How about that snowstorm?!

There's nothing like a state of emergency to really bring family and neighbors together!

I live in New Jersey- and just this past Saturday we were hit big with a sudden blizzard. The only problem with this blizzard was that the trees had not lost all their leaves- leaving us with tree branches breaking under the weight of the snow & leaves and falling on electrical lines.  There were streets in my neighborhood with trees that fell from the weight of the snow blocking roads and knocking over poles.  This left us with no power for three days (although I know families who are going on five days and still waiting).  My school district closed Monday-Wednesday and is now opening with a two hour delay tomorrow. Some towns canceled Halloween and rescheduled it for Friday due to the hazards! Insanity! October with a blizzard that shuts the state down!

Well- at least I was able to work on my own painting for once. When I got power back ( and with that running water & heat!) I celebrated by taking out a canvas. Finally- some "me" time!

Just in time for Halloween!

"Spooky Silhouettes!"

 Yay! One class finished their spooky silhouettes in time for  the Halloween bulletin board! I'm going to have to take a picture of them all mounted on orange paper and hanging on the bulletin board- but let me tell you- they are awesome! 

We painted a spooky harvest moon sky reinforcing the

Dia de los... Skeletons!

We all are guilty of creating art projects that relates to holidays at one point or another. I just happen to love using holidays from other countries! Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a fun and festive celebration in Mexico, but can be found in some other cultures as well!

I worked together with the World Languages teacher in my building to come up with a cross curricular lesson that involves a

Line Design Landscapes, Inspired by Van Gogh!

Ah yes.. the world of watercolor and the joy of a sharpie! 

My wonderful third graders are always awe inspired by Van Gogh! In the past they have painted the Starry Night Sky and his Sunflowers, but this is their first time working with his drawings. We studied how he used line in his drawings for texture and movement and embellishment, and created our own landscapes with line as an embellishment. We also looked at how he used thin and thick line and different ways of drawing lines for contrast in art. They had so much fun learning about

Coming soon..... !

I know, I've been slacking in the posting department. I'm hoping that my camera will charge soon so I can take pictures of the projects we're working on now. In fifth grade, we're doing "Dia de los Muertos" (The Day of the Dead, or Festival of the Dead). Fourth is starting spooky silhouettes and third is working on Van Gogh inspired line art landscapes. Simple, yet powerful looking projects! I'm also toying with the idea of how to incorporate art journals/sketchbooks. Altered pages art journals and sketchbooks could be a wonderful way to extend their learning into their free time. However, finding the time in our curriculum to spend a day or two making the journals and teaching the art station will be key in this endeavor. Only time will tell! I'll let you know what I come up with when I do!

Art Swaps!

What could be more adorable than kids making mini works of art to trade? I went to the Art Educators of New Jersey conference on Monday and fell in love with this workshop. I'm not sure yet how I will do this with my students - if it will be an art club project or a small project with my fifth graders - but it just seems like such a fun thing for the kids to do!

Students would design their own style card, using the card as a self portrait type of canvas.Would they