Today we sharpened our cutting and gluing skills with this fun shark project. The artists used various patterns and types of paper to cut shapes, arrange them, and glue them into place. This is a good example of an activity (other than writing and colouring) that builds fine motor strength and stamina that could be done over the summer. Other fine motor activities include beading, lego, and other activities that strengthen hand strength and control. 

Today we saw bugs everywhere beyond the fence! From ladybugs to butterflies, and lots of wood bugs (though technically crustaceans!), bugs were everywhere. For this art project, the students played with collage art to create tall grass for their bugs to hide in. 

This week we read the story of Elmer the Elephant, by David McKee. In this story, Elmer feels sad because he is different than all of the other elephants. Together, his friends help him see and celebrate how truly special he is! After choosing how to paint their elephants, the students wrote down one thing that they felt made them unique and special. Div. 5 - Can you spot your elephant?

This week we connected our focus on legends with the collaborative stories illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers and written by Robert Budd. This week we looked at 'Raven Brings the Light', and explored some of Roy Henry Vickers' other works before creating our own art. 

Take a closer look at some of the marbled paper that was created for our Mother's Day projects last week. Using a process involving acrylic paint, marbling medium, and thickened water, the children created special marbled paper. 

Long ago, here and far away, people looked for clues in nature to predict the weather. They learned from experience by watching the shapes of the clouds or noticing the behaviour of animals (excerpt from the story "Red Sky at Night", by Elly MacKay). This wisdom was passed down through some of the sayings you can find on this week's art project. After reading this story, the students chose a saying that interested them, and painted a representation of what this meant to them. Do you recognize any of the sayings below?

They say that April showers bring May flowers, and we are already seeing the rain that we have been having bring out some beautiful blooms. 

For this art project, we began by observing the details as we drew, using sharpies to add fine lines. After that, the artists used liquid watercolours to add layers and splashes of colour using a wet on wet process. To create the raindrops in the background, liquid watercolour was sprayed over the whole project outside. Beautiful!

This fun little Easter craft used egg cartons, wallpaper, and various other types of paper to create a cute little Easter Bunny. Finger print dots were made to look like easter eggs all around! After practicing cutting, glueing, placement, and layering materials, these sweet little bunnies were the end result.

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, we have been reading lots of stories about leprechauns, rainbows, and pots of gold. For this art project we tried out chalk pastels, blending the colours together using our fingers to create a beautiful rainbow leading to the pot of gold. 

Today's art activity pulled together what we have been learning about in math with shapes, while manipulating lines and colours within a closed space. The students had to follow the step by step prompt clues to create this art, changing colours and rotating their page multiple times throughout the process.

Today we learned about the Lunar New Year, including traditional Chinese stories, cultural activities, and the legend of Nian. Our art project focused on creating a dragon using our understanding of shapes, patterns, and symmetry.

To celebrate Valentine's day we started off with a simple directed drawing to create a Valentine animal of their choice.  When doing directed drawings, the children are actively working on following directions, orientation, directionality, and creating lines and shapes. We have fun during the process, flipping and rotating our pages to draw new lines and shapes. They are always so proud of learning to draw something new!

For pattern day this week we had fun playing with patterns  and creating a patterned self portrait. In the story, A Bad Case of the Stripes, by David Shannon, Camilla Cream's remedy for being covered in stripes is a big bowl of Lima beans! Take a look at your child's art project on FreshGrade to see what their remedy would be if they were covered in patterns. 

After reading Over and Under the Snow, by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal, we were inspired by the illustrations to create our own winter landscapes.  Look closely and you may see some of the animals hidden in trees, burrows, and dens as they seek shelter from the cold. We began by painting the layers of sky, snow, ice, and earth with tempera paint. Using wooden sticks, the artists scraped tree roots, worm holes, and tunnels in the ground. Using paint and cardboard as a tool, trees and branches were added next.  Finally, mixed media animals and snow were layered over top to create these wonderful wintry scenes. Take a look at your child's artwork below.

To celebrate the new year, we spent some time this week looking back at what we have learned and how we have grown. We also brainstormed goals and intentions moving forward. What would you like to learn, get better at, try, and experience?  Our art activity included the use of patterns on our party hats and paper and collage techniques to create these fantastic paper self-portraits!

Will it snow for Christmas this year? Our class is dreaming of a white Christmas, with plenty of snowflakes, snowmen, and frosty adventures! Today we learned how to draw a snowman, complete with a cozy toque, scarf, carrot nose, and twiggy arms.

This week we have been practicing writing Christmas words, listening to festive stories, and learning to draw some of our favourite Christmas characters. Take a look at all of our little elves and their silly elf names below, or create your own by watching the video tutorial from the  Art for Kids Hub.

This week has been a true example of westcoast weather, with rain, wind, sunshine, storms, and rainbows! Our art project this week was inspired by the ever-changing skies.  Using white oil pastel, the students created diagonal rain drops, swirly puddles, and lines. Mixing blue and black paint to show the oil resist, the artists then layered on lightning bolts and rainbows with oil pastel to create the moody weather backdrops. 

This week we have been discussing the concept of peace as we near Remembrance Day. For this our project, we focused on a symbol of Remembrance Day - the poppy. Using our hand shapes to create the natural shape of the petals, we then layered red, yellow, orange, white, and black oil pastel and used blending techniques to add a range of colours and shades.

All week long we have been enjoying reading stories about Halloween and pumpkins. After creating a pumpkin shape and drawing the lines of the pumpkin ribs, we got to work adding colour. For this project, the students played around with colour-mixing, creating pumpkin shades using only yellow, red, and white. We then practiced cutting with scissors to create the different shapes needed to bring our pumpkins to life. The result is positively spooky and silly at the same time!

After reading, "I'm Gonna Like Me!" by Jamie Lee Curtis, we talked about the different things that make each of us special and unique. Using mirrors as a tool, the class drew their own portraits and used tempera paint to create a colourful background. Each picture is as special as the artist, wouldn't you agree? Can you find your picture below? Who else do you see?