Successful art projects at a birthday party? Yes! Art Party: Georgia O'Keeffe

I recently had the greatest/most intense birthday party experience ever.

I hosted a first grader's birthday party at my studio, No Corner Suns.  It is a very small classroom up above an old travel agency.  On my website I say our maximum is 12 kids/party.  Well, we've been able to stretch that to 15...and this weekend I stretched it to 17.  Yes.  Seventeen first graders up in my little attic classroom- and it was off the hook.

My party mom was awesome.  If every customer who came to the studio was like her, it would be a dream.  She took the art party theme to the next level with her details!  It looked great and her daughter was so nice and appreciative.

I taught the kids a little bit about Georgia O'Keeffe and showed them a ton of her flower pictures.  They sketched for a little bit, and then we prepped their canvas.  They spent several minutes mixing their palette (they were great with color theory!) and then painted.  They were so cute!

We of course had our share of spilled water, painted hair and sleeves.  My floor has never been as colorful, and I truly worked up a sweat cleaning up before cupcakes!  It was great fun and I hope to get the chance to do it again.

Jamberry Crazy! O'Keeffe, van Gogh, & Haring wraps for your finger nails!

I've mentioned before how matching my fingernails to the projects I'm teaching is kind of crazy cat ladyish - but that is what happens when you are obsessed.

I'm a Jamberry nails rep and I can't get enough of their Nail Art Studio.  You basically upload .jpgs and you can make your nails look like or match anything.  Plus, with a good application your wraps will last 10+ days.  Do I sound like a salesman?  Well, on top of that you get two manicures and two pedicures/sheet.

I'm showing off my most recent designs because I will be putting in an order by the end of the month (1/15). If you are interested, just email me and I can hook you up.  They are $25/sheet or $20/sheet if you'd like two or more.

No Corner Suns

Starry Night

Good Mythical Morning.  Any Rhett & Link fans out there?  My daughter is their biggest fan.

O'Keeffe's Southwest.  I had these on last week and they are a little too close to my skin color, but looked pretty anyway. 

Keith Haring!  Perfect for Valentine's day!

 

T'was the week before Christmas... Ugly Sweaters!

I felt sort of bad scrapping my K-2 plans this week.  I had a hard time deciding if I would stray away from the regular curriculum because the kids would be completely crazy the week before Christmas, or because I would be at the end of my rope and needed a break...!

We tied up some loose ends with other projects and then designed Ugly Christmas Sweaters!  I showed a few examples of ugly sweaters first, but the kids did not think they were ugly at all. Ahh, the aesthetics of 5-7 year olds.

I got the Ugly Winter Sweater template from my friendly friend, The Friendly Neighborhood Art Teacher. We drew, colored, & sprinkled with sequins.  Make sure your custodian is cool, kindergartners get sequins everywhere.  It was so fun!

T'was the week before Christmas....Card Loom Weaving

I took a bold move and actually taught something to my fourth graders this week...The Week Before Christmas!

We spent 30 minutes learning how to wrap our warp last week. Then, today we learned how to start weaving.  We spent the entire rest of the class period working diligently on our projects.  You would not have believed it was the day before Christmas break.  I love how weaving has that calming effect.

Successful art projects at a birthday party? Yes! Art Party: Pirate Theme

I started hosting birthday parties at my studio, No Corner Suns.  But, I don't want families to come to an art studio and get a blah blah run of the mill cookie cutter project for the kids to make.  I want it to be an art lesson!  I want the kids to make choices and find success, learn, and enjoy what they are doing.  

In anticipation of more parties being booked at No Corner Suns, (fingers crossed) I started preemptively planning party themed lessons.  Welcome to Art Party! 

For one class, we concentrated on Pirates!  We made these really cute pirate hats as our warm-up.  I taught the kids how to make a skull & cross bones, but they could decorate them any way that they liked.

For our project, we made Treasure Maps!  This involved a few visuals and I brought a few books for the kids to look at.  My fun little group was 1st - 6th graders, and they all had fun!

