Luminaries

As it turns out, this project is more age appropriate for 3-5 grade, and younger students who have the ability to listen and follow directions, like my awesome God-daughter and her friends.

That is lesson 1.

Lesson 2 is not to underestimate the thoughtful parents who send in extra (and sometimes entire bagfuls) of extra jars. Just in case someone forgot. Which they always do. I ended up with extra jars. Thanks, Thoughtful Moms!

Lesson 3 is that the time when you encourage students to use lots of paint, to really glop it on, they will use it as sparingly as possible.

Lesson 4 is to use small jars for the students you know won't take you seriously when you tell them repeatedly to cover the entire jar with paint. I sent one kiddo back to keep working 5 separate times. The jar still isn't covered.

So today's project was to create a winter themed luminary. Students brought in glass jars, and we used a Modge Podge mixture (with a little blue paint and glitter) to adhere snowflakes and paint the outside of the jar. I used my die cutting machine to cut out about 224 different snowflakes and another 28 house/tree scenes from white paper. I then sorted all of those little snowflakes into sets and put them into little baggies for each student to alleviate the usual "she got a different one than I got!" complaints.

Using foam brushes, they apply the "paint" to the jar, add the paper piece, and go over it again with more "paint". And then they repeat, until they have covered the jar and theoretically used all of their snowflakes.

I demonstrated how to do this in front of all of them, I swear.

Oh well. The good news is that they are drying in the teacher's lounge for a few days, and then I can go back and "touch them up" a bit. Once they are done, I will take some pictures and post them.

Next week, we will be starting the class with a little discussion about listening, and also about cleaning up. I had to throw away all of the used paper towels because the kids would wash their hands, dry them, and then leave the crumpled up towels on the counter. I'm not even sure where that idea came from.

Lessons learned for the future. Next week, Thanksgiving themes...

This is my model luminary. I made the kids' paint a little lighter, since this came out really blue.

Fall Collage

We actually did this project on the fourth of November, but I was pretty focused on some assignments for the classes I am taking at the time, and so I am just now posting.

Since our autumn seemed to last longer than usual for those of us in the Pacific Northwest, I decided to take advantage of it. I also decided to try and use some of the various foam pieces I have had in my craft room from when my daughter was younger. And the project I had originally envisioned involved too many instructions. Try to imagine 26 kids with a piece of egg carton, googly eyes, glue, felt pieces, and a pipe cleaner... and you too, would decide upon a different project. And there was the fact that my voice was almost gone.

So I designed an image on blue construction paper (for the sky), and drew a tree and branch with brown crayon. I cut out a grey squirrel for every student, and collected a real leaf from my backyard, flattened and dried it, and then put together assorted foam and paper leaves, a paper acorn, and an owl sticker. Some of the foam pieces were adhesive, and some were not. I used basic white glue as well.

I set up a baggie for every student with all of the same basic items. I set up little bins of brown crayons. I set up paper plates with a pool of glue for each table.

We talked about what a collage was - a group of related items. I gave them free rein on design, that my model was only an idea.

Other than the lack of ability to use a pool of white glue (glue sticks wouldn't give enough adhesion), the projects came out pretty well. Mostly they copied my idea, and then just plastered their paper with all of the leaves. Even though I had told them that I had included real leaves from my backyard, they were astounded to see them. This is our last "fall" themed project. Considering that I came up with it on the spur of the moment, it wasn't too bad.

It is interesting to think about the things you take for granted that kids know how to do. When I was a kid (and yes, that was still when we had paste pots that some kids ate, and rubber cement we all liked to let dry on our hands and then peel off to creep out our friends), we all had white glue bottles. We knew you didn't glop it all over your item, even though it would dry clear. So when I told the kids they could dip a finger into the pool and put some on the back of the item to be glued, they ignored me and instead dipped the entire item (submerged is  probably more appropriate a description) into the pool of glue. I mean, it worked, but it was messy. Is it always like this? Am I just being selective about my own memories? I will admit it is possible.

I know that students need explicit instruction, that's a basic given. I have been assuming that students are used to using these art supplies, but the truth is, with teachers being pressured to use their time in the classroom to the best of their abilities, maybe it's possible that they aren't getting the explicit instruction in art tools... and that's where I come in. So, I am trying to restructure my lessons to include that demonstration for students that is so integral for them to understand the how, as well as the explanations of the what.

Next time - hopefully, if students all bring glass jars (and after multiple reminders!) - we start working on our first winter project - luminaries. They will go home the week of Thanksgiving, but they need cure time. Plus I will be dressing them up a little.  the week of Thanksgiving, we will make turkey magnets and place cards... maybe a little out of order season-wise.

This is entire club's work as it dries.