Snowflakes for Sandy Hook, Peace on Earth & ArtSonia!

that is a long title!  but I haven't posted anything in a few days...and I am OFFICIALLY on vacation until January 2nd :)


today wasn't the smoothest day, and for some reason, the migraine of all migraines decided today was a great day to visit me...but, I don't have to go into work until January!  wooooooohoooo!



it was kind of a rough week, coming back to school after the events of last week, thinking what I would do in that situation, listening to the students talk about what they thought happened...it's amazing how many kids thought that everyone at the entire school was killed...more then one child told me that they were sad that only one person survived.  I tried to correct them, without getting into too much detail...how do you really talk to kids about something like that?



so my principal asked if I'd design a banner for the whole school to sign, and a parent who was traveling to Connecticut was going to deliver it.

we are also starting to create a stockpile of snowflakes to send to the school

this week my students talked about why they wished for Peace on Earth...since it's commonly talked about at Christmas- well and at Miss America pageants...haha- here are a few of their responses:

and last but not least in Art room news...I FINALLY...yes finally, have our ArtSonia site up and running...I wish I had got my act together sooner...and it is definitely time consuming to photograph, crop, rename and upload...but I was really impressed how many permission slips I got back so quickly, and how many parents went online and granted access themselves!

so go check out our site...it will only show the students whose parents have given access to publish...so it's small for now...but hopefully it will be a great gallery soon!!

December Art Room happenings!

it's hard to post this work today without thinking about those poor families, whose children will never bring home any more art work from school...to think, how safe is my school...or is any school for that matter?


but I won't get into it further than that...unless you want to just see blubbery mess on this screen...



so instead, I'll give you some of the art my kids at school have been making...we are getting into a great rhythm, and I'm so impressed with the amount of work we've done this year compared to last year...




5th grade worked on perspective and points of view- they drew a "winter character" of their choice from three different view points

4th grade worked on these cute 'melted' snowmen...with a writing incorporation

3rd grade made winter landscapes in cool colors with geometric shapes

Kindergarten-2nd grade made these adorable 'peek-a-boo' polar bears...so cute I couldn't help myself!

PK-1st grade made colorful snowmen

2nd grade made winter scenes in snowglobes

and heres another penguin :)  this one is from a 1st grader :)

whew!  and that was all since Thanksgiving!

we have been really busy...and in the next week, we'll finish up some small stuff before we get back into the swing of things in 2013 :)

I made a Font!

out of my handwriting!

using a super awesome ap- iFontMaker.

download it.

it is awesome.

Monday Inspiration

so I usually post something inspirational that I've found out on the internet somewhere, but this week I thought I'd share something that happened in my classroom :)


one of the first big discussions we had this year, was the topic of "why is art important"...I had been having my students write their own answers, and I started to see them get frustrated, because a lot of my students have trouble with literacy on both the reading and writing end...


so when I had one of my 1st grade classes come through, I decided we'd make a poster, that I would write their answers on...and have them all sign it.

the kids did a great job, and their answers were so creative!  and it looks so pretty hanging outside my room!


got this idea from CMae - she's a great Art teacher in Arizona...I highly suggest you check her out!

playing catch-up

so I will try as hard as I can not to sound whiny...but being four days behind everyone else at school is tough...wah :(  haha!  but I know...I could be in that position of not having a job, of having them not realize that my evaluation was a bunch of bull...so behind the ball and scrambling is the name of the game right now...but in a few weeks...I think I'll feel settled back in.


I hope.


I am not entirely done with setting up my room...but I do feel like this year is going to be WORLDS better than last year...one room, not two.  372 students, not 860.  a supportive administration, not...well...there aren't really words for what that was...


plus, I can put ALL my energy into making my room exactly how I want it to be- being there every day of the week...and not worrying about running back and forth, did I forget something that I need at the other school?!

this year is going to be better.  SO much better.



so as far as classroom set up...here is what I've got so far:

this will be the Artist of the Month board - probably one who was born that month...sitting on top of not one, but two broken kilns :)

a few of those motivational posters I discovered via Pinterest!

a nice little library center :)

my color theory wall

behavior management stoplight- will have to get a better picture when I get in tomorrow...but these are dry erase sentence strips!  and above that is my class helpers...each table will rotate, so there aren't millions of hands raised asking to help pass out stuff, or clean up...which I do love...but every little question takes time...and time we have so little of in class!

rules, and our BIG goal!

a place for their sketchbooks (which are just manila folders with paper stapled inside...gotta do what ya gotta do with no budget...)

and make-up work, extra credit work, and work with no name bins!

and something I'm super proud of...labels for my tables- each table is assigned a color...and this has how you say that color in 7 languages!  that one I thought up all on my own!

see what wondrous things you can do when you don't have two classrooms to set up!? 



okay...time to get the other 98749287596 things done that I need to have ready for tomorrow...

happy Labor Day everyone :)

we really are special...

just a quick rant...because it's almost the end of the year and while I have had really great experiences...I had a thought, that kind of made me a little irritated...when I was in Elementary school- maybe even Middle school...we called our classes like Art, Music, Home Ec (do they still have that any more?) and Gym- Specials...because that was how they were treated...special times to get out of your regular classroom, and learn something different, new and something that would make you a well-rounded individual...

now they call them (at least in Baltimore City) Resources...doesn't have quite the magical ring to it that Specials has...maybe that's why the kids take it so much for granted...

I know I can be a bit of an overachiever...wish I could instill that quality in a few more of my students...




sigh...at least it's Friday and a long weekend!  hooray!