Peak Inside My Sketchbook- Primary color collage

Some of you may remember a post I did last year about my new favorite way to write lesson plans. I just keep a sketchbook now. It really is the greatest thing ever.

Obviously this won't work for everyone. Some people work at schools with principals that need to have everything in the same format for everyone NO MATTER WHAT!!!!! I showed this to my principal and she loved it. I write down all the stuff that I need to have in my lesson according to the district visual art standard, I just don't fill out their sheet (but I have them on file just in case I need to submit anything, I just have to pull it up on the computer and fill in the blanks from my sketchbook.

Anyway, have a look:

This is a kinder project from the beginning of the year. basically we talk about primary colors, sing a song about it, then they hunt through magazines and tear out the colors and group them together. I use glue sticks, so we can talk about using a material properly. otherwise nothing else special, I don't want to over load them. This is literally day 2 of class. we talk about how to hold and use scissors the next time. I just want to see if they know these colors, and how each kid works.

I hope you can see my lesson there. Let me know if it is unreadable (not my spelling and handwriting, just the photo!) If it doesn't work I'll type the lesson up next time.

Later
The Artsy Girl

Bad blogger

Can I tell you how many blog posts I write in my head? Thousands. And for every post I wrote in my head there are three I would write in my head if I ever had a chance to think about it. It's not even like I'm busy. I stop teaching at 3:00, and unless I have a meeting, I have until 3:45 in my classroom, till M comes to get me. I know I do stuff, because somehow things get planed and prepped for the next day... But I don't remember what I did most the time. All time stands still from 3:45- 6:30 because I go home and usually fall asleep. I wish I could blame this on the baby in my tummy but this happened before I was pregnant too.  So I'm sorry I'm so bad at being a blog writer. I really do have good things in the works and I think about you my readers, that I hope are there and not just in my head, loads.

On that note I am going home today, not falling asleep, and trying to get stuff done. yeah OK, I may just pay bills, but I guess that is a start. 

and because I think you are awesome here is a link to my district's art wiki, which has lots of lessons submitted by my fellow art teachers. I helped upload some of them..... because I am on the tech committee.

Tomorrow?
The Artsy Girl

Tree Topper

My Hubby is a little obsessed with tradition. Even things that he thinks tradition that really (In my opinion) are not. Example? His family has a home made star on the top of the tree. Now it seems to me that his artsy Dad probably made it just for fun, or maybe they decided to make one rather then spend much needed money on a store bought one. Either way, they have used the same home-made star for the past 30 years. There is nothing wrong with this, its a cute star, but it means I CANNOT buy a tree topper in the name of tradition. The last 3 years we have had a bare tree top.

This year we have a house, and I was able to use our vintage aluminum tree as a themed blue and silver Dallas Cowboys tree like I have been wanting, because we had space for a real tree too. I had the best idea for a topper. Here is how I made it. 

Supplies: A piece of cardboard in the shape of a star (or angel, or Cthulhu, whatever suits you.) Paper to cover it with, glue, Mod-Podge, Scissors, a brush ribbon, and a photo.  The photo is totally optional, but helps add interest. M's parents have a family photo from the year his sister was born in their star. you could do an angel, Sweet Baby Jesus, H.P. Lovecraft, whatever. I chose Tom Landry, because it is a COWBOYS tree.

Cut out your photo, and cut up your pieces of paper. Yes you can do it in one sheet, but it will be harder, and this covers up mistakes. I highly suggest that you cut some strips for the edges and fold them in half long ways to wrap around the outer edge.  It will hide the raw edge of the cardboard, and make your life easier if you want to decorate both sides. (I didn't decorate both sides.)

Glue the pieces of paper on the cardboard. yes I know you can just use Mod-Podge, but I am suspicious of it, and this seems more secure. Plus if you are wrapping paper around the outer edge it is just easier with regular glue. Mod-Podge the whole thing, getting the brush under the fly up edges.

 If you are putting a photo on the star, get it on there before the Mod-Podge dries, and cover it with goo too. Let dry.

Once your star is dry you can add a ribbon to the back. (Sorry I didn't take a picture of this before M put it on the tree, which I can't reach.) I just took  thick ribbon and hot glued it to the back. I left a tiny amount of give to get it on the branch, but it is still pretty tight across the back. 

