Aloha!

In today's art class, we were taught how to make a Hawaiian lei out of yarn, construction paper, watercolored paper, and straws. First, we painted a white sheet of drawing paper with two different watercolor techniques. I chose to use the dry brush technique and the crayon resist technique. While our paintings dried, we traced flowers onto the construction paper and cut them out. When the painting was dry, we traced four flowers onto that paper and cut them out. Each flower got a hole punch through the middle of it so the yarn could go through. We fed the yarn through the flowers and straw pieces alternating each piece to create the lei. After we were finished, we wrote down who we were going to give the lei to out of respect or love, just as the Hawaiians do.

As an extension activity, students could study the history of leis on the Hawaiian Islands and then present information to the class about each island.

Coil Pots

Ms. Campbell and Ms. Rozell taught a lesson to the class on the history and construction of coil pots. Each student was given a ball of clay about as big as a fist. We had to get all the air bubbles out by kneeding our clay. After the bubbles were out, we made a thin, round shape that would later serve as the bottom of the pot. Then, we rolled our clay into thin, snake-like shapes that we used for the coils. As I added each coil, I smoothed the inside of my pot so it was sealed between each coil. We were to add a personal design to our pots so I carved my initials on the side along with my parents' initials and my sister's initials because family is very important to me. Another requirement of this project was to use primary and secondary colors of acrylic paint to cover the pot. My primary colors were red, yellow, and blue while my secondary color was orange for the inside.

An extension activity for this project could be to have students explore different ways pottery can be used in different cultures. This would be incorporated in either world history or geography class.

Marble Magic

The class was taught a lesson on the technique of marbling as seventh graders. We were each given a picture that we had to draw on white drawing paper in pencil then trace over with permanent marker. My drawing was the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. After we were finished drawing, we cut our our buildings and then filled a tin pan with a layer of shaving cream. Next, we added three adjacent colors from the color wheel to the shaving cream and used a tool to spread the color to make it look like marble. I chose blue, yellow, and green for my picture. We placed our pictures face down in the shaving cream and pressed firmly so the color stayed on the picture. We then scraped off the excess shaving cream but the paint stayed on the picture.

An extension activity for this could be to have the students collect and report information about the building they drew. This could be incorporated in both Social Studies and in Language Arts.

3-D Theme Park

This activity was started off by the class listening to Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss. All of the pictures in the book contain 3-D artwork with loops, stairs, and buildings. Our task was to create our own 3-D scene using construction paper shapes. Each student was required to use at least three different types of 3-D elements including, but not limited to, tunnels, loops, and stairs. My table was assigned to use cool colors so I chose blue, green, and purple for my project. I named my village Roller Coaster City because some of the 3-D pieces reminded me of roller coasters I have ridden.

An extension activity for this project would be having students write their own story using Oh, the Places You'll Go! as a guide. Students would be put in groups of five and required to make at least two 3-D scenes each for their group's story. The stories would then be read to the class by each group and then displayed in the classroom.

Print Making

For this lesson, we were taught the art of print making. Each student was given a thin rectangle piece of styrofoam to make train cars. We were instructed to carve shapes or letters into our styrofoam covering at least 3/4 of the shape. Then, we rolled a very thin layer of paint over our foam and stamped it on a piece of construction paper. I chose to use red paint on yellow construction paper. Each train car is filled with coal because coal is transported through South Dakota. My train tracks go through a South Dakota corn field.

An extension activity that could be used with this lesson could be to have the class write a story using the same printmaking technique to illustrate the pages. Students could be put into small groups and present their stories to the class. This activity would incorporate creative writing and teamwork. 

Puzzle Piece

We were asked to create puzzle pieces using warm and cool colored animals. Each table was assigned either warm or cool colors and then students chose their animals accordingly. I chose a fox for my puzzle piece. After or animals were chosen and drawn on our pieces, we drew out of a bowl to see which type of background was to be used. I drew "Geometric Shapes" out of the bowl for my background while other students in the class drew organic shapes, textures, or lines.

An extension activity that could be used for this project could be implimented in a Geography class. In groups, students could make maps of different continents by putting their puzzle pieces together.

Macramé Madness

This is the lesson that I taught with Ms. Sturlaugson. We titled it Macramé  Madness and taught the sixth grade class a brief history and the technique of macramé knotting. This type of knotting was started in the 13th Century and comes from the Arabic word meaning "fringe". People began the trade by using extra string from their looms to make knots. The craft was utilized by sailors at sea to pass time during long voyages, which was the inspiration for our display. Macramé became popular in the United States in the 1960's and is still used today to make jewelry, clothing, and household items such as plant hangers.  

Ms. Sturlaugson and I hung everone's bracelets/keychains in a display case by feeding a string through the end of each student's project. Name tags were placed over each one.  

Ms. Sturlaugson and I placed this on the bottom left of our display to explain to viewers what the main idea and theme of the display was.

This is the example I constructed for the class.

The requirements for this project were that students had to make their bracelet/keychain at least three inches long and incorporate at least three beads into the knots. They also had to show the proper technique of spiral knots and craftsmanship/neatness with their projects.

An extension activity for this project could be in a U.S. History class. Students would be asked to report about different styles and trends during different decades in the United States. They could discuss culture, jewelry/clothing, music, ect. that was popular during their assigned decade.