Male seahorse havin' babies!

Maps

This project really confused me at first but I finally decided on what I wanted to do and it ended up being fun.  I wanted the map to represent my "map through life."  I considered what I value most and wanted to portray that through the art.  I decided that relationships and loving bonds between my friends and my family is what will be my guide through life.  That is why i made the maps into a wreath of chains or bonds and how they are all connected together in my life.  Its a bit on the cheesy side-- but there it is!

ABC Scratch Board

I loved making my own scratch board!! I know you can buy them, but making them was really neat!  We took paper, and colored the paper with heavy heavy crayon covering the entire paper.  Then, we took black Tempera paint, added a tiny bit of soap, and painted over the colored paper.  We let it dry, and then took a little tool and scratched away at the paint revealing the crayon below.  I was really happy with how mine turned out-- but i thought it was cooler before I added the "textures" in between the letter.  I am still happy with it though.. it was a very good project.

Wire Sculpture

This wire sculpture is a turtle!  It was a great learning experience to have to create these sculptures with a "disability"  I made this turtle blindfolded and was able to create it just by feeling the wire.  Some people made their sculptures with big snow gloves on, some were "deaf" and did whatever they wanted with the wire (because they couldnt hear the instruction). The interesting thing was, however, that despite the different disabilities, at the end, it was nearly impossible to tell who had a disability and who didnt.  It was a real eye opener to see that there are peojects out there that everyone can participate-- it doesnt matter what sort of difficulties are out there.

My AFrican MAsk!

I loved making this mask sooooo much-- it might have been my most favorite thing we did! We made these masks out of milk jugs, masking tape, shoe polish, paint, and raffia!!! I loved how authentic they looked and how cheap they are to make.  This is a very applicible project for students to do.  It was nice also, to research some african masks and see how they are alike!

African Masks

These are some pictures I found while researching Masks-- These are all from different groups in Africa.  Some look really similar to what I actually made in class-- that was exciting!

Google Sketch-Up

Google sketch up was an amazing descovery for me! I love how this kind of art expands the realm of possibilities for students!  It presents a whole different kind of experience than any other.  They must think of the WHOLE picture-- behind the building, in front of the building, inside the building.... It made me really open my mind to what I wanted to create.  It made me visualize the 3Dness of it all.  I had a hard time at first visualizing what I needed to do to create what I wanted and eventually I got the hang of it.  I think this is an EXcellent tool for teachers and their students...