Easter

Easter Art Ideas:

Last year we removed the centre of eggs and painted them.
This year I'm making a few changes!

Firstly, the paint didn't take to the eggs as good as I hoped, so I have invested in a "PAAS" Egg dye kit. They are quite expensive to buy on Amazon.co.uk, so I ordered one from Amazon.com- even with postage to Ireland it was cheaper!

http://www.amazon.com/PAAS-Friends-Egg-Decorating-Medium/dp/B000F5OWSG

There is also a homemade egg dye method. I will try this- I ordered the set as it comes with egg holders etc that can be used each year.

To make homemade egg dye:

1. For each dye bath combine 1/2 cup boiling water with 1 tsp vinegar and 10 drops of food colouring in a bowl. Start with 5 drops red and 5 drops yellow, for orange for example, or 6 drops blue and 4 drops green for turquoise.
2. Dip hard-cooked eggs in dye bath for 3-5 minutes, extend time for richer color. Try using tongs to dip only half an egg in one color, then dip other half in a different color.
3. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove eggs and place on wax paper to dry, blot any excess with a paper towel.
4. For tie dyed eggs, add 1 tbsp olive oil to the mixture and stir with a fork. Roll egg gently in bath to pick of streaks of color. Remove egg from bath and blot oil off with a paper towel, then dry on wax paper. Once dry, lightly dip in another color if desired.
5. For glitter eggs, brush dried dyed egg with a thin layer of craft glue. Spoon glitter over egg, allow to dry on wax paper. To put glitter on only part of an egg (half blue, half red for example), use masking tape over the un-glittered part (or use stickers for shapes) and once dry remove masking tape and glue/glitter the remaining area.
6. For letters, numbers or shapes use small vinyl stickers (office or hardware supplies) and place them on the egg before dying. Once slightly dry peel off stickers gently. You can also use a white crayon to write names or draw pictures.

If you plan to eat your easter eggs, never leave them unrefrigerated at any point for more than 2 hours.

(http://www.food.com/recipe/easter-eggs-egg-dye-160383)

Shaving Foam Dye:

http://www.craftymorning.com/shaving-cream-dyed-easter-eggs/

To take the centre of the egg out- make a hole on either end, blow through the top hole and the egg will come out the other side.

Alternatively, hard boil the eggs. They can play "Egg Tapping" with them then! 

This is an Easter game popular in central Europe. Players 'tap' their egg with their opponents. The winner has the egg that doesn't crack! 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_tapping)

Here are some more ideas that I found online!

http://www.2wired2tired.com/10-fun-easter-craft-ideas-for-kids

http://www.craftymorning.com/3d-paper-plate-easter-basket-craft-kids/

http://www.craftymorning.com/easy-fingerprint-cross-activity-kids/

http://www.thoughtsfromalice.com/2014/04/recycled-tp-roll-easter-bunny-and-egg.html

http://www.designmom.com/2013/03/diy-salt-dough-eggs/

http://www.craftymorning.com/mini-popsicle-stick-chick-craft-for-kids/

http://www.parentinghealthybabies.com/51-easter-crafts-for-kids/

St. Patrick's Day

Another time that just needs some product based art! St. Patrick's Day is March 17th, here are some craft ideas I found online that may be of use in your planning! 

Rainbows/Pots of Gold:

http://www.howweelearn.com/75-paper-plate-crafts/

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/951903/st-patricks-day-crafts-for-kids

A great idea for introducing the children to mosaic

http://www.daycareanswers.com/projects-for-preschoolers.html

http://www.craftymorning.com/easy-st-patricks-day-crafts-kids/

I always remember making these links as a child on St. Patrick's Day!

http://www.babble.com/crafts-activities/10-easy-st-patricks-day-crafts-for-kids/

Shamrocks:

http://www.craftymorning.com/leprechaun-craft-with-a-fork-print-beard/

A handy idea to have something handmade for the children to wear to the St. Patrick's Day parade.

