Stepping Stones Bulletin Board

For our bulletin board we decided to take pictures of all of the stepping stones instead of trying to set up a table with them on it. I think this worked out great, if not better. First we covered our bulletin board in green paper and then painted green lines on it to make it look like grass. We then cut out brown "pebbles" and sponge painted them with brown paint to give them a more textured look. The pictures we took by taking all of the stones outside and laying them in the grass. We then printed them at walmart and found that we could put a boarder around the pictures so it added more color. Our quote that we revised a little to fit our project says, "Life is full of obstacles and it's up to us to find the STEPPING STONES throughout life's rubble." We punched all of these letters out using the letter punch that can be found in Gerber. We decided to do stepping stones in black with color behind them because that was the main focal point of the quote and our project. Finally, we put a picture of all of the stepping stones in a layed in a path in the middle. 

Ms. K. Jorgenson and Ms. M. Jorgenson- Clay Ornaments

The final art lesson was working with clay to make an ornament. To start the lesson, they had us draw an intracate ornament that we would make using clay. We traced this in black permanent marker, and then taped a piece of wax paper onto the top of it. We were each then given a bag of clay to work with and trace our design. To do this, we cut the tip of the plastic bag containing the clay. After tracing the design and layering the clay a few times, we were given paint to decorate our ornament with. We were told to choose either warm or cool colors to paint our ornament with and also to use either a shade or a tint. I chose to use cool colors to paint with and I also incorporated a tint using a light blue color located in the center. Our final directions were to tie a ribbon onto the top and then put our name on the back.

Extension Project: I would extend this project by having the students study the history and different uses of clay.

Ms. Cronin and Ms. Eikamp- Stepping Stones

The area of art that my group was to teach about was crafts. Jackie and I thought stepping stones would be a great project to do for this area because it allows the students to be creative and also leaves them with a great memory/decoration that they can keep for many years to follow. We incorporated using a picture with our steeping stones so that they held more meaning. The picture I chose was of my mom, two sisters, and myself that was taken over new years at a wedding. I chose this picture because Mother's Day happens to be only a couple weeks away and it is a great homemade, heartfelt gift. This project would be great to do with students around a holiday so that they could give it to someone special.
Ms. Eikamp and I decided to teach the different principles of art through our stepping stone lesson. The principles we chose to work with were balance, repitition, unity, emphasis, and contrast. I chose to integrate balance through the heart around the picture and repitition on the sides of the picture into my stepping stone. My stepping stone would also be classified as part mosaic because of the random colored pieces scattered around my picture.

Extension Project: To integrate this art project with science, I would go over the different reactions taking place causing the stone to harden. We would also research the different elements in cement and different types of cement mixtures.

Ms. Opsahl and Ms. Vetch- Egg Print Making

During this project, Laura and Allison taught us how to do print making using foam meat trays, paint, carving tools, and paper. To start out we were to draw an egg and design it however we’d like. Once finished, we were then to carve this design onto a foam meat tray. When that was done we were then instructed to put paint evenly over the meat tray design and stamp it onto a sheet of white paper. We were told to do 4 different colors, and we could choose from red, blue, yellow, silver, and black. I chose to do all except black and then framed mine onto a large piece of black construction paper. When framing them, we were to space them evenly and also cut off any excess white paper around each egg.

Extension Project: For an extension project, I would work with teaching students about primary and secondary colors. I would have them mix the colors themselves so that they could understand the colors that work together to make a new color. 

Ms. Bruemmer and Mr. Kiefer- Scratch Art

This art activity was presented on the technique of scratch art. To start with, Nicole and Justin had us draw some type of animal on a piece of paper using a cardboard shape that they gave us. Each one of us had a different shape so none of the animals looked the same. My shape looked to me like a bunny head with ears, so I drew that along with a rabbit whole in the side of a grassy hill. After we drew this on our paper, we were then taught different techniques of scratching with a wooden utensil and a small piece of scratch film paper. We were to practice the different types of scratching that they taught us, along with the examples on the handout. Once we were ready we were then to scratch our picture onto the larger piece of scratch film paper. We were told to use a few different types of scratching on our picture as well. When we were all finished, we had to frame them on a pre-cut piece of construction paper.

