Week of Oct. 31

We finished the paper mache pumpkins last week! What I thought would be a two week project turned out to be a three week one. But the kids really enjoyed working on it from week to week. The pumpkins came out really cute and I'm sure they will grace your table from now until after Thanksgiving day.

In the Monday and Wednesday are classes we will be doing scratchboard art this week. Our Thursday classes have already experienced the scratchboard art, so they will get to begin on a new painting project. This project should only take one week--we will see. However, the project will be a surprise for you, so I can't reveal all that we will be involved. I only promise that you will love it!

Blessings,
Mrs. Cone

Paper Mache

Okay, I got really crazy and decided to go ahead and try paper mache with the students this week. And here is what I learned: always wait until the end of the year to try this! :) That was lesson number one. While all the kids enjoyed having a balloon and getting to play in newspaper and paste, it was little easier for the classes on the older end of the spectrum.

Lesson number two was this: buy some plastic tablecloths from the dollar store instead of spending a half hour or more each day cleaning up paste. Live and learn, right?

All things considered though, it was so worth it! The children loved it and worked hard to cover their balloons that will soon be pumpkins. This week we will add some orange paint and some orange tissue paper to complete the pumpkin. I am not going to pop the balloons because some are covered well and others are not. I don't know what will happen to those that aren't covered as well and I don't want to regret trying to find out.

Thanks for allowing me to teach your child.

And if I haven't said it before, a big thank you to all the parents and grandparents that have sent in Wal-Mart gift cards for the classroom wish list! What a blessing! These come in handy when there is something needed right away or maybe out of the reach of the budget. I've already purchased some brightly colored sharpies for some art projects we will be doing soon. I greatly appreciate your generosity and support. Thank you!

Jackson Pollock and Salvador Dali

As promised we have been painting in the style of Jackson Pollock and the weather has been cooperating nicely. If your child has come home with paint on his shoes and in his hair or ears, then he definitely got the Pollock technique down pat! It is fun to see how each child uses the same technique in a different way. Some like lots and lots of paint and others use very little.

On Thursday we will learn about Salvador Dali and surrealism. Dali is fascinating with his dreamlike works. We will take the ideas of surrealism and try to capture that in a collage. I can't wait to see what your child creates. If time allows we will play an art game where we compare and identify surrealism and realism in paintings. I love using games in learning.

If you have any art ideas or games or if you see a great art website, let me know about it. I'm always up for learning new things.