http://www.iheartcraftythings.com/2015/02/shamrock-twirler-st-patricks-day-craft.html

http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2012/03/paper-strip-shamrocks.html#_a5y_p=1263916

http://www.craftymorning.com/easy-st-patricks-day-crafts-kids/

http://www.craftymorning.com/water-bottle-shamrock-stamp-craft-kids/

http://www.craftymorning.com/easy-st-patricks-day-crafts-kids/

http://embracingcreativity.net/2015/03/shamrock-craft-kids/

Leprechauns: 

http://www.housingaforest.com/leprechaun-craft/

http://www.craftymorning.com/leprechaun-craft-with-a-fork-print-beard/

http://www.iheartcraftythings.com/2015/02/fruity-cheerios-cereal-leprechaun-craft.html

http://www.craftymorning.com/leprechaun-craft-with-a-fork-print-beard/

Some shamrock templates:

A great method to draw shamrocks is to draw three hearts joined in the middle. But as this is very product based, templates are just handy.

https://www.pinterest.com/source/patternuniverse.com

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/500462577322169526/

Twinkl Review

"Trusted by teaching communities worldwide, Twinkl provides instant access to a complete range of teaching materials to support learning from birth."

As a long time user of Twinkl I highly recommend it. Firstly, it has so many fantastic resources; pre-made and editable, and secondly, it's not blocked by Irish internet safety settings in schools!

You may have noticed my use of their editable letters on my display boards!

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/create

I have always used the site for literacy, numeracy and SESE lessons, but never thought of using it for visual arts! I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are some great resources of art on it! :)

Here are some craft lessons that I liked:

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-19284-paper-doily-flowers-craft-adult-led-focus-plan-and-craft-pack

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-18131-paper-plate-shamrock-craft-adult-led-focus-plan

Books are a great way to inspire creativity in visual arts. I recently discovered "Stickman", the latest book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. There are lesson packs based on this as well as resources.

Click here for lesson pack: http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-1327-stick-man-lesson-plan-ideas-ks1

I loved this Gruffalo creative drawing lesson: http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-7367-draw-your-own-terrible-creature-gruffalo

There are great powerpoints based on famous artists that you can download and show (hence the importance of being able to use it in school). They come with a range of activities and cross circular lesson plans.

As I mentioned before; I use play doh each day in my first class. This link has some great templates for mats. Just laminate and inspire! 

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-2573-sen-playdough-mats

There are many free resources on Twinkl, but if you are teaching or have a few TPs ahead of you, I would recommend the premium account. It's worth its weight in gold! 

Claire :) 

Flowers

Construction is always a tricky strand unit to cover in visual arts. We all dread handing over the sellotape and finding cardboard cuttings in every corner for the next two months! :D Flower making can be as straight forward and a bit more structured as a introduction to construction.

Here are some online examples that I hope to put my own spin on with my first class!

All from: http://lovebugsandpostcards.com

http://krokotak.com/2014/04/diy-calla-lilly-with-drinking-straws-cotton-buds-and-cotton/

http://customizando.net/inspiracao-cartao-para-o-dia-das-maes/

http://sadtohappyproject.com/valentines-day-craft-ideas/

http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/easy-emergency-mothers-day-crafts-for-kids?sub=2186760_1128706#.luNMN1nad4

http://wonderfuldiy.com/wonderful-diy-swirly-paper-flowers/

Art 'Hacks'

After this photo created such a storm on my facebook page I decided to see if I could find some more useful 'hacks' for making art lesson organisation seamless!

This photo is from Greann sa Rang's blog (http://greannsarang.blogspot.ie/)  she uses paper bun cases in her paint trays so there's no washing up! 

Here are some more ideas I found:

Using rice to clean dirty chalk pastels

http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/tuesdays-tip-how-to-get-dirty-pastels.html

Clean brushes with conditioner:

http://www.scholastic.com

This keeps them nice and soft.

Keep wool in zip lock bags:

http://www.scholastic.com

Cutting sandpaper will resharpen scissors:

http://www.scholastic.com

Hanging Art:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/

Storing Drawing Materials:

http://mycasestudies.blogspot.ie/2008/06/copic-stuff.html

There are some ideas for bulletin boards here:

http://www.theappliciousteacher.com/2015/09/bulletin-board-hacks-to-save-your-sanity.html

I always use latex gloves when cutting clay. If there are no wire clay cutters in your school- use a wire hanger!

http://www.wirehanger.us/images/wire_hanger.jpg