Spreading the LOVE

The Artist Trading Cards are officially in the mail! We had so much fun trading ATC's last year that we definitely wanted to do it again this year, using Valentine's Day: Love and Friendship as our theme. Each 4th grader made 4-6 cards, two designs were made by my instruction (an optical illusion style and a word art) and the remainder were done with the students' own interpretations of the theme. We are trading several through the mail and a couple with classmates.
We have mapped our trades, starting with the heart in Georgia, and branching out to 8 other states. We are so looking forward to receiving our trades! I will post the results when everything arrives.

Each school receives a set of cards, a tracking map, and a description of our school and community

The addition of aluminum foil scraps was a simple but effective way to get a little sparkle!

Snowman snapshots 2013

Third graders enjoy this project every winter. It's a great way to teach point-of-view and the way artists and photographers choose the way they look at their subject. Looking at American photographer Ansel Adams' photos like the ones below of a snowy tree - near and far - really helps them to understand, as does using paper viewfinders to change what you see in a format.

        

Shoe print charms

Kindergarteners had fun making textures in little balls of clay, using just the soles of their shoes! We had fun stringing beads and creating patterns after the charms were fired.