Classroom Setup

I'm setting up my room this week and thought I'd share a few pics- these ones are from last year.  This year I walked into my room and the whole bulletin board above was taken down and replaced with cabinets!  I LOVE the extra storage space, but now I have to reconfigure my room set-up quite a bit- I have only one bulletin board left!  Anyways, hopes this helps someone who is struggling to come up with ideas for their art room!

cranes~tsuru

We've been making lots of cranes around here lately.  I've always had an origami basket at my creation station (where students go if they finish early) but lately after talking about the tsunami in Japan, students have been on a mission to create as many as possible.  I've run out of origami paper, but found out that magazine paper works wonderfully and makes each finished crane unique with the colors and text found on magazine paper...plus it's thin like origami paper :)

There are many resources out there on how to fold an origami paper crane, but here is a pretty easy one to follow:

Art Room: Artist of the Week bookmarks

Just a little example of a successful classroom management strategy I use!  Every class I teach, I pick an "artist of the week" for that class.  It has to be someone who is working hard, working quietly, helping others, and having a good attitude.  I make a big announcement at the end of the class (last three minutes). It's also a great way to get students to clean up quickly and quietly because they all can't wait to find out who the artist of the week is!  Can you believe this even works with my 6th graders!? (you gotta hype it up!)

  Once they are all sitting in their seats, and everything is put away, I announce and we all cheer and clap, and I write their name on my bulletin board display so I can keep track (see pic below). The prize is a laminated bookmark.  Lately I have been making my own bookmarks on http://www.picnik.com/ .  With this website you can upload student artwork, and add all kinds of cool fonts (like the picture above).  I usually choose several different pieces of artwork, and make several different bookmarks, so students have a choice when picking.  You can see I added the students name in a fancy signature.  Students love finding out that their artwork was chosen for a bookmark, and students choosing think it's pretty cool when they can pick a bookmark with their friend's art on it.  It's a great way to share the art and get the students pumped up about it!  Anyways, just thought I'd share.  On picnik, just click on "collage" and you can start uploading photos, then you have to click "done" to add text and save. 

Art Room: Online Storytime

Hey Art Teachers and friends... Check out http://www.storylineonline.net/ . Right now they are featuring this children's book about Picasso and Mattisse.  This website is great for my younger classes.  If I feel like using a story to start a lesson, there are many to choose from on here.  I think the kids get more into the story seeing it on a large screen, rather than me holding up the book.  I always turn off the lights, project it on my LCD projector, and let the fun begin.  It's nice because it gives your voice a rest for a little while too! :)  Also, on the Barnes & Noble sight, they are featuring Where the Wild Things Are, read by Maurice Sendak.  Found here http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/online-storytime-books-toys/379002381/

Printmaking Revelation!

I am currently teaching the printmaking process to my 5th and 6th graders, as we learn about Pop Art (I will post the lesson as soon as we finish).  I use regular printing ink and brayers and usually manilla paper to roll the ink onto, to be thrown away when we are done for easy clean-up. However, I just realized that *laminating film* works really well for rolling out ink and it is re-usable after we wash it!  (Trying to be more "green" this year)  Here is one of my laminating rectangles taped down to the art table right before we washed it off.



Earth Day Recycled Crayons

I made these in my oven with some old crayons I have been saving.  I thought they would make a really cute Earth Day gift!  I have made these before using all colors for my special needs students to color with.  This time, I just chose blues, greens, and whites to get the "earth" colors.  I've also thought about using the used cupcake papers for a flower project, since they also come out so cool!!  So, first I break up the crayons into small pieces, then place them in the cupcake papers in the pan, bake them at about 200 degrees for about 20 minutes.  I usually use a straw to swirl the colors around before I take them out.  Once they cool the paper peels right off, leaving the crayon.  These are great for special needs students to use.  Some of them color with them, some do rubbings with texture plates, and some just stack them like building blocks- they are multi-purpose! :)

Art Room: Mona Lisa Olympics

Art Room: Children's Book Must Haves

This first book is an absolute must-have.  It is about a blind girl on a journey, who sees the world around her through sounds.  Makes me tear up every time I read it.  Below are a few more that I have in my room at all times.  Some I will read to students as an intro to a lesson, others I keep in a big crate on the floor, so that kids can read them if they finish their project early, or are just having an "i don't feel like creating day" (very very rare in my room) ;).  The last book, Peace Crane I read to the 5th and 6th graders during peace week at our school, and we learn how to make origami peace cranes.

Art Room: Class Entryway

On the first day of art class for each room, we looked at pictures of Japanese cherry blossom trees (sakura).  I had my tree and branches set up outside my classroom door, prior to the first day.  We talked about how this tree will hold a piece of the whole school on its branches and we will grow tremendously throughout the year TOGETHER.  Then I had each student create one blossom (or leaf) with their name on it.  I then let them find their own place on the tree and let them stick it on with sticky tack.  This was such a cool process throughout that first week, since the tree started out bare and became fuller and fuller each day.  The students and classroom teachers LOVED it, and I had the chance to get a little glimpse of each students' drawing/cutting/designing abilities in a simple (every grade level can do it) kind of way.

Art Room: Class Rules

Our school adheres to these three phrases for behavior- be respectful, be responsible, and be safe.  My art class rules stay consistent with the school rules.  I made this poster and have it posted on my front bulletin board right by the door.

Art Room: Display ideas

My school is a dual-language Japanese school, and I try to incorporate Japanese art and culture into my classroom displays.  It might be fun to have several "Art of...." displays with various cultures around the room.  It's a great way to cover up ugly brown cabinets, that's for sure~

Art Room: Mona Lisa Valentine

Art Room: Mona Lisa in Winter

In my art room, above my sink, I have a changing Mona Lisa.  I try to follow a theme depending on the time of the year, world events, and so on.  Students get a kick out of walking into the room and being the first one to notice.

Art Room: Inspiration Board

On the back wall in my classroom is where I keep my inspiration board.  I change it periodically depending on what we are learning about in our lessons, so children can be inspired as they work.  I allow students to bring in anything they find outside of school that pertains to what we are learning about to encourage visual cultural thinking.