Fall Still Life 2015

At the end of our first 9 weeks, we spend some time finishing the work in our portfolios, uploading some pieces to Artsonia with our iPads, and reviewing our vocab and media usage. Students complete these tasks at different speeds, so I keep a fall themed still life set up for kids to observe and draw during their extra time. The only real instruction is to fill the space! They choose their own points of view and they choose which items to include or crop out. Some even invent settings. All levels participate and it is fun to see each interpretation. It is also good to see how they use some of the things we have learned in other lessons, like overlapping, placement, size relationships, and texture.

Popular Purple Pencil Sharpener - it's here!

Classroom Friendly Supplies has released its classic pencil sharpener in a fantastic new shade of purple - if you haven't tried this sharpener before, it will amaze you. Seriously, the sharpest pencils you've ever seen.

I tried this sharpener in blue last year and it took me a few tries to figure it out. Once I did, I was hooked! It is easy, quiet, and built to last. I was really excited to get one of the new purple models and double up on sharpeners in my classroom. 

There are a few steps involved in using the sharpener: pull out the front, squeeze the cubes, insert the pencil and grind the handle. When the grinding becomes loose, the pencil is ready, so squeeze the cubes again to release. At the beginning of the year, I had my students watch a demo and then called them over one table at a time to try it out. Since then, they have been pros.

One of the most mind-blowing things I've noticed about using the sharpener is that because there are steps involved and a wonderfully sharp result, the students are treating both the pencils and the sharpener much more respectfully - no more jamming them into those loud electric models, creating broken tips. They seem much more aware of their role in the pencil sharpening - sounds a bit silly, but I am all about being respectful of our art materials and never wasting.

Get your own sharpener at classroomfriendlysupplies.com ! You will love it :)

Student reviews:

"It's not electric, so you can use it anywhere!" - Charlotte

"Fast and sharpens quickly!" - Laurel Mae and Hermon

"I like using the cubes on top to get my pencil straight." - Hendrix

"No batteries, and you can take it from classroom to classroom." -  Phoebe

"It is very quiet - I don't like loud noises" - Cooper

"It is easy to remove the shavings container" - Hermon

Fall still life underway

The annual fall still life is one of my favorite things each year - all grades do their take on observational drawing, focusing on filling the space, overlapping, high and low placement, shapes, textures, on and on. It's a great thing to work on at the end of our first unit as kids take turns with the ipads and Artsonia uploading. Here are some shots: