I Want this...

cheese tray!

Fifth Grade: VanGogh in Perspective

This project, is one of my few original ideas...it's a twist off of 4th grade project:Van Gogh's Cat Wander's into the Starry Night. This is Van Gogh's Dog Wander's into the Cafe Terrace.

The student's love this project for two reasons. 1. The learn how to draw dogs. 2. It looks good no matter what.

I love this project for two reasons. 1. It has dogs. 2. It looks good no matter what.

Actually, I love it a lot more than those two reasons. This project is a great teaching opportunity for perspective, collage, color, painting techniques (dry brush, wet into wet, premixing). The students get to use their sketchbook to learn perspective, and to practice drawing their dogs. The dogs "pop" out of the picture plane. Also, the project has many different types of steps which takes a few weeks for them to finish, which teaches students that every project shouldn't be finished within 45 minutes.

Materials:

• 18x9 paper
• pencils
• tempera paint (primary colors + black and white)
• silver paper or aluminum foil
• construction paper
• crayons
• smal strips of cardboard

Day 1. Walk the students through drawing a simple version of Cafe Terrace at Night. Start with a horizon line and vanishing point. Add the porch, Terrace, store, and skyscrapers.(Don't draw tables yet)

Day 2/3. Paint yellow things (terrace, ground, sky scraperwindows, store window), then orange ( add to store window -dry brush-, doors, a little to the ground, then red on the porch and maybe a little dry brush to the store window to create a "glow". Green to the chandelier over the terrace and maybe some doors and the ground. Paint the sky blue. Next, paint all of the buildings grey and then outline EVERYTHING in black (normally I hate outline in black, but it looks much better outlined), and add "black,tiny rainbows" for the cobblestone. * May take longer than 3 days*

Day3/4. Practice drawing dogs in sketchbook, and start/finish final dog on construction paper and crayon. I always tell them "no floating dog heads, it needs a neck or a full body." I let them add funky details like sunglasses, mohawks, colored spots, brightly colored fur, etc. Cut them out. Add silver stars to the sky. Glue cardboard strip to back of dog, and glue to picture. * This day can be switched with a painting day if the kids get antsy after painting a while, or if cleaning up paint is too much for YOU that day*

That's it!

A little me...

Stole this idea from blog Lovely Life of Lauren

E, Myself, and I recently created a list of 30 things that she wanted to do before she turned 30, and I've decided to join in! Here's how it works:

• Pick a milestone that works for you.( 30..in 4 years)(OMG)

• Make a list of things to accomplish between now and then. They can be big or small things... To me, this is just one step closer to living life a little fuller!!

• Post the "30 Before 30" button on your page to let everyone know you're playing along.

• And then, link-up here with your very own "To Do" list.

I've decided to do the following

1. Start my own painting studio
2. Set up an art camp in the summer for students
3. Take a jewelry making class
4. Take a long vacation to Italy with my husband
5. Buy a Home
6. Grow my hair extremely long. No, longer than that.
7. Grow a garden with tomatoes and lots of basil
8. Get a sense of Fashion
9. Start a book on art projects
10. Do another triathlon ( maybe in open water...ahhhhh)
11. Pay off all debts (except student loans)
12. Get into a healthy lifestyle (eating right, working out regularly)
13. Become a cupon clipper
14. Learn how to cook harder meals
15. Be able to wear high heels longer than 2+ hours
16. Be part of a book club or start one
17. Find a good church in my new home town
18. go on a girls trip somewhere tropical
19. Get a good therapist
20. Get a story out of my nana and grandma that I have never heard before
21. Get an art teaching job in High School
22. Celebrate every wedding anniversary in a really special way
23. Coach a soccer team
24. Sew something really quick
25. get a good sewing machine (might need to do this before #24)
26. Teach Sadie how to "come" on command, everytime
27. Watch less TV
28. Relearn to play guitar and piano
29. Learn how to sing (mother in law has agreed to the challenge:-))
30. Take a deep breath, i can't believe I am going to say this but before I am 30 I want to...Have a BABY!

Game Night

Jenna and her boyfriend came over for our weekly get together and we had a little apples to apples match (I lost terribly), and Sadie thought the circle we were sitting in was to play with her.

Crazy Kids at the Dog Park

This FATTY PUG was so funny (and sweet). Tee loved it. But Can you imagine the snoring that thing probably accomplishes at night?
And this guy...a chinese hairless krustid had all of the other dogs' attention. They had to smell him to make sure he was really a dog.

