Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Kindergarten Five Senses Books!

Kindergarten students are ALMOST done with their five senses books. We have done five differing art projects which focused on each of our five senses. The children have created beautiful covers and are working on placing these works of art into their books. 

For a sight project, we viewed optical illusions and noticed how complementary color influence the way the pictures "trick" our eyes. The children, then, created their own tricky pictures using complementary colors.

For a touch project, students created a collage using various textured papers. We talked about the words texture and collage as art terms.

For hearing, the children listened to three very different songs and then drew with crayons and added a watercolor resist to illustrate the way the song felt.

For smell, the children drew their noses and then added ground cinnamon which they sanded from cinnamon sticks on sandpaper--it was a great fine motor practice and the art room smelled fabulous afterwards.

For our taste project, students learned an origami technique to fold their papers into "peek-a-boo" paper. The children then illustrated their papers with their favorite foods. Each paper had an area for four small pictures and, in the middle, a large space for their very favorite dish.

This project is a lot of fun as it relates directly to the kindergarten curriculum, but it also provides hands on exposure for our kindergarten students to a wide variety of art media. 

Hundertwasser Clay Houses and Dream Homes

Smilie students have been learning all about artist and architect Hundertwasser this year! 

He was a very interesting man with many uniques ideas which he seamlessly integrates into both his paintings and his architectural designs.

Things we know Hundertwasser likes....
  • Bright colors and Spirals!
  • Hidden Faces and Lollipop Trees!
  • Lines that mimic nature (i.e. wavy, not straight)
  • Nature! Trees! Roof top gardens!
  • Dreaming, showing your dreams, and sharing your dreams with others!
  • Creativity, taking your time, and caring for others.

Students from grades 1 through 4 have created Hundertwasser inspired artwork!

The first grade students created Hundertwasser clay buildings. These were a challenge, but all of the children showed perseverance and hardwork! We began by rolling a clay slab. The students then had to trim the clay slab, roll it into a cylinder, and join the ends by scoring and slipping the clay. The following week, the children etched Hundertwasser details into their clay houses by scratching designs such as windows, doors, and spirals into the surface of the clay. After the houses were fired, the students painted on bold bright colors. We will soon be planting grass seeds into the tops of the houses so that each building has a Hundertwasser rooftop garden!


The second, third, and fourth grade students all designed their own Hundertwasser inspired "Dream Homes."

Inspired by Hundertwasser's extravagant architectural details and designs the children created colorful, intricate dream houses.
We began the process by sketching with a pencil. Students then traced their pencils lines with a sharpie to give their lines a bold appearance. Lastly, using markers, they carefully colored their dream homes.
They have all turned out fantastic! All of our Hundertwasser work will be on display at the Art Walk/Concert in May!