Fun morning with Keith Haring and Roll a Haring free download

Second grade was supposed to start "People in Action" today.  This pivotal lesson teaches how to draw a human and how to make the body parts look like they are moving.  It has always been a part of my second grade curriculum and I refer to it a lot through the next few years of elementary school.

Well, I had seven kids out sick.  They were dropping like flies today.  I like to tie-in some Keith Haring with this unit, so I sort of skipped ahead.  I showed the class several of Keith Haring's paintings.  We discussed the action, the lines, the colors and talked about how the pictures made us feel.  Next, the class got to make their own Haring inspired picture by playing "Roll a Haring!"

I do not know what website I got the original document from, but it is pretty fun and easy to follow.  The kids roll their dice and pick a head from the corresponding number in the head column, roll again, have a torso, etc.

Then we traced our pictures with Sharpie, and colored with crayons!

They turned out so cute I had to get a group shot!  

Art Around the World! Check out these cuties and their Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagi!

I teach an after school class at my art studio called Art Around the World.  Our first stop was Egypt.

These K-2s made their own Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus just like my fourth graders did last year!  They were so cute, I had to get a group shot.

Remember that time I taught at the Library and I believed that all teens & tweens were little angels?

I hosted Fandom Friday at my art studio the other night. I advertised it for Teens & Tweens to come together in the art room and make masterpieces inspired by their favorite fandom!

Leonardo after da Vinci's Mona Lisa

I was so excited to have five high school kids and six junior high kids spend their evening making art!  I loosely presented the idea of making fine art parodies and provided several resources, but I let them know they were free to use whatever supplies I had and they could work independently on whatever they would like.

It started off pretty good, but the kids had some super high energy.  By the end of the night I was gently scolding a child for running around chasing another kid with a painty paintbrush, unlocking my classroom door to let an escapee back in, asking someone to get off the floor, and helping someone else get paint off their white sleeve.  (Oh yeah, those were all the same two kids.)  Have you ever been to a child's birthday party during the last 5 or 10 minutes?  The kids just had their cupcake and are waiting for their parents to pick them up and they are not engaged, so they run around and chase each other and squeal?  Yeah.  It was like that.

It wasn't that much different than teaching my K-5s, and it was a completely different experience  I had at the library for teen drawing night. I was thinking of my classroom discipline strategies, like using "I" statements:

"I don't like it when you paint on your neighbors face."  And "I need you to stop squealing loudly."

 I also thought about how effective giving students choices are, like:

"You can sit back at the table and work on a project, or I can throw you out the window.  You make the choice."

These were not working too well.

I haven't had discipline issues in my other classes at the studio because I've set up a few mini procedural things as the class begins.  I didn't really even think about stating, "The most important rule in the studio is to stay in your seat!" to a bunch of teens, plus they know there isn't really much I could do about it, except not welcome them back to the next event. Admittedly, I know the kids very well who were the worst.  I know their parents and I've known them since they were little.  I definitely think I could have nipped it in the bud sooner, but because I knew the kids I didn't think it was going to get that out of control.

Regardless!  Everything else about the evening was great.  It was once again refreshing and inspiring to see so many young artists getting excited about art!  Check out our photostream!

Do you have table artists? Free PDF and PPT download featuring artists with a Chicago Connection.

I like to hang artists' self-portraits and notable works above my classroom tables.  I sort them by color.  My six classroom tables go in rainbow order, ROY G. B(I)V.  I choose an artist to correspond to each table color, and instead of always calling "red table, go get your glue..."  I will say "Suerat's go get your glue."  This helps reinforce artists' names and gets my students familiar with many different artists.

This year I chose six artists with a a Chicago connection.  The artists in this series are:
Jonathan Green
Faith Ringgold
Georges Seurat
Pablo Picasso
Alexander Calder
and Frank Lloyd Wright.
You can download a printable pdf of their portraits and visuals here.
I print the pictures and mount them to construction paper, and laminate.   This year I also took the students through a little PowerPoint with a bit of information about each artist.  We used Visual Thinking Strategies and studied each work carefully.

