Learning Link December 2nd Edition

Greetings from the Art Studio!

It is hard to believe the New Year is right around the corner!  After break students will be looking at their saved artwork and experiments to decide what to keep, which pieces need a bit more work and what can be turned into something new.  Artists will be working toward presenting their artwork for display.  New national art standards support reflection and presentation along with creation, and this will be an ongoing process.  We will also have a big printmaking unit and turn our classroom studio into a print shop.

Fiber arts has been a popular center since opening during the holidays!  At school we use burlap and large plastic needles (which can be purchased inexpensively almost anywhere in the sewing notions section of most stores) with yarn, but these skills transfer seamlessly to a sharp needle, thread and cloth for projects at home.  Stitching, sewing, and yarn handicrafts are wonderful ways to keep hands busy and minds occupied during the winter months.  The studio always appreciates yarn donations.  J

Have a restful and restorative holiday break!  Please make time for the wonder of imaginative play.  Childhood experiences and family traditions create memories artists tap into throughout their lives and boredom is the seed of many artistic adventures.  Please remember your library has passes to local museums, and families get free admission if they present an EBT card.

Artfully yours, Ms. Benton

Stitching Fun

Artists are having a great time persevering through challenges now that the fiber arts center is finally open!  Stick weaving, cardboard looms and stitching and sewing on burlap is happening through various upper grades.  1st and 2nd graders have jumped into "picture stitch"  which is drawing on burlap with watercolor markers and then stitching around using a plastic needle and yarn.  Artists have pushed through the frustrations of tying knots, fixing stitches and erasing mistakes by carefully pulling the needle back through.  Stitching and stick weaving have been big wins in the studio!  I always want to open fibers early, but waiting until the snow flies seems to give kids the quiet of handicrafts they crave.  I hope stitching and sewing catch on outside of the studio- it's fantastic when children tell me about their sewing and knitting projects from home! 

Most of the photos I took of fiber arts have the artists' beaming faces, so I won't share them on the blog.  Here are a few pieces in progress and finished!

December Art Learning Link

Greetings from the Art Studio!

           Students have been busy creating, learning, and sharing in art class.  Our art lesson focus and discussions have been connecting to gratitude, symbolism, and perseverance.  Art takes time, practice, and reflection.  We have been making art to display during winter concerts.  Please be on the lookout for beautiful art when you visit for the shows. 
          When students bring home creations ask them if they are going to continue to work on their projects, display them for a time, or turn them into something new.  Even if artists are finished or have a clear plan expand the conversation with open ended questions and potential ideas- real and imaginary.   “If you wanted to add color what would you do?”  Or “I can imagine your sculpture as big as the dog, or bigger than the door.  If you could make this bigger how large would you go?  How would you do that?”

The month of December fills children with wonder and excitement as our cultures from all over the globe celebrate and share holidays and traditions.  Rehearsals and special programs make our school days extra busy and energy will be running high.  The art studio workshop will have materials and activities available for children to create art from their hearts. 

As we all plan to enjoy our downtime over the holiday season please keep art and making at the forefront of your mind when planning activities for your family!  Making things together, whether arts and crafts, snow forts and sculptures (when it finally snows), or traditional meals creates lasting memories that you and your child will treasure long after they are grown.  Take a break from new toys and electronics in favor of good old crayons, tape, and paper.  Allow your kids to raid the recycling bin and build a castle for your pet (real or plush).  Check your art material stash and see if it needs replenishing with fresh pencils, glue, tape,  scissors and a fresh pack of paper (printer paper is great and affordable).  Tracing paper, hole punches and a stapler can bring your child much joy and hours of focused activity.  Designating a small area, table, or a large cardboard box as an art zone will bring help keep your artists from taking over your entire home too. J

Happy Holidays, Love Ms. B.

Jacobs Pillow Brings Dance to Second Grade

Our energetic second graders have had a wonderful opportunity to delve deeply into folk tails from around the world through movement thanks to an artist residency with our community partner Jacob's Pillow.  Ms. Berle explained the project in this week's letter to families:

Second graders in Mrs. Annand and Mrs. Lupiani's classes danced through the week with our partners from Jacob's Pillow. The focus was to represent Cinderella stories from Ireland and India. All second graders came together to see each other's dances this afternoon. 

In the wrap up discussion, students shared they learned about axial movement and locomotive movement. They learned stage directions and how to move in a group and explore opposites. They learned to work together to tell stories with dance, and it is within them to make dances that show different emotions including funny, greedy, sad and excited. 

A student said about dancing:

In the beginning I was a little scared and then I wasn't that much!

It turns out all the Cinderella stories from around the world share common themes.  Inner beauty is more important than outer beauty, and it is possible to have both.  Kindness matters.

The project ended with Jacob's Pillow education staff member Dawn Lane leading a two minute Shivasana or deep relaxation at students' request.

