Grandpa Green Topiaries

After I read the book Grandpa Green by Lane Smith to my 3rd grade class, they created their own topiary stencils inspired by the Caldecott Medal illustrations.  We used sponges to create a leaf-like texture and finished the artwork off with a line design in the background just like in the book.

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: