Creativity Flourishes During Open Art

Sometimes its great to let our creative juices flow and explore a new medium or an idea... just one of the many reasons why the art room can be a beehive of activity during OPEN ART!
A few creations from November:

A paper mache piggy bank 

A gift for a penguin lover

Masking tape is always fun to "draw" with

Conservation is an Art at Lafayette!

This month fifth graders have explored how artists can impact conservation efforts through paintings and drawings of waterfowl in their habitats. 

Our unit culminated in a visit from Susan Mitner and Laurel Harrison from the Patuxent Research Refuge, and biologist Dan Rauch from the District Department of the Environment, to talk to us about the Jr. Duck Stamp Contest.

Exploring the contest, why it's important and our role in conservation.

Playing a game to experience what its like when migratory habitats are compromised.

Talking about wingspans and the shapes and habits of various species of ducks.

Arts Integration Celebrates How The Arts Keep Native American Traditions Alive!~

Regalia created to represent our heritage and what's important to us + a processional with flags to represent our class characteristics + a museum of storytelling skins, spirit masks and totems, and lesson-teaching Kachina dolls + Native American songs and dances + legends told through CETA Reader's Theater + lacrosse and archery videos of what we learned in P.E. class + hands on craft activities for the whole family + a museum scavenger hunt + a connection to our social studies curriculum = THE 2012 LAFAYETTE 4TH GRADE POWWOW INFORMANCE held November 2nd! 

Sharing music and dance

Sharing fables and myths

... like the legend of the three sisters.

Sharing our museum crafts with labels to explain their meaning to us

Our regalia represents who we are and our heritage!

Trying the museum scavenger hunt

A beaded necklace created during our craft portion

Enjoying sand painting to heal

Our Own Kreeger Museum Fascinates Lafayette Pre-K Student

Andrew, a Pre-K student in Ms. Martinez's class, spent an engaging Saturday with his Mom exploring the Kreeger at a workshop for young art lovers and explorers! See if you can spot him here inside a sculpture meant for discovery!

Thank you to Laura Lindsley for sharing her photos and enthusiasm!

Check out the link to the Kreeger in the right column to register for future workshops!

First Graders Can Tell You So Much About the ELEMENTS OF ART

Ask them about color... our most recent unit... how you mix the primaries to make secondaries, what are warm and cool colors, and how you create tints and shades... they are experts!

Exploring tint "stations" on the day we created color values (tints and shades) using white and black.

Pow Wow Regalias Reflect Who We Are

Fourth graders have begun to work on music, stories, and artwork to share in "Celebrating how the ARTS Keep Native American Traditions Alive!" Our Pow Wow this year for 4th graders and their parents, will be held on the morning of November 2nd. 
Each 4th grader has been sent home with an assignment sheet to create and wear a regalia to reflect their personality and their heritage. Because the timing this year is so close to Halloween, we encourage students to plan and assemble their regalia well before the due date of November 1... anotherwords ASAP! Here are a few regalia photos from years past to get your creative conversations flowing:)
My regalia involves an apron, safety pins, and a raid of my dresser and the ornament bin... be creative... but most important, be personal!

Iron on... fabric paints... 

... on a dress... add items that mean something special

...or paint on an old jacket...

... or on an old t-shirt...

...or Brownie uniform... no special purchases necessary:)

Exploring the Hirshorn... Always Something Thought Provoking

I spent this past Sunday afternoon at the Hirshorn with my son, finding inspiration in the found object sculpture, the zodiac heads, and the sculpture garden on a delightful day... what a refuge and an inspiration! I highly recommend this museum to inspire conversations about art and life.

Beginning this week and running until 2014, “Belief+Doubt” will cover 6,700 square feet of surface with bold slogans that are 12 feet high, and black and white and re(a)d all over.