My new book!

https://amzn.to/37z2a2o

Today's the day! My book, ABC Arts Book, is now available for preorder on Amazon - it will be shipping out in late January. I am thrilled, and you can get your copy for 8.99. If you have young kids in your life, this is a book that introduces vocabulary from all of the fine arts. There are other books in the STEAM baby series as well - some are out now and some are on the way. Thanks for all your support, friends.

I'm an author!

 I have an exciting announcement to share with you later this week - I have been working on a special project since the spring of this year and it is almost complete! Stay tuned - here is a clue...

Wintery projects from this month

Here are a few of the holiday/ winter activities we had going on recently. I still have remote students getting asynchronous lessons from me as well as in person students, and I am trying to have everyone do the same lesson as much as possible. I am cleaning tables, stools and supplies between classes- whew! It has been a lot and I'm proud of all my little artists.

Northern lights monoprint - a fancy effect from simple markers, water, and a plastic baggie:

Some of my fifth graders are finally getting to finish the potholder weaving we started last March just as school shut down. These are a great way to get some weaving practice and you have a useful product when complete.

And, my current fourth graders are finishing up embroideries from last year as well - we were using the couching stitch.

Our winter mystery drawing was called Snowman Lane! 

We made sets of holiday cards by building a collage, then placing it under the folded paper and rubbing with the side of a crayon. This type of printing is called collagraph.

December at Dolvin

December was so much fun in our building - we had a #DolvinHolidayChallege that included many days of dress ups, snacks and lunches, door decorations, selfies with elfies, and many more festivities. We tweeted our pics to earn holiday flair and I even won a poinsettia! Here are some highlights...

The students helped with my door decor - our theme was Snow Day in the City.

 

Our PTA offered to wrap the staff's gifts - such a helpful gift of time.

It was a month of fun that we all needed and there was a real feeling of the holiday spirit in the air. 

IKEA soft toy design contest!

Only two days left to get your entry submitted - but that is plenty of time! Pull out those markers, fire up your imagination, and design the next big soft toy for Ikea!

Reda all about it and enter here:

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/campaigns/ikea-family-soft-toy-drawing-competition-pubf24a44f0?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20201118_NEWS_IF_US_en_SoftToyCompetitionReminder_ENGA_Email_1_1_V1&sfmc_id=21628859&utm_term=B_Main_BTN_1

Thankful for Reading week- book and drawing

For our Thankful for Reading theme, I am reading the book Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, which is a story about giving-  and a little bit of mystery. You can find my book video and drawing in your art team in the agenda channel - look for this week's post. The drawing is a dog in a sweater like the one in the book, because who doesn’t love a dog in a sweater?!

I am also very thankful for friends who don’t attend Dolvin but have been reading my blog, like Jamie and Ashlee who also sent me some of their favorite links to check out - I will soon try to upload my new drawing videos in the Art at Home tab above. Thank you for hanging in there with me!

Have a happy and SAFE Thanksgiving everyone - gobble gobble!

View the video here: https://youtu.be/sXB9Xq_NHog

"Design a Mask" and Yearbook Cover Contest!

 We have two optional but fun creative projects going on at Dolvin for all students who wish to participate. The first one is the Yearbook Cover Contest and the theme for this year is Better Together. Remember your tips for making quality work - fill the space, use interesting and unique details, use bold lines and bright color. Here is everything you need to know:

The other is Artsonia's "Design a Mask" project, which allows students to create their own mask designs to wear or share as gifts. Artsonia has been our digital portfolio platform for years, so if you are new to Dolvin and have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. You can find out all you need to know about Artsonia at the tab above, or in your Art Team > General Files.

New art routines : Face to face and remote learners

Hi smartest artists! 

It has been great seeing my face to face friends in the art room for the first time this week. Please remember to bring your "to go bag" with your art supplies to art class, and you may also bring your portfolio if you wish. 

For my friends who are still remote learning at home, don't worry - I know our art class seems a little different now that we are not meeting together. Never fear, Mrs. Knight will always have a creative activity planned for you to do each week! Instead of clicking the "join meeting" button in Teams, you will be able to access your art lesson any time during the week. Here is how it works: 

Accessing art class for remote learners:

Go to your Knight Art team - the icon looks like this:

Next, click the Agenda for the supplies needed for the week.

Finally, click Assignments, then Files to see a folder for the week that contains video examples, pictures, and other information.

If you have a question, click the Ask a Question channel. I can also help you during my office hours, which are by request since everyone's schedule is so different - just let me know if you would like to set up a time.

What to do with your art work:

Each student should be saving their work in a portfolio at home. You also have the option of uploading your art to a digital portfolio - Artsonia or Seesaw. Find out more about these platforms by visiting your Art Team channel, under General > Files.

Thank you all for your patience as we figure out the safest, best ways to make this work for everyone. I am so proud of all of you and I am happy we can still make art together.

.

Vooks -get your free trial!

Vooks has been an amazing resource in my art room. The animated picture books are a great way to inspire my students as we begin a new lesson, and they also keep those early finishers engaged while I am helping a small group or during cleanup time. I gave Vooks a try about a year ago and it has become a go-to resource - anyone who spends time with kids will find this app so valuable and you can try it FREE right here! 

https://mbsy.co/3b72Ww

These are pre-pandemic shots of my students enjoying Vooks in my classroom. There are always a dynamic selection of award winning and classic books to choose from. I hope you will give it a try!

https://mbsy.co/3b72Ww

Two weeks in - URL in the art room

      

Hi friends! I am happy to report that each day is smoother than the one before and we are all learning and growing in this new school environment. We now have two weeks of experience and we are beginning to feel a comforting sense of regularity and routine. We have read inspiring books together and made lots of drawings, and I am really proud of the students with their respectful, problem-solving attitudes. 

Thank you for your patience and I look forward to seeing all of your creations! Here are some tips for our online classes:

1. Be on time - we only have 30 minutes a week instead of our usual 45.

2. We will always need paper and pencil, and optional supplies are listed in your team's Class Materials.

3. If you miss something due to internet troubles, go to our Knight Art Team, click "Assignments" then at the top, click "Files” - this is where you will see the folder for the week with examples and links.

Sneak Peek 20-21!

Hey hey Dolvin Dolphins! Thursday is Sneak Peek and you will get a chance to watch your teachers' welcome videos. Just go to our Team to see it - my Team has this paint palette icon with the grade, like this:

Knight Art 5 20-21

Here is my schedule, so turn in to our live meetings starting next week. If you don’t see your class, look for Mrs. Saltus's Teams.

Although I will continue to share our art on this blog, I will not be posting our actual lessons here like I did in the spring - all students will access the art classes through Microsoft Teams. Thanks and I hope everyone's back-to-school season is smooth sailing!

New Mystery Drawing set and TPT sale!

Today starts a new sale in my Teachers pay Teachers shop  to celebrate the addition of my new Mystery Drawings 3 set! Mystery Drawings are fun, creative activities for teachers and students to do together by listening to and drawing clues - in the end you’ll have a really cool artwork that can be personalized with artistic details.

These are great for both in-person and online learning! I hope you will check them out. 

my Teachers pay Teachers shop

School's out, Summer's here! 2020

I wanted to write one more blog post about this school year's end before summer kicks in! We had two drive by parades, celebrating our graduating 5th graders, and one celebrating the retirement of our data clerk extraordinaire, Nancy Adams.

  

I was super excited to find this cute sign in my yard from my awesome admin team! I had to share the space with my son who is now a high school graduate.

 
I got to visit some of the Teams meetings and some of us even drew together! 

I loved seeing all the amazing videos created by Megan Endicott, our music teacher, and Brad Agnew, our parent yearbook creator - thanks for the many hours you put into creating these memories for us! I loved seeing the thank-yous from the kids.

  And the art was still coming in - here are a few highlights from the final week. 

All 3 Phillips brothers submitted artwork to the High Museum's student online gallery - so cool!

   

  

I cleaned my room and distributed all the portfolios to the homeroom teachers - all 26. 

Happy summer everyone - stay safe and have fun - I've got more "dog training” to do 😃. See you soon!