Tactile Habitats for Textured Creatures

Before moving into our current unit on form with its magic wands and charming puppets, first graders explored texture through rubbings to make a visual texture sea creature collage a la Eric Carle. The following week, they created a delightful mixed media tactile texture habitat for those creatures. 

Lafayette's Own Version of a "Feedsack" Quilt

Lafayette 5th graders have ALL been hard at work hand and machine stitching a unique quilt for our annual Lafayette Auction! Using donated fabrics in the spirit of the Great Depression, when scraps and feedsacks were used to create an item of beauty and usefulness, this year's 5th graders have created a diamond pattern of teals, reds, blacks and whites. 

Our quilt is on the way to completion!

One Truly SPECIAL Guest Shares Her Stories and Quilts With Us!

 Our very own Principal Main came to all four 5th grade art classes last week to share her depression era feed sack quilt, educate students on the Great Depression and how it impacted daily life, and then share her own artistic fabric quilt creations! Students were enthralled and fascinated by the artistry and craftsmanship of Ms. Main and her stories of learning to sew as a young person.

Ms. Main uses reproduction feed sack fabrics to create several pieces.

Check Out the Fabulous ANIMALICIOUS!

Don't underestimate the power of an industrious Lafayette student entrepreneur. A group of Lafayette students hatched a plan during open art to create paper mache animals and cute animal faces and sell them to raise money for the Washington Animal Welfare League. For many weeks they have been hard at work during their recess time at Open Art. At their first sale a little over a week ago they raised $96!!!
Check out their website to learn more and find out about their next sale: Animalicious.webs.com

The Animalicious team hard at work in the art room

 

Navajo Weavers Inspire Lafayette Third Graders

For several months before the winter holidays, grades 1-3 were hard at work creating handcrafts from clay and yarn. Many of these came home in time for gift giving.

Third graders found the craft of weaving to be therapeutic and gratifying and many students put in time during open art to complete their creations or begin a second project. We used a simple cardboard loom but also watched videos of weavers using an assortment of looms and techniques from all over the world.

Tying knots proved to be challenging for some of us due to velcro shoes I think!

Lafayette Alum Brings Visiting Artist to Lafayette's ART Room

Lafayette alum, Jeffrey Prost-Greene, returned to Lafayette last week to launch his new venture to bring young artists into classrooms to share what inspires them.

Jeffrey wearing his 6th grade Lafayette T-shirt, poses with Ms. Harn's 2nd grade class

The Underground Railroad + Math + ART + Computers = Fabulous Code "QUILTS"

Excitedly sharing our work in a "gallery walk"

One of our reflection creations!

Fifth graders explore the myth of underground railroad code quilts and create mathematical translations, reflections, and rotations with their designs using the Pages program in the computer lab. The results are spectacular!