I may have this volunteer gig teaching art one day per week at the international school here in town. This has potential as a really fun job. However, I am a little nervous because I am, like, the least artistic person I know (have you seen my knitting lately?).
Also, I will be teaching children ranging from grades 1-6 in one big class. So, not only would I have to come up with activites, I`d need them to be ones that could interest children at different developemental stages.
What to do? I tried to think back on what I did for art in elementary school . . . and I drew a total blank. I think this may have been because I went to public school in California. Wait, I think I remember someone`s mom teaching us calligraphy. Well, that`s not a lot of help.
So, dear readers, I turn to you. What art activities did you (and/or your kids) do in elementary school? What projects do you remember? What would be a fun project/lesson to do? [Basic art materials are readily available, so that`s not an issue]. Help me out here by posting some ideas in the comments section. Don`t worry too much about adapting the activity for kids at different ages; I can do that - just get me started with some ideas.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Created with flickr badge.
This is the story of a young couple from Seattle. They started this blog when they moved to Japan for year in 2005. Since then, the blog has become a record of their lives, friends, cooking, and travels. Follow along at home as they discover a new foreign country: Texas, where they moved in 2008. In July of 2009, the couple added a native Texan, Natalie Beth, to their family. In January of 2013, another native Texan, Jacob Samuel, joined the team.
Our pictures
Natalie Stats
For those keeping score at home:
7/20/09 [birth]: 6 lbs, 10 oz; 20.5 inches long
8/11/09: 8 lbs, 4 oz; 21.75 inches long
9/3/09: 9 lbs, 14 oz
9/22/09: 11 lbs, 3 oz; 23 inches long
11/19/09: 13 lbs, 11 oz; 26.25 inches long
2/2/10: 16lbs; 27.5 inches long
5/4/10: 17lbs, 12 oz; 28.125 inches long
7/23/10: 18lbs, 1 oz; 29 inches long
10/22/10: 20lbs; 30 inches tall
1/28/11: 21lbs, 30.5 inches tall
3/22/11: 23lbs
7/22/11: 25lbs, 34.5 inches tall
9/29/11: 26lbs
11/21/11: 27lbs
4/4/12: 30lbs
8/3/12: 28lbs, 37 inches tall
7/20/09 [birth]: 6 lbs, 10 oz; 20.5 inches long
8/11/09: 8 lbs, 4 oz; 21.75 inches long
9/3/09: 9 lbs, 14 oz
9/22/09: 11 lbs, 3 oz; 23 inches long
11/19/09: 13 lbs, 11 oz; 26.25 inches long
2/2/10: 16lbs; 27.5 inches long
5/4/10: 17lbs, 12 oz; 28.125 inches long
7/23/10: 18lbs, 1 oz; 29 inches long
10/22/10: 20lbs; 30 inches tall
1/28/11: 21lbs, 30.5 inches tall
3/22/11: 23lbs
7/22/11: 25lbs, 34.5 inches tall
9/29/11: 26lbs
11/21/11: 27lbs
4/4/12: 30lbs
8/3/12: 28lbs, 37 inches tall
Jacob Stats
1/12/13: 7lbs, 6oz; 19.3 inches long
1/17/13: 7lbs, 4oz
1/25/13: 7lbs, 120z; 21 inches long
1/29/13: 7lbs, 15oz
2/6/13: 8lbs, 110z
3/14/13: 10lbs, 13oz; 23 inches long
5/17/13: 13lbs, 4oz; 25 inches long
7/26/13: 15lbs, 4oz; 27 inches long
10/25/13: 17lbs, 2oz; 28 inches long
2/13/14: 17lbs, 10z; 29 inches long
4/25/14: 19lbs, 10oz; 29.75" long
7/18/14: 20lbs, 31.75" long
1/17/13: 7lbs, 4oz
1/25/13: 7lbs, 120z; 21 inches long
1/29/13: 7lbs, 15oz
2/6/13: 8lbs, 110z
3/14/13: 10lbs, 13oz; 23 inches long
5/17/13: 13lbs, 4oz; 25 inches long
7/26/13: 15lbs, 4oz; 27 inches long
10/25/13: 17lbs, 2oz; 28 inches long
2/13/14: 17lbs, 10z; 29 inches long
4/25/14: 19lbs, 10oz; 29.75" long
7/18/14: 20lbs, 31.75" long
Are you kidding me? Check out our current weather!
