The Pantry Goods

creative spaces, tips, and extra goodies

 

July 5, 2010  by

Leaf Prints in Clay

I wasn’t planning on doing clay this week, but of course being open to an emergent curriculum means tossing my plan out the window if necessary. Last week I had many requests for working with clay again and I wanted to honor those requests and let the kids continue to explore clay in different ways. This time I offered them a red firing clay (as opposed to the white modeling clay), which is much softer and a little grainy. I first gave them some time to get to know this clay with familiar tools.



After a bit of exploration, I brought out a variety of leaves and demonstrated how to make a leaf print (explaining that it is similar to making a print with paper and paint- which they are experts in!)





The leaf printing was very exciting for about 5 minutes! Then the kids began to gather paint, glue and other materials to use with their clay.




Eventually, the easels were visited as the kids moved around the studio.




Some of the kids brought scissors to their clay work and learned how to cut the clay!

After working with the clay, the older class decided to work with markers on the floor. When some of them began to draw faces, I offered them hand mirrors to see the details of their own faces like we did with our self-portraits.


Sometimes when we wash up outside, the kids request the spray bottles…

Some of the finished clay work

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June 22, 2010  by

Watercolor Fun!

This week the older class started off making suncatchers. They were very interested in peeling off the tissue paper after gluing it down and seemed focused on the sensory aspect of their artwork over the design- which is probably why they requested clay again for the next class! After suncatchers they moved on to watercolor painting with various brushes and tools.





This week the toddler classes worked on watercolor and oil pastel resists. They began by first drawing with oil pastels on the watercolor paper.



After a while I brought out the liquid watercolor paints for them to add to their drawings. Soon, the children were bringing various tools and materials to the table to use with the paint. The new foam shapes and glue were a big hit!
Kirsten takes a snack break as she watches Austin experiment with a necklace.



On the easels, the children painted over a large paper decorated with foam stickers. Once the paintings are dry, we will peel off the stickers to see what’s underneath!



Towards the end of class we brought the watercolor spray bottles outside for a different style of painting.

See you next week!
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June 16, 2010  by

Clay and Monoprint Cards

We began our first summer session working with clay. I gave each child a slab of clay and plenty of tools to explore and manipulate this cold, pliable material.





After working for a little while with the tools, I offered the children cups of water and sponges to moisten their clay. I showed them how the clay can easily dry out and how a little water can soften it right up again.

Of course everyone wanted much more than just a little water, so I offered them squeeze bottles to fill the cups themselves.
The slippery feeling of water on clay captured their attention for quite a while!
Because Father’s Day is coming up, I thought it would be fun to make gifts out of our clay work for all the dads. After much exploration, it was time to decorate the work- so I brought out some decorating items that dads might appreciate… screws (with flat ends for safety), nuts, washers, buttons, and shells. The kids had fun sticking these materials into the clay for their dads.
And some children even brought out paint to add to their creations.
Taking a break from their clay work, some of the kids worked on paintings at the easels.



To make Father’s Day cards, I brought out materials for making monoprints- just like we did here for Valentines Day. The children rolled out paint on acrylic boxes, drew a design with a cotton swab, then pressed a folded piece of paper down onto the design to make a print.
A sneak peek at the final results!

Happy Fathers Day!
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May 30, 2010  by

Spring Art Show

After 16 wonderful weeks of art class, the time has come to gather, celebrate, and appreciate the children’s creative work. My goal for the spring art show was to bring this community of budding artists together and show this exciting collection of our recent experiences in the studio.
With a week of erratic weather, I crossed my fingers and woke up Saturday to find a warm and sunny backyard- just waiting to be filled with the vibrant artwork of children.
Here are a few of the displays from the show:
Printmaking Collection and Garden Bench

Marble/Golf Ball Painting
Finger and Texture Painting
Collaborative Easel Painting
All Class Painting
Clay Work
Watercolor Quilt
Group Watercolor and Ink Work
When the show began, families arrived to view the artwork, munch on some snacks, and enjoy the company of friends.





Thanks for the fun semester… see you soon!

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May 27, 2010  by

Last Class of Spring Session

For the last class of the session, we worked on finishing our projects to get ready for the art show. The children began class by adding to their sculptures with more scrap materials, paint, and glitter.


When they were ready to move around the studio, the children worked more on the large group painting to get it finished for the art show.

I recently found a low bench (a friend was giving away) and thought the kids would have fun painting it. I asked them to help me paint it so that we can put it in the garden when it’s finished. Soon, I’ll coat it with an exterior sealer and add it to the kids area outside.

Hard at work to prepare for the show!
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