Mouse Paint

Kindergarten students read " Mouse Paint" by Ellen Stoll Walsh. They learned that the mice made secondary colors by mixing primary colors. Then students practiced mixing their own colors. When the painted papers were dry, they cut out shapes to create mice.

More Aztec Suns

Aztec Suns

Second Grade students looked at different examples of suns commonly found in Mexican artwork. We discussed the connection between Aztec suns and modern Mexican suns. Students discovered that suns featured in Mexican artwork usually have faces that include cheeks. They drew their own sun using these characteristics. Then they glued over their lines with black glue. Finally, they used chalk pastel to color their suns.

Fingerprints

Fourth Grade students used a jeweler's loupe to look closely at their fingerprints. They drew their fingerprints using as many details as possible.

Students discussed the difference between famous and infamous. They talked about people that have made an imprint on their lives in a positive way. They discussed the fact that we made imprints on each other's lives everyday - both positive and negative. Finally, students wrote about a person that has impacted their life in a positive way, or a way they had positively impacted someone else.

More Kandinsky

Kandinsky!

First Grade students looked at artwork by Wassily Kandinsky and discussed how the artwork made them feel or what the artwork made them think about. They also looked at his famous artwork "concentric circles" which is a color study to see which colors look best next to each other. Students did their own color study on six take-out soup lids. They experimented with the way colors look next to each other. The next week students revisited Kandinsky's artwork and discovered that Kandinsky often painted while listening to music. Then they listened to different kinds of music to paint the background.

Fall Blown Trees / Otoño de Arboles

Third Grade students used the force of air being blown through a straw to create these awesome trees. Then they added tissue paper leaves in warm fall colors.

Yarn Paintings

More Yarn Paintings

Huichol Yarn Paintings

Fourth Graders have been working tirelessly for 6 weeks on these amazing yarn paintings. Students learned that yarn paintings are traditionally created by the Huichol people who live in mountainous regions of Mexico. Students learned that yarn paintings are tradionally created to offer to their gods for good luck with hunting and also for other ceremonial purposes. More recently these yarn paintings have been created to sell to tourists. Most yarn paintings feature bright colors and many feature animals. In Mexico, these paintings are created by pressing yarn into beeswax that has been spread on a board. We used glue and yarn on tagboard. Some students were able to cover their entire painting with yarn, while some focused on completing their animal.

Paper Mache Bowls

Paper Mache Bowls

5th Grade students created paper mache bowls and painted them with Jazz Gloss tempera paints.

There's a Nightmare in My Closet!

First Grade students read There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer and then created their own nightmares, complete with closet doors!

Printing action shots!

Fall leaf prints

Second Grade students experimented with printing leaves. They learned printmaking vocabulary and discussed how printing and painting were different. Students also considered the compostion of their leaves on the page and tried to create a visually interesting arrangement
of leaves. Then students used Q-tips dipped in warm colored paint to paint the negative space in their compostion.

Dia de los Muertos

Fifth grade students discussed Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) and compared it to hoildays celebrated in the United States. Students shared personal experiences with this holiday. Students learned that Dia de los Muertos is similar to Memorial Day in the United States because it celebrates the good memories we have of loved ones who have passed away. Students looked at artwork traditionally created for Dia de los Muertos and found that skeletons are often used in decoration. However, unlike Halloween, these skeletons aren't meant to be scary. Students created artwork similar to decorations made for Dia de los Muertos. This was a mixed-media project that used construction paper crayons, scraps of fabric, air dry clay and markers.

More Marigolds!

Dia de los Muertos Marigolds

First Grade students created marigolds from cut paper and pipe cleaners. They made these flowers in honor of Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a holiday similar to Memorial Day. This holiday is celebrated in many Latin American countries and takes place on November 1st. Dia de los Muertos celebrates the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Many families place marigolds on the graves of these loved ones. Marigolds are also prevalent in other Dia de los Muertos decorations.

Where the Wild Things Are/Donde Viven Los Monstruos

Kindergarten students read "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. They discussed how their imagination could help them create artwork. They brainstormed ideas of what their wild thing could look like as well as where wild things could live.

Kinder's Mexican Flags

Kindergarten students are studying Mexico in

honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Students looked closely at a Mexican flag and discussed the eagle as well as the colors they saw. Students drew an eagle with crayons and used tempera cakes to paint the rest of the flag. Emphasis was placed on safely and responsibly using the paints and brushes.

More Rainforest Animals!

Radial Mirrors

Third Grade students are studying radial symmetry which basically means that the design must be the same all the way around the circle. Students created mirrors while using radial symmetry and were inspired by tin mirrors often found in Mexican marketplaces. Students focused on repetition of shapes, lines and colors to achieve radial symmetry on their mirrors.

Guatemalan Huipils

Second Grade students are studying Guatemala in celebration of Hispanic Heritage month. They looked at pictures of traditional clothing worn in Guatemala and recreated the shirt known as the huipil. Both men and women wear these blouse type shirts and almost all of them are covered in interesting brightly colored patterns. Students used construction paper, markers and sequins to create their huipil. They concentrated on the repetition of shapes and colors.

More 5th Grade Flowers

Georgia O'Keefe Ispired Flowers

Georgia O'Keefe Inspired Flowers

Fifth Grade students looked at flowers painted by Georgia O'Keefe. We discussed why her flowers are special. After all, many people have painted flowers, they aren't a new subject matter. Students noticed that she "zoomed in" closely to the flowers and sometimes this meant that you can't tell her painting is of a flower. Then students painted their own flower, and then added lines to create a flower that has never been made before. Students traced the organic lines made by the water color paint when it dried. Students discussed painting an ordinary subject such as a flower, in a new way to make it more interesting to look at.

Practice with Scissors and Glue!

Kindergarten students are practicing to use glue safely and responsibly. They drew shapes and cut them out. Then they glued them on to their paper. Then they used markers to make line designs to make their artwork more interesting.

Rainforest Animals

First Grade students are learning about the rainforest in their classrooms. We discussed the climate in the rainforest and how that affects what sort of plants and animals can live there. Students chose a rainforest animal to draw. They were to zoom in as if they were a famous National Geographic explorer with an awesome camera. They used oil pastels to color their drawings.

What we're working on.....

We are hard at work at El Sol. Many classes are finishing up projects that will soon be posted. Here is what we are working on:

Kindergarten - Cutting and gluing practice
First Grade - Line drawings of rainforest animals
Second Grade - Guatemalan huipils (shirts)
Third Grade - Radial mirrors inspired by tin mirrors found in Mexico
Fourth Grade - Huichol Yarn Paintings
Fifth Grade - Georgia O'Keefe inspired flowers

Check back soon for more pictures of completed projects!

Symbolic Self-Portraits

Students in 3rd Grade discussed self-portraits made by Frida Kahlo and thought about the symbolism she used in her artwork. They each created a self-portrait out of symbols to represent things they liked. The head was to be their favorite sport, eyes were favorite food, nose was favorite candy, mouth was favorite fruit, hair was favorite color and shirt was favorite season.

More monochromatic self-portraits