Have a tall person put it on the tree and enjoy!

The Artsy Girl

Sub Plans

This coming weekend is TAEA, and I am super pumped! I am going to be out on Friday to take in the workshops, and that means  I have to make sub plans. I have a pretty sweet system for my emergency plans, and I thought I would share it with you, as I just now in my 3rd year got it to a place I like.

 I have a skill box on the shelf behind my desk that is full of emergency lessons, they are all super easy to do, and understand, and don't take any more materials then what I keep in the tote trays on the tables, so the sub doesn't have to get anything weird out, or search through my stuff.

That blue folder above the sub lesson box has all my info about schedules, seating charts, emergency info etc, so I can be out without having to worry about a thing, it just takes a few moments to update at the beginning of every year.

 The folders in the box each have a whole days worth of lessons for each grade level. I used to have each activity in a folder, but I had a hard time remembering what class did what the last time I was out. This way if I am sick and can't write plans the sub can just pull out one folder, and do what is in there.

On the front of each folder is a sticky note that says A, B, C and "Clarke" This is because we have a three day rotation, and another teacher, Ms. Clarke who travels to our school every third day. When a set of lessons are used on a day, or by Ms. Clarke it gets checked off the  sticky, so anyone can tell weather or not a class has done what is in the folder. If a folder has the day checked off, just go to a folder that isn't checked off.

Inside the folder there is a set of "masters" that are paper clipped together. on each master there is a sticky note with instructions about how to do the activity, suggestions on how the sub can teach a mini lesson (if they feel inclined to do more then read the directions) and a suggestion for early finishers. I always leave a pile of copy paper for "free draw" if a student finishes the activity early. I try to have enough copies of each activity for a class in the folder, but that doesn't always happen, which is why I have the masters papercliped together, so they don't get handed out and can be re-copied

That's it for today! Conference is putting me in a sharing mood, and I hope to have lots to share after. What are your favorite sub lessons? Would you like me to share the ones I use?

Later,
The Artsy Girl

Woven Basket

My first year teaching a parent gave me a donation of stuff to make baskets with!  She said I could just take it home  because she knew there wasn't enough to make a whole class worth.

Now, I am very aware of the stigma that art and basket weaving have, particularly together, so I had never planed on teaching this during a textile lesson.  Then I read the Hunger Games.  How can someone say that basket weaving is useless and lame when Finnik wove watertight baskets in the 2nd book that saved everyone's life, because they could now take water with them? HOW I SAY! You can't. I know If I related a basket weaving project to that my students would be OBSESSED with baskets. Maybe someday, but I'll be on maternity leave when they do textiles this year.

The directions that came in the bag I got were very... unclear, so I looked up how to do them. rather then take process shots and make a tutorial, I decided to direct you to the totally awesome one that I used.

Here is my finished product! Yeah OK, It's ugly, but it holds onions and potatoes nicely, which will do until I am able to have a root cellar, or figure out a better solution in the pantry.

I might have enough left to make some baskets for the baby's room to hold toys.

The Artsy Girl

Photography part 2

As promised, here is the black and white.

Oh looky there. Something labeling this as mine. That web art class was baller. I need to do this again.

This photo made my professor say I was his most promising student <3

The one thing I miss about my ex from several years ago? His roommate. This guy. I hope I gave him a print of this.

Photography.

One of my main concentrations in college was Photography. It wasn't official or anything, because as education majors we were technically not supposed to pick an art specialty (or maybe I just thought it was a bad idea in an effort to spread my wings for the sake for the kids.) Anyway, I told a parent about this, and she asked me to photograph her kid, and I said yes! Maybe this can be a side gig?

Well I have a long way to go, and my college professors would be really disappointed in me right now. Like a bone head I uploaded through iphoto rather then photo capture, and it compressed all my photos. Of course I didn't realize this until after I had deleted the photos off my memory card. Ugh. Even though most people would never notice, I'm gonna come clean and offer to not take payment. If anything it was a nice afternoon with kids and a parent I like, and I'd rather think of it that way then be racked with anxiety about her finding out and telling other people that I'm handing out too small files.

anyway it got me to thinking, I haven't shared any of my photography here. I'll put some Color in this post, and then some Black and white in the next post, as I am sure Blogger will not accept that many photos.

One of my flower girls.

Just a taste.
The Artsy Girl