After our PowerPoint presentation, we learned about how to act in a museum.  I had several other works of art by these artists printed and laminated too.  Learn more about our fake trip to a museum here.

Stuff I found in my apron today.

Don't bring this stuff to art class kids.

Teaching teen drawing night at the library was a great gig.

I have been a K-5th grade art teacher for 14 years.  I love my students and I love what they do, but they are so predictable.  I've reached the point where in a crazy loud classroom a kid can ask me a question and even if I did not hear them at all, I can give them the right answer (98% of the time).

I have been using my art studio to try and teach older students.   Of course, my K-2 classes have been pretty full each week, and I currently have a fourth grade student for private lessons, and one fifth grader enrolled in another class..... so, it's not quite working out as planned.  I have been having a great time teaching my wine+paint events.  Those are great, and I love how receptive and peaceful the class is.  It's that inbetweener group, the tweens & teens that I really want to reach.

Luckily (& finally!) I had the chance when I taught a Teen Drawing Night at the Westmont Public Library.  Of course I was nervous.  I had not taught Junior High or High School for 14 years. A memory that stands out is an 8th grader pushing his desk over and swearing at me. I also remember the time a high school boy trapped a mouse in my classroom and took it outside and threw it.  I was about 4 years older than him, and I taught in a pole barn.  Ahhh Central Illinois.

Yes, I was nervous for Teen Drawing Night.

Holy Cow!  This class at the library was FANTASTIC!  I knew some of the kids because they go to school with my kids, but some strangers were in the crowd too and it was great.  Talk about receptive, these kids were listening, they were polite, they did what I asked them to do.  It was like heaven.

So, naturally now, I am on a mission to find a job teaching junior high.  I know that all junior high kids must act this way these days when they come to art!  I can't wait!

Successful art projects at a birthday party? Yes! Art Party: Frozen

I started hosting birthday parties at my studio, No Corner Suns.  Of course, the first party that booked wanted a Frozen themed party and project.  I was charged with coming up with an actual art lesson around the wildly popular movie.  I scoured Pinterest, but was having a hard time finding fun lessons...not just put-together projects.

Knowing my class would be wildly excited 8 year old girls lead most of my decision for these projects.  When the girls arrived they built and designed their own Snow Queen Wands.  I stocked up on silvery shiny papers, streamers, ribbons, duck tape, and a die-cuts.  I taught the girls how to cut snowflakes as they arrived.  It was differentiated!

We cleaned up our wands and got ready for our real project...Do you want to build a snowman?  Using Olaf as our guide, the girls built a snowman collage.  I sometimes teach a variation of this lesson to kindergartners during my normal public school teaching. I was SOO afraid we were going to run out of time during the party, that I kind of over prepared and it. Instead of running out of time, we had a ton of time leftover.  Ooops.  Do not do that with a group of wild 8 year old girls.

Fortunately, mom brought a game, we ate cake, opened presents, and I had plenty of recyclables and fun masking tape for a little Open Studio Time.  I think they loved the tin can/toilet paper tube/plastic lid/masking tape projects better than the actual projects! And, it kept them all busy while parents came to pick them up!

Reflections on the IAEA Conference

On November 7th & 8th I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Illinois Art Educators Association Conference.  The other art teachers in my district and I had decided over the summer we would for sure attend, but for some reason I am always a little apprehensive. So, I waited until the last minute and had to spend a good 30 minutes in line  registering.  I've learned my lesson:

I must go every year.
I must register in advanced.
I mustn't worry about sub plans.  (that wasn't a major concern...I did literally write the book on that one...)
It is a great time.
It is well worth it.
And it should not cause me any anxiety.

Why do I get all nervous and anxious and weird about these things?  I'm guessing it is just general anxiety about not wanting to talk to people (that's all on me, I know).  The IAEA is a great community and full of so many art education superstars.  Seriously, those names you are reading in Studies for Art Education, and SchoolArts, and countless blogs are all there.  It's a tough group to be grouped with! But, I am so proud that I am.

