took a closer look at the forest to create bird nests using similar techniques to the gnome collage.  

making branches

cutting eggs for nest

nest at night

blue sky nest and eggs

I love the overlapping tree and sun in this one!

Sewing and Weaving in the Art Room

Pre K students have been weaving in the art room.  We started with a material kind of like a screen door to begin their weaving.  They started with yarn and needles making lines around the edge.  The next class they worked with more yarn, but without the needles.  Then they used pipe cleaners.  The results were some wild weavings! I wanted to put them all together in the hall, but all the students wanted to take them home.  I settled for a picture of a few.

Pre K Weaving

Fourth Grade is completing their softie sewing project.  The began by drawing their softie design.  Then they drew it on a bigger sheet of paper and cut it out to make a template of their softie.  They traced their template on fabric and cut it out.  They added buttons and stitches for eyes and mouths.  They stitched around the sides to attach the back of their softies and then stuffed them. The last part of their project was to write a story about their softie explaining its personality.

Fourth Grade Softie Sculptures

Whats Happening in the Art Room

Whats Happening in Kindergarten: Learning about color! The Color Wheel, ROY G BV, and color mixing!

Whats Happening in First Grade: Forms (3D Shapes), and Cityscapes.  First Graders are creating collages with shapes and forms to create still life and cityscapes.  They worked individually on their own cityscape and then worked collaboratively to create a group cityscape.

3D Form Still Life Collage

Independent Cityscapes

 

 Collaborative Cityscape

What's Happening in Second Grade: Coil Pots inspired by Pueblo Indian Pottery.  Second graders planned the designs for their pots, but realized that their ideas were hard to achieve once they tried it on their clay pots.  Lots of problem solving going on here!

What's Happening in Third Grade: We are learning about how music effects art.  We are also working on a small loom weaving.  Pictures to come!

What's Happening in Fourth Grade:  We are learning about sewing by making soft sculptures.  The students are creating a creature of their own to make out of fabric and thread.  They are also writing stories about their creations.  Pictures to come!

Whats Happening in Fifth Grade:  We are learning about the art of Japan.  The students began with making simple origami and working up to the crane.  Below is our collaborative crane sculpture that will be on display at Young at Art at the Ashe Arts Center.

What's Happening in Sixth Grade:  We are also learning about the art of Japan.  Students are learning about Noh masks from Japan.  They are creating their own mask out of plaster.

Art Night at BRES

This week we had Family Art Night.  This was the first art night that the school had ever had.  We didn't know what the turn out would be like.  Well...it was a great success!  Take a look at BRES students enjoying art night.

Weaving on a Loom

Face Painting

Spinning Yarn

Making Christmas Cards

Paintings on wood and faces

Portrait drawing

High school student sharing her talent

Spinning wheel

Feeling different fibers

more loom weaving

Ornaments for sale

What's Happening in Art

Kindergarten artists are learning about some great artists that loved to use Primary and Secondary colors in their work.  Piet Mondrian and Henri Matisse are the inspiration for these paintings and collages.

 Mondrian Masterpieces

Secondary colors with Matisse

First grade has been making art inspired by our feathered friends. 

Here they are painting their clay bird sculptures.

Sixth Grade has been learning about the art of Egypt.  They have created Pharaoh portraits, Cartouche necklaces and are working on circular weaving.