Mouse Paint

First Grade students learned about primary colors and how to mix paint to get secondary colors. They painted mice with primary and secondary colors and glued them in the order of the color wheel.

 

Solar System Paintings

4^th grade students tried 8 different watercolor painting techniques. They tried stippling, blotting, drybrush, wet on wet, wet on dry, salt, and plastic wrap. The paper used to try all of these watercolor techniques was used for the planets in their solar system. Then students glued their planets to black paper and tried the spattering technique to make stars.

Estudiantes de cuarto grado probaron 8 técnicas diferentes de pintar con acuarelas. Intentaron salpicadura, manchar, pincel seco, mojado sobre mojado, mojado sobre seco, sal y papel plástico. El papel que usaron para probar todas estas técnicas de pintura se uso para los planetas en su sistema solar. Luego los estudiantes pegaron sus planetas sobre papel negro y usaron la técnica de salpicado para pintar las estrellas.

Mummies

Students at El Sol eagerly anticipate reaching 5th grade simply so they can make these clay mummies. 5th grade students learn about Ancient Egypt through discussion and reading books about the Ancient Egyptians. Then they create a mummy sarcophagus from clay using many clay techniques learned over the years. They must first roll a slab to create the top and bottom of the mummy sarcophagus. They use the score and slip technique to attach the sides of the sarcophagus and any 3-D embellishments. They write on their sarcophagus with hieroglyphics carved into the clay. Finally, after the clay has been fired in the kiln, they paint their sarcophagus.

 

 
 

Dia de los Muertos

4th grade students looked at artwork created for the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos. The artwork created for this holiday has vibrant colors, and features skulls and skeletons. Though Dia de los Muertos is celebrated near Halloween, the skulls and skeletons aren't meant to be scary. In fact, Dia de los Muertos is a holiday to celebrate and remember the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Students created their own calavera (skull) from a paper plate and decorated in the traditional style of Dia de los Muertos artwork.

How do artists show relationships?

Fourth grade students looked at and discussed artwork by Diego Rivera and Carmen Lomas Garza. They found that these artists showed relationships between people. Rivera sometimes showed relationships between family members, but many times he showed the relationship the people of Mexico had with the government. Similarly, Lomas Garza showed relationships in her extended family, especially from personal memories. Students drew relationships, either from memories they had, or from their imagination, and chose the medium with which to color them. Finally, they wrote about the relationship portrayed in their artwork.

Emotion Monsters

First grade students learned how faces can show emotion. They discovered eyebrows play an important part of showing emotion. They chose an emotion for their monster, and created a cut paper collage to show this emotion on their monster’s face.

 

Tree Weavings

Third Grade students created these woven trees on plates painted with landscapes. Students prepped their loom (the plate) by string on the warp strings (the strings we weave through) and then used the weft strings (the strings we weave with) as leaves on the tree.

 

Rural Landscapes

 

2^nd grade students learned to differentiate between rural, suburban and urban landscapes. They drew and painted rural landscapes with characteristics often found in rural landscapes, such as farms, barns, and crops. They looked at artwork by Grant Wood. They learned that Grant Wood liked to paint scenes of farmland because he was born in a rural area of Iowa.

Polka Dot Pumpkins

Kindergarten students practiced their cutting, gluing and painting skills while learning about Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who is known for covering everything she paints, with dots. Students learned how to draw through observation. They looked at a real pumpkin and drew what they saw. Then they painted their pumpkin with dots, practicing good craftsmanship. 

Seascapes

First Grade students looked at artwork by Winslow Homer. Like many artists, he painted what was around him. He lived near the ocean so he painted many seascapes. Students drew and painted their own seascape that includes a horizon line and a sailboat.

Textured Chameleons

Kindergarten students learned that we use the word texture when we’re describing how something feels. Students created texture rubbings with texture plates. Students saw a video clip of a chameleon changing color, and read A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. Then they traced chameleons, cut them out and glued them to the habitat they painted for their chameleon.

