Underground Ants

Underground Ant Worlds

2nd Grade

For this project, 2nd graders exercised their imaginations to create an imaginary world for ants.  To warm up our creative thinking and to practice taking new perspectives, students began with some improv exercises.   We played two improv games, one called "walk this way"  and the other called "family portraits."  In "walk this way,"  students walk around the room, changing the way they move with each new command.  Maybe you are walking like your shoes are 500lbs, then suddenly you are on ice, then you become a monkey, oh wait, now a spy!  This activity encourages thinking of many ideas (fluency) and helps to establish a safe space for taking chances.  In "family portrait," students posed for imaginary photos in small groups.  These included rock star, super hero, and sleepy family portraits.  Thank you to http://chapmanart.blogspot.com/ for all the resources on using improv in the classroom. 

Students also engaged in a creative challenge to think of many possibilities for their underground worlds.   Every student was given a paper filled with empty circles.  Students were asked to imagine they were just shrunk down to the size of an ant, when they come upon an ant colony and see all these windows.  What is happening inside?

This ant world has a pool spanning over multiple openings, complete with water pump.  Many students weren't confined by outlines of the circles but connected them in unique ways, even making pathways and portals to their peer's papers.

After finishing their creative brainstorming, students compared and contrasted illustrations by Garth Williams and Beatrix Potter.  Both these artists represent animals in small worlds, but in very different ways.  

Finally, students began drawing their final ant worlds.  

They used materials including sharpies, color pencils, crayons, oil pastels, watercolor, and salt to add color and texture.  

 John experimented with using a paper towel to blot up the paint to create a new texture.

This picture is blurry, but I had to share another example of experimentation.  Sam turned an oil pastel sideways to create a rocky texture before he painted with watercolor.  Gavin was inspired by his work and tried the same technique.  The art room is a great place for collaborating and sharing ideas.    

Great work 2nd grade artists!  And thank you to http://dolvinartknight.blogspot.com/ for the lesson inspiration. 

Lion King Pt. 1

This year in 6th grade we have created a lot of collaborative art, much of which has been for our school community.  Our PTA continually provides resources and new experiences for our students, thanks to amazing leaders, volunteers, and generous community members.  This year's big fundraiser was a Dance-A-Thon.  6th grade gave back to PTA by creating many decorations for the event.


You may remember when we created large, collaborative murals and hung them in the cafeteria.

http://worthingtonhillsart.blogspot.com/2016/10/collaborative-painting.html

Currently, students have been hard at work on props and decorations for their big musical, The Lion King.  

They first created wildebeest props for the stampede scene.





They then used the scraps from the wildebeests to invent jungle birds and bugs in the spirit of "Hakuna Matata."



Stay tuned for images from the sets and the final production.  (Here's a sneak peek!)

Ceramic Landscape Tiles

Ceramic Landscape Tiles 

4th Grade 

Students began this tile making process by brainstorming ideas for their tile and sketching a plan.  They used foreground, middle ground and background to show depth of space.  Some students chose to make their worlds realistic while others created imaginary places.  We looked at the work of contemporary ceramic artist, Amanda Smith, for some inspiration.

Planning and Creation

Work by Amanda Smith

To make the tile, students first rolled clay slabs.  They then added details through sculpting, scoring and slipping, stamping, and carving. 

The color was added through two different processes.  Some students colored their tile with oil pastel and then dipped it in watered-down acrylic paint.  The oil pastel resists the paint and the paint is absorbed into any remaining ceramic areas.  

The other choice was using glaze.  Glaze is a paint specially formatted for use on clay. After the glaze is applied, the piece is returned to the kiln where the heat melts the glaze and changes the color.