Here is a link to learn more about Jacob's Pillow:  Jacob's Pillow

3rd Graders Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum

On Friday and Monday Muddy Brook third graders are spending the day at the Norman Rockwell Museum in nearby Stockbridge.  We are on our second year of a wonderful community partnership with the museum, truly connecting our third graders with the art of storytelling through illustration and stories.  Later in the year Jerry Pinkney will visit our students thanks to museum and on Saturday, April 28th our students and families are invited to a free family day where our third graders will have their writing and artwork on display!

 Our docents Claire and Barbara shared lots of information about Mr. Rockwell's artistic process.

 The famous Main Street painting.

 We learned all about the Four Freedoms and how the museum layout was designed to highlight them.

 Students are reflecting deeply about these paintings in the classroom, it is an honor to see them up close in real life!

 Mrs. Williams was a model for Norman Rockwell!  She is now 88 years old.

 Rockwell's self-portrait often inspires other artists, like Tony DiTerlizzi (self-portrait on the left)!

 Patrick O'Donnell led the groups in a drawing exercise using shape and value to draw in the style of Tony DiTerlizzi.  

Tom Daly led classes on a walking tour of Main Street Stockbridge connecting the buildings to Rockwell history.  

Students also visited the archives with Venus Van Ness and viewed the Tony DiTerlizzi exhibition.  We had a wonderful day of learning!

Muddy Brook has an Attitude of Gratitude

Muddy Brook students and staff are kind, responsible, and hard working.  We are also thankful for many people, places, ideas, and abilities.  Children are sharing their attitudes of gratitude by adding a message of gratefulness to our coyote.

The First Snow with First Graders

Yesterday it began to snow.  Tiny flurries, but snow none the less.  It was exciting!  

 Immediately some artists sat down by the window, inspired by the view.

 Others went to tables and tried to capture their memories of snowy days.  

 Audrey titled this drawing "The Best Snow Day Ever!"

We had just looked at Grandma Moses's work, and closely at "Catchin the Turkey".  

I think Grandma would be proud.

Kinders and Cardboard

Last week kindergarten artists thought about the differences between 2D flat art and 3D sculptural art.  Students learned about cardboard and some basic attachments and were given the challenge to make their sculpture stand up on it's own.  They excitement in discovering ways to create with cardboard, wire, beads and paper strips was energizing!  After adding color with paint sticks, sculptures went home for display or to become a new toy to take apart and build again.  I'm looking forward to hearing from kids if they played with their creations.  We also started singing Hickory Dickory Dock to connect with music and the classroom.  Below are some pictures of problem solving in action.

Artist Books on Display

Last week was indeed busy!  Now that Halloween (and the full moon) are behind us we will be even more busy- November always flies by in a flash of holidays, thankfulness, and learning.  The school year is in full swing.  Students are confident in their classrooms and the studio.  Artists are stretching and exploring skills, techniques and media.  Great problem solving is happening as children create and navigate sharing space, materials and tools.

I installed an exhibit of artist books created in my Project Connection groups.  Project Connection bridges opportunity gaps, increases equity, and inspires students to be leaders in our community.  I teach PC two afternoons per week and flex part of my teaching day.  Students in grades 1-2 and 3-4 meet with me once per week to create art books this session.  It is great to share student work with members of our greater community!  Check out the art- and a book- at the Mason Public Library in Great Barrington until the 28th of November.

The Magic of Authentic Art

Wonderful learning is happening in the studio!  We currently have drawing, painting, collage, and 3D paper as studio offerings on choice days.  Choice days are student led and artists are following their own plans or seeing where their ideas take them.  I still teach a mini lesson, but then artists are off to all corners of the room working in small groups or individually.  Here are some first graders on a choice day:

 This was the first day with bottled glue (we start with liquid glue in cups and use fingertips for application).  We reviewed glue bottles, where to find and put away glue, and how much glue we need to use.  Then artists are off to work!  Scroll down for a typical atypical studio session...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
                           

 Some students revisit skills from past art experiences for mastery.

 

I affectionately call these artists my "car guys" they love racing and monster trucks!  Their vehicles became fancier and fancier as we talked about the colors and names of their favorite trucks.  Look at how well they colored in their work!  They were inspired to do their best because they chose to create personally meaningful art.

Drawings of Thomas the Train and the wrestler John Cena morphed into comic books!  Look at how strong John Cena is! He is no longer a quick stick figure as he jumps on Thomas for a ride.  A reluctant reader/writer excitedly shares his comic with our intern Hadley.  Yes, that is a flying pizza!  Look out Mo Willems, you have some competition coming your way!

 

 
The rest of the kids took over the book center to build a leprechaun trap of course!  All had jobs- a gold maker to lure him in, a sign and map maker to show him where to go into the trap, past the bed and the chair, up the slide... Watch out!  If you pull the string he's trapped!  If that doesn't work, there is the glue trap (an unfortunate teachable moment!) ;).      Impromptu sharing circles started at the leprechaun trap, but  time is up!  Clean up, line up, adios until next week!  Sorry    that the leprechaun trap ended up at your house Mrs. P.!     Wonderful, meaningful, age appropriate art development is happening in our student-directed classroom.  Kids might think it's playing; but the creative solutions and engaged persistence in their art learning have me sold.  I'm always surprised by our artists creativity each and every day!