Blog Archive
- April 2025 (3)
- March 2025 (2)
- June 2016 (2)
- May 2016 (4)
- April 2016 (1)
- March 2016 (5)
- February 2016 (5)
- January 2016 (9)
- August 2014 (3)
- April 2014 (2)
- March 2014 (1)
- February 2014 (2)
- January 2014 (3)
- December 2013 (2)
- November 2013 (2)
- October 2013 (4)
- September 2013 (1)
- August 2013 (3)
- July 2013 (6)
- June 2013 (3)
- May 2013 (2)
- April 2013 (4)
- March 2013 (1)
- February 2013 (4)
- January 2013 (5)
- December 2012 (3)
- November 2012 (3)
- October 2012 (3)
- September 2012 (2)
- August 2012 (2)
- July 2012 (1)
- June 2012 (2)
- May 2012 (1)
- April 2012 (1)
- March 2012 (3)
- February 2012 (2)
- January 2012 (3)
- December 2011 (2)
- November 2011 (5)
- October 2011 (2)
- September 2011 (2)
- August 2011 (5)
- July 2011 (6)
- June 2011 (4)
- May 2011 (5)
- April 2011 (3)
- March 2011 (4)
- February 2011 (4)
- January 2011 (4)
- December 2010 (3)
- November 2010 (4)
- October 2010 (3)
- September 2010 (3)
- August 2010 (3)
- July 2010 (5)
- June 2010 (4)
- May 2010 (4)
- April 2010 (6)
- March 2010 (2)
- February 2010 (4)
- January 2010 (7)
- December 2009 (4)
- November 2009 (5)
- October 2009 (7)
- September 2009 (5)
- August 2009 (9)
- July 2009 (15)
- June 2009 (4)
- May 2009 (3)
- April 2009 (4)
- March 2009 (4)
- February 2009 (5)
- January 2009 (8)
- December 2008 (3)
- November 2008 (9)
- October 2008 (5)
- September 2008 (6)
- August 2008 (5)
- July 2008 (15)
- June 2008 (9)
- May 2008 (5)
- April 2008 (5)
- March 2008 (2)
- February 2008 (5)
- January 2008 (3)
- December 2007 (10)
- November 2007 (7)
- October 2007 (8)
- September 2007 (6)
- August 2007 (13)
- July 2007 (6)
- June 2007 (9)
- May 2007 (5)
- April 2007 (3)
- March 2007 (3)
- February 2007 (3)
- January 2007 (6)
- December 2006 (8)
- November 2006 (9)
- October 2006 (8)
- September 2006 (9)
- August 2006 (6)
- July 2006 (9)
- June 2006 (20)
- May 2006 (13)
- April 2006 (11)
- March 2006 (11)
- February 2006 (8)
- January 2006 (22)
- December 2005 (15)
- November 2005 (21)
- October 2005 (28)
- September 2005 (28)
- August 2005 (11)
- July 2005 (7)
8 comments:
My advice?
Don't let them eat the paste.
Two words: potato printing! Brian suggests that if potatoes are hard to find in Japan, you could use daikon instead. Might be a bit tricky for the littler kids, though.
I like leaf rubbings (remember the ones we made from leaves collected in Fremont in October '01?).
I remember a fun art project from elementary school. I think it was called Chalk and Milk. You dipped pastels into milk before drawing, which led to a kind of creamy pastel-ness. This required pretty heavy paper, as I recall.
Stay away from glitter...
Other ideas
1. Trace your shadow portrait on a sheet of paper
2. Mosiac. Do objects in colorful paper scraps.
3. Crayon etching. Multi-Color a paper and cover with black crayon then etch revealing the multi color
4. Outline your body on a large sheet of paper.
5. Create an alphabet from magazines and glue to board. Have students cut out different letters.
Sheila
you are VERY artistic! Remember when we used to have art time at home? you'd whip out your stash of markers and stickers and we'd muck about with crayons... good times.
we collected leaves at wellesley, too, i remember. you have great creative ideas.
unstructured art class is good for kids, too. i don't think i've ever seen anyone complain about being plopped down in front of crayons and paper. you can get the most interesting and expressive things out of them that way.
mmm... paste.
thanks, you guys (in the gender-inclusive sense of the word!)- these ideas are great. I meet with the woman from the school on Friday. I`m starting to feel better about this!
A really simple project you can do is to have the kids "draw" with glue on some heavy-duty paper or cardboard, then sprinkle glitter or colored sand over the top of it and shake the excess off. It takes a long time to dry and it's kind of messy, but it's fun.
Also, you could do the perennial favorite where you play a piece of music and tell them to draw what they hear/feel when they listen to it. I can give you tips on some music that works well for this if you want.
The only art projects I actually remember from elementary school are a) gluing popsicle sticks to milk cartons in order to make reproductions of homes in Colonial Williamsburg and b) for Christmas, gluing graham crackers to milk cartons to make reproductions of homes in Colonial Williamsburg. We never did sugar-cube models, though.
A good idea from my friend, Harvey Goldstein, a retired art teacher. He strongly recommends that you go to the website: http://crayola.com
He said that there are great suggestions by type of media, and that you can register for free and you will get monthly e-updates.
Have fun!
Richard
All good comments.. how about give each kid a mirror and do self portraits using macaroni, crayons, paint, yarn (from stitch and bitch), chalk, shoe laces, dog hair, sticks, dirt and mud.
Post a Comment