Additional Projects

     I just wanted to include these two other Art projects I did that I thought were interesting.  This is a paper collage profile of myself varied with the seasons.  This was a time consuming project that I enjoyed and was pleased with the outcome.  The pictures are grainy and do not do the project justice but it will give you an idea of what it involved.

     This project was based on the Elements of Art.  I had to find images that captured various types of balance (horizontal, asymmetrical, graduated, radial, vertical, regular, and symmetrical balance), rhythum (random and gradated rhythum) and the golden mean.

Final Thoughts

     I have always enjoyed Art, and taking this class has made me appreciate it and enjoy it even more.  I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Pam Harris and ALL of my classmates - they were so full of creativity and imagination!  I learned some great new techniques and uses of different materials for myself and ones I will be able to use teaching students in the classroom.

     My favorite projects were this blog, the mid-term project where I drew my son sleeping - "Greer Sleeping", and the Eric Carle project creating my turtle and his environment painting textures/designs on tissue paper.

     Thank you Dr. Harris for an educational, inspirational and very enjoyable semester learning how to teach children Art!

Paper Mache Project (Final Project)

     Our final project was a paper mache puppet and I made a clown.  Using a balloon for the foundation of my clown's head, I then wrapped it in newspaper pasting it with flour and water.  I used a paper cup for the hat.  I painted the clown, then used pipe cleaners for the hair and foiled tissue paper for his collar.

     My sixteen month old son, Greer, loves this clown!

Eric Carle Project

     This project was inspired by Eric Carle using paints, tissue paper and your choice of different materials. I painted different textures/designs on the tissue paper for my turtle's spots on his shell. His body and shell were made of tissue paper and construction paper. The ocean background was painted blue and I created the plant life out of regular tissue paper and the textured/patterned tissue paper.

     I really enjoyed this project and was very pleased with the outcome.

Kandinsky Circles

     This project was inspired by Wassily Kandinsky, his circles and water colors.  Using various shapes and creative thought, this was the outcome.  I enjoyed creating this painting because it was colorful and expressive, and it was interesting to see how the amount of water used (a little vs. a lot) created so many varieties of one color.  This would be a great project for children!

Henri Matisse Project

     This project, inspired by Henri Matisse, was a paper-cutting collage where you layer the cut pieces on top of each other using construction paper, paint, tissue paper and any other materials needed.  I made an ocean/lake scene with a sunrise, a turtle, fish, a beach ball, a palm tree and yes that is a lounge chair and not a dinosaur!

Cyberbullying and Bullying

      Bullying for a disorder can be stopped by teaching awareness of the disability to other students in the class (but this is all age/grade sensitive). If there is zero tolerance at the school for bullying, then make sure it is enforced no matter what it takes as a parent and a teacher.

     Cyberbullying can be prevented by eliminating the “cyber”. Instill strong self-esteem in your children. Any mention of suicide should always be taken seriously! Look for signs in school work, drawings or poems. Parents and teachers need to be involved and educate!

     Reach out to students and let them know you are always available and that there are counselors to help every student anytime there are bullying issues. Advocate against bullying by creating groups in the class and assign different types of groups (cyber bullying, bullying because of race/sexual orientation/cultural differences, appearance/socioeconomic status) and have them give a summary, how it makes a person feel, consequences of their actions. The school could also have a guest speaker come and speak and do a presentation informing children of what can happen and what they can do to prevent these issues from occurring.