Fruit and veggie stamping.....

This was such a fun project . This last week Andin's class was talking about plants so we had a lesson about plants, gardens, and different art involving plants. Then we did stamping with fruits and veggies. I just used what I had in my fridge that was getting gross....sadly I had a lot this time around. We used celery, mushrooms, potatoes, and lemons. You could also use apples, carrots, strawberries, pears, whatever. You actually can call grocery stores, or just stop by and ask for some of their old produce. They will happily give it to you! My tip for this project is to cut the fruits and vegetables the evening before, letting it sit out a while lets it dry out which makes a stamp that shows much more detail then a wet one would. It works wonders with citrus. I had them do patterns instead of letting them have free range. This kept them focused and gave them another educational lesson as well!

What are you all doing for Art masterpiece! Spread the word of the blog! We need to share this stuff :)

Epsom salt 'Snow project!'

This project was so much fun! I stopped by Pat's office to find a painting to inspire my next lesson and she gave me this whole lesson idea! It was perfect for December.....even if we are in Arizona. (Or should I say, ESPECIALLY since we are in Arizona!!) First we read the book "Snow" by Uri Shulevitz. We talked about the art in the book just as we would have talked about a single painting. For the project I had the kids use a dark blue sheet of construction paper, and oil pastel crayons to draw themselves in snow clothes in some sort of winter scene. We talked about different textures of warm cloths, and how we might draw those textures using different patterns, and shapes. Then I had them all paint a thin layer of equal parts epsom salt/water over the entire drawing with a foam brush. Next I gave them a supersaturated (or the closest I got to it) Epsom mixture that they used to make heavy snow patterns on top of their mountains...on the ground...on snowballs..ect. It didn't take long for the mixture to start changing but the coolest part is that it takes days for the epsom salt to fully crystallize and look like snow.





This one was right after we finished that day...



Here are all of the kids projects a week later....notice the tiny crystals formed.





My son Andin's teacher told me the kids loved watching the paintings up on the wall change each day! It was such a fun lesson! Not sure how to link the lesson plan to the blog...but if you want it please email me and I'll forward it to you. andyland23@gmail.com I also found that boiling the Epsom salt and water together worked best for me. You can find Epsom salt in the pharmacy section.

Four Ice cream cones

I did the ice cream project we did in training last Friday in my son Andin's Kindergarten class. I decided to start with one that I had practiced! It went SO well! I was amazed at how long we were able to analyze the painting, (Four ice cream cones) the kids all had a lot to say about what flavors they thought the ice cream scoops were ect. We talked about the shapes in the painting, where they thought the cones were, what they would taste like, feel like, why the artist chose ice cream to paint. They thought it was pretty cool that the artist was from Mesa, Az and that he liked to paint cupcakes, pie, and ice cream. After we finished that we made the ice cream cones. I brought a zip lock bag with flour inside and just sprinkled some on top of the squirt of white paint I gave them, they just mixed it in with their Styrofoam piece. I loved watching all the kids come up with their own creation! Some tried to make it like my example, one made 2 cones instead of one, one made a frame around his using the cardboard, some made muffins instead of cones, one blended the brown and white for her ice cream color to be different, some made it drip or puddle at the bottom, and then my favorite the boy that just made a huge mess of brown paint and described it as "A chocolate black hole." Where "if you fall into it, you are just in chocolate!" I thought that sounded like a great place. Pat had suggested letting them all talk about their art when they finished, and that was probably my favorite part. They are each so different, and each artistic in their own way. They were all so interested and it was just very fun! Here is the link to Andin's teacher, Mrs. Cahill's blog where she posted the photos of the paintings! (I forgot my camera!)

Blog photos

Completed 2 Art Masterpiece presentations

I did 2 presentations this week. I went with a food theme to go along with Thanksgiving, showing Summer the first day and doing food stamping with fruits and veggies for the project. For the second day I showed French Pastries and the students did an Apple Turkey with materials such as an apple, marshmallows, raisins, licorice, and toothpicks.

I worked with a 3rd grade class and they were all really responsive and interested. It was really fun to do, and the most prep work was actually rounding up the fruits and veggies for the stamping. But Trader Joe's donated some expired stuff and was very generous in doing so. It was appreciated!

I can't wait to do some more! I find it is easier when you have a theme to work with so collaborate with the teacher you're working with to come up with something that coincides with what they're are doing in class.

Any questions, please post and I will answer.

For Anyone Interested at Broadmor...

There are many prints and bundled cultural lessons/prints in the library next to the copier. I already have 2 presentations on the books this month. I'll keep you posted as it progresses!

Welcome!!

Hello everyone! I just got the blog set up and ready to go! It's very simple, although those of you without gmail will have to set up a free account. I have added you all to contribute, so just sign in and click on 'new post' for each entry you'd like to submit. I am thinking anytime we teach an art masterpiece lesson it would be great to share the lesson plan, craft ideas, materials used, tips on how it went/ what you would do differently if you taught it again, any photos, ect. Also, if there are any good art supply finds online, or at a local store, it would be a good way to share those types of information as well. Really whatever you want to share works! I am excited to get started! Please email me with any questions, and if you want to invite other parents that would be great. Thanks!

Andrea Schvaneveldt
andyland23@gmail.com