Venetian Canals

After my trip this summer to Venice Italy, I decided to teach 2nd grade students about the rich culture and history of this amazing and unique city.  First, we discussed the city from the photos I shared with them from the trip, especially the many canals, bridges, and Gondolas.  They were amazed that in Venice, there are no cars! You can only travel by boat or by walking.

The very famous Rialto Bridge

A Gondolier on his Gondola in a canal in Venice

A view from our Bed and Breakfast

A colorful open air market, a daily occurrence in most of Italy.

Next, I read aloud the very humorous book "Olivia Goes to Venice" by Ian Falconer.

Olivia goes to Venice

We enjoyed the story and discussed the illustrations. (a neat video that reveals the inspiration behind the book can be found here! )


Finally, we used the Google Earth App on the iPad to take a virtual field trip of Venice, which gave the students a very realistic feel for what it would be like to walk the streets of this unique city.

Then it was time to CREATE!! Students made their own version of a Venetian Canal using crayons and watercolor.

Here are a few examples of their beautiful work!

Also, did you notice the silver clips that I used to hang the artwork? My brilliant Principal came up with the idea for me to hot glue these magnetic clips to the hallway walls that tape does not stick well to.  I have been gluing them all over the building, and now it takes me no time at all to hang the students' artwork on display! This was a simple solution to a fairly annoying problem.  I no longer have to spend 10 minutes when I get to school re-taping the artwork that has fallen off the walls overnight. I am one happy teacher :)

4th Grade Blue Dogs

Who doesn't love a little George Rodrigue?  The 4th grade classes had a great discussion about this living artist and the history of how Blue Dog came to be.  My students had many questions about the Bayou and the Loup-Garou.  We also watched a video on George Rodrigue that showed him painting one of his many Blue Dog paintings.

I challenged the students to create their own Blue Dogs in the most unique setting they could think of, and that their dog did not have to be blue!

Here are some of their creations:

4th Grade Landscapes

Students were introduced to living artist (from Bloomington, IL!) Harold Gregor.  He is known for his amazing colorful landscapes.  He is actually the only living artist to have his artwork hanging in the White House!! (Obama has one hanging in his Oval Office Dining Room).  Students discussed how colorful Harold Gregor's paintings are, and labeled the Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background.

Ten to Neon Blue (#381)

18" x 24"

2007

Watercolor

Ten to Neon Blue (#381)

18" x 24"

2007

Watercolor

(to learn more about Harold Gregor, please visit www.hgregor.com)

After sketching their idea in pencil, students used crayon and watercolors and Gregor's art as inspiration for their landscapes.  

Dolphin Paintings

After my recent trip to the Florida Keys and a visit to the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida, I was inspired to teach my 2nd grade students about these amazing mammals.  We spent time discussing dophin facts, with videos from National Geographic Kids and some pictures I took while on my trip.  My students were very excited and many of them were able to contribute to the discussion from their own facts they had learned. 

Before the first class period was over, we went through a step by step process to draw a dolphin.  I encouraged them to practice drawing one during their free time until the next art class. 

The students created crayon drawings of the dophin and it's surroundings.  We discussed creating a scene for their dolphin.  Was it underwater, up in the air, in an aquarium, etc.  Students added realistic colors to their dolphins and other details with crayon. 

The final step was to paint the entire paper with blue watercolor paint.  The watercolor resists the oil in the crayons and leaves a very neat result.  The students and I were thrilled with how well their paintings turned out!