Art Updates! September 23rd, 2025

 

Happy Fall!  Here are some updates from Elementary Art.

First of all, here is the link to the Google photos file for this school year: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VRZ3mJB1iyoZ2b5A9

Kindergarten- We finished our unit on clay.  The students learned how to create a textured clay relief by using tools.  They made two pinch pots.  If they had extra time, they made a clay snail.  They learned about where clay comes from, and what a kiln is.  After our clay unit, the students studied line.  We made cities inspired by the book called Maybe Something Beautiful by using different kinds of line.  Students also learned about having a good hair day with their brushes when we painted our cities. 

1st Grade- Students learned how to score, slip, and seal by making monster pinch pots.  The students were to come up with a name and personality for their monsters. We learned the stages of clay, and reviewed what a kiln is. Now the students are creating 2-D rocket ships that have an interactive component. They learned how to do salt resist with watercolor for their backgrounds.  We should finish these next week. 

2nd Grade- Students reviewed how to score, slip, and seal when making animal pinch pots.  We reviewed the stages of clay. They learned what spirit animals were, and some students chose to do their spirit animal.  Other students chose to do animals that represent a part of their culture, and others chose their pets to create. We are now learning about cubism, oil pastel, and we are creating cubist portraits inspired by Pablo Picasso.

3rd grade- Students created soul shakers(clay rattles) by thinking of a design that is personally meaningful to them and connected to a memory. We reviewed the stages of clay.   They learned about how clay will blow up in the kiln when wet or when there are air pockets. After this project, students created pumpkins out of air dry clay that were inspired by the artist Yayoi Kusama. Last week, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art came in and did a one day lesson that I am finishing with them this week called Archival Domes. 

4th Grade- Students created clay teacups using symbolic elements somewhere on their piece in the form of mini sculptures. We reviewed the stages of clay. We defined symbolism in art, and reviewed examples, to help them come up with their own. We will glaze these which will make them waterproof, and then we will have a tea party. After this project, we create air day clay pumpkins inspired by the artist Yayoi Kusama. We are now moving on to a project inspired by the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. 

5th Grade- They created clay pots that needed to be between 4-8inches by using atleast 2 techniques taught in class, and that personally reflected a component of their personalities. Students learned how to create a strong and secure coil pot by watching a demo that also showed how to create different types of coils.  This is a long, extensive project that takes weeks.  The pots are now drying out for two weeks, so that they can be fired in the kiln. We are now creating air day clay pumpkins inspired by the artist Yayoi Kusama.

Also, I wanted to let you know that last year I went to a conference at the Denver Art Museum that was centered around TAB, which stands for Teaching For Artistic Behaviors.  It is an approach to art education that is completely choice-based, and focuses more on teaching artistic behaviors than completing a structured project based on a guided lesson.  Every once in a while, we have a TAB day on Fridays that I call Freestyle Fridays where the students are required to make a finished work of art by using various art centers.  This gives them a chance to make a 100% choice-based work of art, and to experiment with different materials. 

Hope you all have a great week!