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!