A few of the sessions that impacted me:

Laura Milas spoke on the new National Visual Arts Standards.  I have been trying this year to implement the new standards into my teaching.  I have really been struggling with the new language and the goals.  I left her 45 minute presentation with an 11 x 17" glossy packet of the standards and this idea that I was going to revamp my entire curriculum that weekend.  It seemed to make so much sense!  Of course, It's November 18th, and I've been carrying the standards around with me from school to school and much of that initial excitement got pushed to the backburner.  The presentation definitely put me in the right direction, now it is up to me to focus and use what I learned. (maybe instead of blogging....)

Shout out to the Leban's for their presentation on modifications for students with special needs.  The schools I currently teach at do not house my districts special ed. programs, but most art education degree programs do not focus on teaching students with special needs enough, and the more you can learn the better.

Several of the presentations focused on staying an artist while being an art teacher.  It initially hit me how vital this part of art education was when I started graduate school.  I realized for the first time that I actually have two jobs.  I am an artist, and I am a teacher.  There are a lot of teachers who aren't artists, and their are a lot of artists that can't teach. Sometimes we forget that we are not just the organizers, presenters, and ringleaders purveying the most important information the kids get all day.

The session I attended was  Finding Creativity from Hether Hoffman.  A key point was to make time for your art.  Even if you miss one Saturday a month with your kids - go make your art.  This is a tough one for me.  My kids are eating frozen pizza every other night and being schlepped between two small businesses on a regular basis.  (We used to eat clean!) It's November and our schedules have not reached a point of normalcy.  Obviously, not making my own art is disconcerting.  I have been thinking about this a lot.  We all need to make time for our art.  And I need more coffee. Hoffman's talk was very goal oriented.   Tell people about them so that you will keep them.  I was all ready on slate to have art displayed this spring at my library, but now I am going to make sure and enter the Illinois Art Education Association's Northeast Council Member Show.  I'm in an art room or art studio every single day! Make ART!

I attended the IAEA's Northeast Council meeting session too.  The room was packed with art teachers from all parts of Chicagoland. The discussion was about professional development opportunities, meetings and mini-conferences, and scheduling gatherings... It was invigorating! Yes, we should do these things!  Yes, let's meet at a museum, let's go paint! I was excited, until I remembered that I don't really like talking to people (it's me, it's not the people, it's introvert stuff). I did think that in the future No Corner Suns should host a mini conference in my mini-studio.  Several art education superstars teach just up the road!  They should come to my studio and teach a mini-conference.  Or the Northeast Council could come to a No Corner Suns event! Yikes.  Like that wouldn't be pressure - me teaching a group of art teachers?

And that brings me to November 2015.  I could totally teach a group of art teachers, Doodling along during presentations, I wrote down EIGHT possible topics to present next year.  Another goal, March 2015:  Turn in a conference presentation application, and see you next year!

Spooooky Halloween Coffins - A Ukulele Box project with free brainstorming packet download

I hosted a special Sunday afternoon art project just before Halloween at my studio, No Corner Suns.  I had a fun group of K-2nd grade come in to make some Spooooooky Halloween Art.

I have an unlimited supply of ukulele boxes thanks to my music store owner husband,  I used them at my intermediate school last year to make Ancient Egyptian Sarchophagi, and when I asked my friend what else I could do with them she said "coffins!" and I said "eeeeeeeeeewwwwwww." Thinking of it as an old dusty archaeological find seemed way less creepy than an actual coffin.

We had 1.5 hours for this project.  I put together a brainstorming packet and we went to work. Students started by painting the outside of the boxes, then the insides black.

At a clean table, we drew something monstrous for the inside of our coffin.  We cut and attached ghosts, wolves, and skeletons!


Finally, we drew and traced the outside.


The paint was still wet when the kids left!  But they had fun and they looked great!


What else can we make from these ukulele boxes??