2nd Grade Fish Illustrations Card Sale!

I am collaborating with our wonderful computer teacher who has so graciously offered to scan in 3 classes of Art work and print it out for a card sale! 

The second grade class has been learning the names of animals in Spanish class so this is a Los Peces Art project.

This project reinforced concepts of foreground, middle, background, line types, color theory warm and cool colors, variety, endurance, composition and creativity.

First students sketched the art in yellow remembering to add foreground middle and background lines.

Rocks in the foreground and background, a big fish, little fish, seaweeds. Then students used black marker to trace the yellow lines and add dots for sand and different kinds of squiggly lines on coral rock.

Then students colored water (not the bubbles) blue and used 2 different blues, after that they were told to use warm BRIGHT colors to color the fish and sand. 

I find that students are able to focus much better when given one piece of a project and only allowed to complete on piece at a time, they are much less overwhelmed and pace themselves much better.

This project was a fun one that focuses on process and theory behind the process, but it is always nice when process and product align! 

I just love to see the hard work, determination then the confidence gained by the students when they finish with a strong piece of Art.

The Art Room in April

Well things have been nusy as usual in the Art room. We recently had our last parent teacher meeting and an extensive display of projects.  If you missed our Art display, here are some that didn't place but I thought were very strong pieces. You can tell these students were working hard on these posters and I am surprised that some of these didn't place as well. Oh well 7 out of 12 is pretty great, but the following are some of my personal pics.

I love the hand drawings here! 

The color mixing was interesting here.

This was different and a lot of work, love the textures used here.

The drawing here is so lovely especially considering this is 2nd grade work. I also really LOVE the expression used! This is exceptional.

I think the only reason this didn't place must be that some pieces came off in transit. I just love the detail work and the animals in the scene, I also love to see that the work is the students own personal work! 

This is another nice drawing very nice work!!

Students are working hard for an Art gallery show of their work next week at Go Van Gogh Studios in Lake Park. 

There is much to be done before the big show, I will also be showing Art along with the students. Pictures will be posted next week on the show!

Today 5th Grade discovered music and moods we talked about the mood of line and color and using the two to convey the mood of the music on paper.

 We started with Dvorak's New world Symphony and completed one piece with the influence of the piece. This student immediately almost naturally caught on quickly. 

Students then had the chance to view peer work and interpretations of Art. 

The next piece was a completely different lighter feel. I played the familiar Blue Danube waltz by London Philharmonic.

The students were able to convey a very different lighter style when hearing the waltz. Below you can see the cooler colors and very light feeling when the Waltz was played.

It was amazing to see the effects of the music on the students and the Art. I am always interested to see which projects the students gravitate toward and am often surprised to find the variety of strengths depending on media subject, etc...

Easter at LPBS

Pre-K 4 year old Art

Kindergarten Art

Pre-k Art Work

First Grade Art work

The reason for Easter bulletin board.

Yes this is real sheep wool!

Graphic Design Album Covers

I have recently began designing album covers for our church Cds. 

Art Department Auction Items in Progress

What would I ever do without the helping hands and creative minds! Parents have been such a huge help at LPBS. 

Students are working on some large scale paintings and a mosaic.

Mi Casa! Auction Item 3-5 year old students

Mi Casa!
This project taught K3-K5 students to use line, creative re-cycling, and gluing skills.
These projects will be fitted with magnets and sold at our school Auction to benefit the school.


I got this idea from a local Art conference that I recently attended. One local public school had received a rather large grant to make these houses to sell to "benefit Haiti."

To me this whole grant idea sounded extremely dishonest as the materials are glue, used cardboard, magnets and envirotex. (We are making the houses but without the grants.)


In a private school teachers pay hefty taxes as well, yet our schools don't receive the extremely heavy funding that public schools receive.  Now is the perfect time to be creative with fundraising!

For the teachers at our school it is not only about the money we love our jobs!
So this project will be sold at our school auction and it is a wonderful way to help build confidence in students! I am not a parent but if I were I would buy this in a heart beat. Let's hope the sale goes well!

Pre-K & K5 Spanish

Who knew you could teach 5 year olds "How Great Thou Art" in Spanish and have fun in the process? I was dreading the thought of teaching something seemingly complicated.

I was excited to see that as I have been integrating movement and action in my class the students are soaking up the lessons and laughing all the way. Their faces light up as we recite verses in Spanish and use hand motions to act out the words.



Of course I look absolutely ridiculous but I guess that is what makes learning even more fun for them.
I think I might be getting a workout from these classes.

It is amazing that the students seem to prefer learning hymns to the unit studies even though the unit studies are FAR easier.

Students learn the colors, counting, greetings, the family, animals, foods, and stories but they beg to learn the old hymns!

Shading with line

I started this lesson by talking about Easter and going over the basic theology of good and evil Adam, the second Adam, atonement and salvation.

We had a race to see how quickly students could fill their paper with different types of lines. I have noticed that the students need a bit of a review on shading using line rather than coloring.

Students were to begin with lettering the card.

Add caption

the goal was to use a variety of line to shade.