Extension Project: For an extension project into research science, I would have students find some interesting information of the animal that they drew on their sketch. They would then present this information to the class. If two people happened to draw the same animal, I would have them work together to find information. 

Ms. Katzenberger and Ms. Mammenga- Pop Art

This project was based around the famous artist Andy Warhol and his unique creation and display of pop art. Andy Warhol was known for the the different colors he used based around the same picture, but with different color schemes. He also displayed his work in four-point picture collage. The different color schemes we worked with were monochromatic, analogous, warm, and cool colors. We were put into groups of 3 and were told first to sketch an item that they had set out for us. Everyone in the group had to sketch the same item, and then choose a different color scheme for their picture. I chose the monochromatic color scheme in different tints and shades of purple (as shown above). My other two group members, Nicole and Kim, did cool and warm colors respectively (shown below). We were then told to mat our pictures on a black sheet of construction paper leaving a 1" frame around each side. My picture, I thought, was more difficult because there was only one color of purple, so I had to blend black and white in with the purple to get lighter and darker shades and tints.

Extension Project: I would have my students research other artists that were known for a specific type of art (such as Andy with Pop Art) and then present to their classmates on what they are known for. I would then have the students do a project based on that artists famous work of art. This project would be integrated into Art and History.

Ms. Anderson and Ms. Deslauries-Rainbow Fish Collage

For this project, we were instructed to make a collage fish inspired by the book " The Rainbow Fish," by Marcus Pfister. We were to free-hand draw a pattern of a fish that they gave us, but we were not aloud to trace it. We were also able to draw another type of fish if we wanted. I decorated my fish with pieces of blue, green, pink, and yellow construction paper, and then added the tin foil scales to make it resemble the "Rainbow Fish" more. To add more uniqueness and sparkle, I added sequins and glitter, which I had in my own art kit.

Extension Project: To add to this project and incorporate it into another area of the curriculum, I would have students write a story involving their unique fish. "The Rainbow Fish" story focuses of the concept of sharing and building friendship, I would have them pick an important value to them, such as family or love. This project falls under the Language Arts category.

Ms. Trautner and Ms. Weikamp-Pebble Painting

The second lesson plan, presented by Pam and Kim, was on pebble painting. We were instructed to put a piece of paper inside a shoebox and choose any size pebble we would like and dump it in a cup of paint. We were then to dump the pebble into the corner of the box and roll the pebble around on the paper to create designs. We were instructed with a few guidelines as well. First we were to use each of the primary colors with a different size pebble in each. Secondly we were to make a secondary color using 2 of the primary colors. Finally, we were to cut out four different shapes from the sheets we made, and then paste them to a piece of construction paper. 

Extended Project: I would have students create these paintings and cut them out into different shapes. However, instead of pasting them to a piece of construction paper, we would paste them to the bulletin board creating a collage. 

Ms. Jundt and Ms. Thorne- Weaving

The first art lesson was presented by Anne and Tiffany on the art of weaving. To start out this project, we were introduced to some new terms: twisting, weaving, tint, and shade. The first step was to tape 4 strips of cut newspaper to the back of one side of our template. We were then told to tape 4 pieces to the back of the adjacent side. Next we were to weave the pieces together and twist them, putting a piece of tape on the back to hold it. Then we were to choose either warm or cool colors, I chose warm, and paint our craft using either a shade or a tint in the project. I chose to use a a tint creating coral and pink. To finish my craft, I used gold and red glitter to add another dimension to it. 

Extended Project: After practicing this simple project with my students, I would move to a more difficult task of weaving by creating a basket with the techniques they just used. We would make these from a white material so that we could paint them using warm or cool colors when we're finished. 

Hidden Safari

For this project, we were instructed to draw an animal upside down. We did this to help us better focus on the lines and curves rather than the animal itself. At first I found this task difficult because I kept looking for my animal instead of focusing on the lines, but after a while I started to get the hang of it and it became more natural. The animal I drew was an elephant surrounded by trees and brush. We were instructed to draw the animal in a cool color and cover it with designs made by warm colors. Because we made our pictures in this order, we had to make the glasses with a red sheet of see-through paper so that we could pick out the blue color when we looked through them. At the bottom of my picture I listed 3 clues to help others guess my animal before looking at it through the glasses. Clue #1 My nose looks and acts like a hose. #2 I am large and gray. #3 I have large ears.