Third Grade: City Scapes

For third grade, for some reason, I always end up doing "scapes." Seascapes, landscapes, cityscapes. I borrowed this scape from Deep Space Sparkle, but instead of doing it in Sharpie, I let them use crayons and markers. Before this project, my students do the 3D Line Design, so they already have a good idea of how to feel in a space with lines, patterns, and textures. It took my 3rd graders two 45minute class periods to draw and color their cityscapes.

Food for Thought

My friend Caroline's blog posted this, and I had to steal it...

Monet's Watergarden

(display of daisies and watergarden)

I thought this project would be fun for my third graders for the beginning of Spring, and it was!

First day, I read a book on Monet, and showed some bigger prints of his work.

Then, I walked them through drawing the bridge, pond and lily pads(big circles with little circles on top) very lightly so they would have some gidlines when they painted.

Then I gave them teal, white, pink, and purple to put the first layer of tempera paint.

They painted Xs, with teal and white paint,big and small above the bridge, then painted verticle lines below the bridge with the teal and white, and the lily pads (but not the flower)then a layer of teal on the lilypad.

They painted the bridge with the purple.

Second day, I put ut the same colors as the class before (in case they need to finish), plus y ellow, blue, and a different green than teal.

I told them to go over their Xs, lily pads and verticle lines with the 2nd green and yellow. Then add touches of blue to their pond, and chose a color for their flowers.

They also were allowed to add little pink or purple dots to the verticle lines below the bridge to

make flowers. They were also asked to add some blue lines to their bridge to make it look more 3D.

After they were done we discussed what time of day it might be in our painting, as Monet often painted the same thing, but at different times of day so it looked different.

* I think next time I do this project I might let them choose what they want to draw in their watergardens.

Easter Weekend

We headed down to Granbury, Texas to see Tee's Godmother for Easter. It was the first time Sadie has ever seen "gigantic doggies"(everything IS bigger in Texas!) She had a lot of fun, even though we left her food at home and had to buy her food that made her sick. And mommy and daddy were worried she was going to find a place to get sick in someone's house who is NOT a dog person. Good times had by all.

Daisies

Here is a project idea I stole from Kids Artist, and I absolutley love it! It was an easy project for all ages to experience hands on what happens when you mix blue and yellow. I loved the results, and had considered asking to keep 1 or 2 to hang in my house, then decided to just tell them to have their parents frame them:-)

ps- my 3rd. 4th, and 5th graders loved it, and it took about two 45 minute classes to complete.

Tricks Class DOG-gree

I am really late in posting this, but here they are. Sadie's graduation from tricks class. She no knows:

-shake

-army crawl

-playing dead

-dance

-high five

-sing

She got the award for "observer" this class because, literally, that is all she did was observe. Of course when she got home, she would do everything in perfect form. But in class, she looked at Tee and I like we were crazy to expect her to show all of her dog friends how smart she was. "Guyz don't be widicuwous, I don't want to give away aw my seecwets."

Progress...

Almost done. I have just a little touching up I want to do, and I am gonna finish! The great news is, I think I have sparked some interest in another teacher at my school, and I might have a next project:-) I am excited!

(original post here)

Mike

This is Mike. He is was not sure of me. But i have one him over with my cuteness.

Dog Park Sign

it makes me laugh...

Drama Queen

Ever since Sadie's second trip to the vet, she has become increasingly stressed out each time we go. Well, at least when I take her. A month ago Sadie had an infection in her eye and Tee had to take her...APPARENTLY she was perfectly fine, no heavy breathing, no scratching, no hiding head in your neck. She allowed her temp. to be taken, with out a nub lock down. Well, most recently I took her and I got the anxiety breathing, shakes, scratches up an down my arms...the full DRAMA. What can I say? Sadie's a momma's girl:-)

(notice the panting tongue, her first sign she is stressed)

Tree DOWN!

OKLAHOMA, where the wind comes sweeping down the planes...

...and knocks down trees in front of our apartment.

(one and a half months until we move back to Virginia)

Different Kind of Coil Pots

I always do coil pots with my fifth graders, but I wasn't ever sure how to make them more interesting until I found this post on blog Art for Small Hands. The kids had fun adding a little more detail with clay.

Last FL Pictures

Skillsssss.

Bronzing.

Sand Nose.

Man's Best Friend

Bye Beach.

Panama City

Sunny Day

Get that mean water, Sadie.

Sunset

Have I mentioned how fast Sadie is?

My girly.