Creativity is Alive and Well!

During the last week of school, an industrious fourth grader spent his before school time working on a 3-D architectural city planning design using parts from old computers and printers. I hope all our Lafayette students find something this summer that inspires them to build, draw, sculpt or create during their time away from school! Happy Summer!

Field Day "Peace Out" Art

Ms. McClure chose foil repousse as the field day art medium this year and we had a blast creating peace symbols in relief and psychedelic colors! Fun was had by all.

Even reading teacher Ms. McClanahan got in touch with her creative spirit, peace symbol style:

Learning to Look, Loving the Fresh Air

First, second and third graders have been spending time drawing Lafayette and the houses in our neighborhood. From large shapes and forms to minute details and texture, close observation is key.

Noticing the neoclassical columns on Lafayette; third graders wrap up our semester long unit on architecture.

Celebrating Asian Pacific Heritage Month with Rangoli

Indian Painted Prayers- RANGOLI- were the focus of our 1st graders this week. We explored the traditional floor mandala designs created in India to bring peace, good fortune, and wellness. First graders learned about a special kind of symmetry: "radial, radial, radial, the same ALL the way around" (imagine that spoken in a sing song voice with hand gestures) as they drew Rangoli on black paper with oil pastels and outside with chalk on our art room patio.

Lunch Hour Pottery Wheel

There is a large group of avid fans of the pottery wheel who use our OPEN ART time to refine their skills. I intervene only occasionally...usually students help each other get that clay centered and remember the steps to create a wheel thrown pot!

CELEBRATING THE ARTS Lafayette Style

Wednesday, May 9: Our first of two ARTS NIGHTS was a blast, with performances, our art exhibit and the release of IMAGES, which might be the best read publication in Chevy Chase DC:) 

How many 5th grade boys can read 1 IMAGES Anthology?

Proud 1st grade artist shows off her work

Sharing ARTS INTEGRATION Strategies

I felt honored to be asked to share a few Visual Arts Integration Strategies with teachers from around D.C. at a Key School professional development workshop on April 28th!