Los estudiantes de kinder aprendieron que usamos la palabra textura cuando describimos como se siente la superficie de algún objeto. Los estudiantes crearon calcos de texturas usando láminas texturizadas. Los estudiantes vieron un video-clip de un camaleón cambiando de color, y leyeron Su Propio Color por Leo Lionni. Luego ellos crearon camaleones siguiendo las instrucciones para un dibujo dirigido. Finalmente, ellos recortaron sus camaleones y los pegaron sobre un hábitat que pintaron para su camaleón.

Collaborative Neighborhood

Second grade students compared characteristics of rural, suburban and urban landscapes. They discovered that Kalamazoo has all three of these areas. Urban areas have museums, tall buildings, and not many houses. Students decided that the area around Bronson Park and the Kalamazoo Mall could be considered urban. They discovered that suburban areas have many houses, parks and schools. They decided the area around El Sol could be considered suburban. They learned that rural areas have a lot of farms and barns. They discovered that Kalamazoo even has areas like this! If you get on the highway and drive for only 10 minutes, you will see farmland and barns.

Los estudiantes de segundo grado compararon características de paisajes rurales, urbanos, y suburbanos. Descubrieron que Kalamazoo tiene áreas de los tres tipos. Las áreas urbanas tienen museos, edificios altos, y no muchas casas. Los estudiantes decidieron que el área alrededor de Bronson Park y el Kalamazoo Mall se puede considerar urbana. Ellos descubrieron que las áreas suburbanas tienen muchas casas, parques y escuelas. Decidieron que el área alrededor de El Sol se puede considerar suburbana. Aprendieron que las áreas rurales tienen muchas granjas y graneros. ¡Descubrieron que Kalamazoo también tiene áreas así! ¡Si viaja por la autopista por solo 10 minutos, verá cultivos y graneros!

Creative Transformations

5^th grade students learned that graphic designers and graphic artists are artists who make people see everyday items in a new way. They looked at Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans and discussed how changing the colors on the soup can labels could make people really notice the soup and want to buy it. Students also discovered that there are artists who create new fonts to use on the computer. They chose one letter of the alphabet and transformed that letter to look new and interesting. They used common “systems” that graphic artists use to help them come up with new ways to look at their chosen letter of the alphabet.

Los estudiantes de quinto grado aprendieron que los diseñadores gráficos y artistas gráficos son artistas que hacen que las personas vean objetos cotidianos de una nueva manera. Ellos miraron las latas de sopa Cambell’s de Andy Warhol y hablaron sobre como cambiar el color de las etiquetas sobre las latas podría hacer que las personas realmente se fijaran en esta sopa y la quisieran comprar. Los estudiantes también descubrieron que hay artistas que crean nuevas tipografías para usar en la computadora. Ellos escogieron una letra del alfabeto y la transformaron para que luciera nueva e interesante. Usaron “sistemas” comunes que usan los artistas gráficos para ayudarlos a pensar en nuevas maneras de mirar la letra que escogieron.

 

Birch Trees

Students in 3rd grade created birch trees using a non-traditional technique. They used cardboard dipped in paint to create these birch trees. They arranged them on their painted background in a way that shows foreground, middle ground and background. Objects in the foreground appear larger and more detailed. Objects in the background appear smaller and less detailed.

 

 

Rhythm Study

4th Grade students discussed the meaning of rhythm in artwork and compared it to rhythm in music. Students learned that rhythm can be shown in artwork when the artist repeats lines, colors or shapes. Students used strips of paper, cut into patterns and arranged their composition (artwork) in a way that they thought showed the rhythm of a particular song. 

Wayne Thiebaud Inspired Cupcakes

Second Grade students were introduced to the artwork of Wayne Thiebaud, an artist known for painting desserts. Each student created their own delicious cupcake with cut or torn paper. They painted patterns on the cupcake wrapper, and finished it off with a cherry on top!

Illustrated Alphabet

First Grade students brainstormed words that started with each letter of the Spanish Alphabet. They were each assigned a letter and then illustrated that letter. After all, artists are readers too!

 

 

Line Paintings

Kindergarten students practiced proper painting techniques while painting different kinds of lines. Then they painted between the lines with colors in rainbow order.