Extended Project: I would have my students draw an animal in red on a bulletin board covered with white paper including backgrounds. These animals would have to be in some type of order or look like what you would see on a safari. After everyone has done that, we would create designs overtop with warm colors. We would then create blue glasses to see our class safari picture.

Finger Painting & Texture Collage

For this art project, we were to finger paint a scene using different shades and tints, as well as projecting foreground and background. Here I painted a scene based off of my favorite place, the Missouri beach/river 20 minutes outside of Gettysburg. I have spent almost every summer there since I was old enough to walk, so it was an instinct to portray this image. 

This art project was one of my favorite so far. We were to paint wet pieces of large white paper by mixing tempra paint to make different colors. We were encouraged to use different strokes and textures. The painted papers were then layed on a drying rack while we sketched the picture we planned on making with the colored paper we just made. Before the next class, we were to iron the papers flat to make them easier to use. We could then use any colored paper we made or someone else had made in order to create out picture. 

My inspiration for this picture came from the first paper that I made with the paint, which was my bright pink-red-orange flamingo paper. The animal immediately came to me after I finished painting. For different textures, I used the end of my paint brush to create the grass, and a sponge to create the background with white clouds. 

Extension Activity

To expand on these two projects, I would have children create a giant collage onto one of the bulletin boards in our room. They would have to work together to make the picture make sense, but each student would get to create at least one item if not more for the board. We would create this scene by using paper that they would paint, just like how we made the paper for the second painting and finger painting as well. 

Elements and Priciples of Design

For this project we took pictures of elements and principles of art and put them on a powerpoint along with our own definition of the element. The elements of At included: Lines, Shapes, Organic Shapes, Geometric Shapes, Space, Texture, Value and Color. The Principles of Design included: Repetition, Emphasis, Contrast, Balance, Unity, and Rhythm/Movement.

Movement

This is my picture I took for movement. I took this when I was driving down 6th St. here in Aberdeen. The lights on the cars show their movement, and I was also moving which causes the lights and signs to appear moving. I thought it was a neat perspective to see the movement from my car and of the other cars as well.

Space

This is a picture of Maui, HI, which I took when in an airplane on our way there for Christmas. This picture shows depth by looking at the edge of the water and seeing the sand through the water. 

An extension activity for this project would be to have the students take their own pictures of space and movement and we would create a collage of space on a bullentin board and a collage of movement on a another bulletin board so the students could show off their work and learn about the two elements. 

Introduction Footprint

This is a picture of my footprint that I used to share a little bit about myself to my classmates. I started with the volleyball, basketball, and softball on the heel of my foot because I am very active and love to play sports. I played all three in high school, and still do play softball in the summer and inturmural volleyball and basketball during the school year. Next, I have clothes with a credit cars because I love to shop and so do both of my sisters, so we do a lot of that together. Then I have water representing the Missouri River because I live 20 minutes away from it and my family also has a cabin out there which we stay at every summer. Above the water I have six stars representing my family (Mom, Dad, Tregg, Alyssa, Hallee, and me). Finally, I have the qdoba symbol and food becuase I am slightly obsessed with it and could probably eat it everyday! Not pictured, which I added at the end, was a sun in between the water and stars because I love laying out on the beach, and I also work at Sun Kissed Tan throughout the school year.

Using this in the classroom can open so many doors for students. Often times there are groups and cliques, so having students share a few things about themselves visually can help break down the walls and create new friendships between their classmates. Students may also be pleasantly surprised at what they have in common with others.

An extension project that could be added to this art project could be a math project in which the students use their feet to calculate the perimeter and area of their classroom. They would have to measure each person's foot to get the correct calculations and measurements and then line them up along the walls of the room. This activity is interactive and the visual perspective can also help students remember the formulas for area and perimeter better. This activity would be best for 4th grade students.