Get ready for an overload of pictures from TWO weeks of excitement in the art room and beyond! So many amazing things going on at SBS, it's hard to capture them all!

Kindergarten got to have an extra art class with the seventh-graders, who helped them with their monarch butterflies and milkweed plants. It was sweet seeing the kindergarteners share their knowledge of butterflies with their older friends!

During another art class, the kinder artists made these beautiful fall trees using only yellow, red, and blue beeswax crayons! They had a lot of fun mixing colors to get green, brown and other colors.

Finally, the kindergarteners enjoyed listening to a story called "Rabbit's Gift," in which the animals at the farm give the farmer different gifts to thank him for taking care of them. Then they learned how to sculpt these beeswax baskets and fill them with goodies.

In First Grade, the children explored the sense of touch by learning about texture and how it is used in art. First they got the chance to feel many different natural objects such as feathers, stones, mushrooms, coral, pinecones, and seashells, and we talked about different texture words: smooth, bumpy, rough, soft, hard, spiky...

Then the children used patterned texture plates to create rubbings. They loved layering different colors and patterns on top of each other to make new shapes. This activity helped us begin to talk about how artists can use patterns, brushstrokes, or lines to show texture on a flat paper.

Second Grade has been working hard on these dream quilt drawings, inspired by the artwork of Faith Ringgold. We read a wonderful book by Ringgold called Tar Beach, and the children drew pictures of a wish, a hope, or a dream. Next, they added a border of paper squares to finish their "quilt."

K-2 STEAMS has continued to work on an art challenge to find different ways to attach items together. They have explored string, ribbon, wire, paper fasteners, and other methods, and have created some wonderful inventions.

Third-graders began adding collage elements to their Monet-inspired watercolor paintings, which are looking so bright and beautiful!

The fourth grade will be performing the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades using puppets at the upcoming 3-5 concert, so they have been very busy creating rod puppets, scenery, and props for this project. The eighth-graders came in one morning to help them out, which was awesome!

Fifth Grade is wrapping up their Crazy Hair Portraits by adding watercolor paint. I love how different each one is, showing something interesting about the artist's personality!

After a productive art class, some fifth graders enjoyed using the clay barnacles from the STEAMS night ocean display to decorate their faces. So silly!

Sixth grade artists are using some really unique styles and materials to make their CD folios. The mixed media look is going strong!

Seventh Grade art classes have been a jumble of different projects, from the four elements project to making signs for the Halloween parade. This class is hardworking and creative!

Eighth-graders are working on the models for their architecture projects. Every designer or design team has gotten approval from their "client" and is ready for their final work!

Middle School STEAMS continues to explore sound, art, and poetry, and the students have been creating some awesome artwork inspired by sound. We always start the workshop by creating small sketches or paintings based on an assortment of sounds, from a thunderstorm or highway traffic to birds in a forest or Tibetan singing bowls.

Students use their small artworks to create a poem, phrase, or word, then create an artwork based on their poem.

Family STEAMS Night was amazing! Here are some photos from the evening.

Halloween was a spectacular day! Awesome costumes, incredible pumpkins, and lots of laughs made the celebration extra special!

Last but not least, here are some dragon hatchlings, wands, and quill writing samples from Hogwarts Handicrafts enrichment group!