Pritt Glue Review

I was kindly gifted some Pritt glues to review. The children in my first class were so excited to see the parcel arrive to the school!

When I first began teaching I remember thinking I had found a great bargain in picking up some budget glue sticks; I quickly learned that you get what you pay for! Pritt is always great quality, as a teacher this is important, the last thing you want is to have to re-glue 25 pictures that are now hanging off the wall!

I began to think about the lesson I could use them in. The bag of Pritt glues reminded me of creating art as a child and the big craft sets I would get for Christmas and birthdays. As I was looking through the internet, my friend Aoife tagged me in an article.

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/04/why-typical-preschool-crafts-are-a-total-waste-of-time.html

It is based on preschools, but really at 6 and 7 years old it definitely applies to my 1st class.

"Kids at this developmental stage benefit from messing around with paints, or clay, or crayons; they gain little, on the other hand, from assembling together some construction paper shapes that their teachers cut out ahead of time."

That was the lesson decided. I cleared a table at the top of the room and left out craft materials, including the Pritt glue. I loved this freedom as a child- no right or wrong, just process. 

Included in the parcel were these glitter glues- these went down a treat! Less messy than glitter glue pens and dry much quicker.

These coloured glues were great to write with and the children enjoyed experimenting with these.

The squeezey pen was great to get the fine motor muscles working! 

I loved the total immersion in process!

This was a rainbow- you had to look into the cup to see it!

The coloured squares were scraps of paper left over from the pig races from the Heart of Ireland Festival! This boy figured that if he glued two pieces together it made a hat.

A favourite car was cut out- I was amazed at the cutting skills, the high interest subject definitely affected the engagement here.

A crown for the king! He also made a matching snake for around his neck- it was excellent!

Co-operative exploration of materials here. These boys decided to do group work and it was their own decision! 

The class really enjoyed the freedom today. They were so busy and focused on creating their own pieces. I have put a lot of energy into creativity with them and I was delighted that they were all just so happy to experiment without any reluctancy! The selection of materials really added to the lesson and the variety of glues brought a fun element to the creativity. 

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

Clay Christmas/Winter Themed

"Hey any nice handy ideas using clay with fifth and sixth something a bit different theme winter/ Xmas
"

Clay Christmas Decorations

http://www.tomfo.com/how-to-make-white-clay-christmas-ornaments

A simple way to create Christmas decorations, simply roll and cut clay. Put a hole in the decoration and Tah Dah!

Harry Potter Sorting Hat Christmas Tree

https://www.pinterest.com/bethdierker/

I thought this was a great idea! Ensure to scour and use a drop of water on the surface that you are sticking bobbins to. 

Clay House

http://www.lachicadelacasadecaramelo.com/2014/11/tres-sencillos-diy-con-pasta-de-modelar.html

I liked the idea of this. I would use clay slabs for this. Roll out the slabs of clay you need 24 hours before hand. Store in between layers of newspaper. It will have a leather like texture. It's very easy to work with as it's not sticky.

Stick the pieces of clay together by scouring the surface and buttering on some 'slip. (Blended clay and water 1:4)


Glass Jar Scene

https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/gingered-things-3943183/lichterstadt-aus-modeliermasse-3862165047

Using old jam jars, roll out clay (or use slabs) and create your Christmas/Winter Scene. Wrap around. Finish with some nice decorations like a ribbon around the top of the jar. Place a tea light into the jar for effect!


Melted Snowman

https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/114947964/034-christmas-ornament-melted-snowman?ref=sr_gallery_28&ga_search_query=glass+fused+holiday&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=CA&ga_page=28&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmadeglass+fused+holiday

A cool alternative to clay snowmen! Make sure to scour surfaces that you stick together. Paint a layer of PVA glue over the painted clay for a glossy effect. It will look milky, but will dry clear!

Hope there are some ideas here! :) 

Tones of Blue

I have explored different tones of blue with classes before, but after talking to Eithne Gallagher, I put a new spin on the group work element of this lesson!

We began with making 'lines' or 'marks' in our sketch books.

The colours used were 

- a big bit of white and small bit of blue

- blue

- a big bit of blue and a small bit of black

These are the different tones of blue. The children enjoyed experimenting with the colours.

Then onto our group work. The children were put into groups and numbered. We began with 'No.1's' and they made a mark on the big page. Then 2's and 3's.

The plain white paper now had 'marks' on it. This removes the perfection/fear element.

The children that are normally shy have already made a mark and hold ownership over the group piece. The stronger children will step back as the paper is already marked and they won't take over.

The lesson ended up being quite experimental. As I said, I have done this lesson before and the end result was quite polished. However, this time it was more process based and the end result was quite abstract. The children really enjoyed it!

Teachmeet @ Feilte 2015

I had the pleasure of presenting at Teachmeet today! Thank you to Ciara for organising a great event. 

My day began with listening to a very motivating talk by Mark Pollock- he reminded us to be involved in our lives and not just a spectator. To be a competitor- not to win, but to be apart of life. 

My presentation was based around the use of sketch books in the primary classroom. Check out this post for more information: 

http://clairesprimaryschoolart.blogspot.ie/2015/08/sketch-books-in-classroom.html

I really enjoyed listening to fellow teachers and educators new ideas and innovations for the classroom. Here's just a few of the amazing presentations-

Mary Jo Bell, who I was familiar with from the twitter account @MrsBellsClass brought forward the idea of using Evernote in the classroom for digital portfolios of the children's work. (Twitter @mjbell)

Paul Knox described some of the benefits of Playworks in the primary school year. This is a programme that a colleague of mine is very excited about- and after hearing Paul's presentation today I am too! (Twitter @pauldechnoic)

Patrick Burke's Prezi captured everyone's attention. I really enjoyed the medium of "Prezi" for presenting (https://prezi.com/). It was so effective. Patrick used an app called "DoInk". This app can enable teachers to make a green screen from any background in their classrooms. (Twitter @patjburke)

Mags Amond introduced us to a handy site- classtools.net. (Twitter: magsamond)

Michelle Stowe discussed how to implement Restoratice Practice in schools. (Twitter @mstowerp)

Cormac Cahill works in an autism unit. I spent a few months working in one and I know how many resources have to be made and how long this takes. He uses the Book Creator app to make social stories that can be read on a child or parents phone or tablet. Not only is this faster to create a story, but as it's on a phone is also less conspicuous than a hardcopy social story. (Twitter @cosmiccork)

There were many other influential presentations, these are but just a few! If you are interested in presenting or attending the next Teachmeet check out  http://teachmeetireland.com/ and Twitter page @TeachmeetIRL 

I was also very excited to see so much interest in the art and outdoor education workshops at Feilte. I begin Forest School Leadership training later in the month and I can't wait to bring this mindset to my art and design education.

Polar Bears, 6th Class

I just had an enquiry from a TP student looking for ideas to explore Polar Bears with sixth class.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear

Clay:

I think this would be a great opportunity to use clay. If they have small pieces just make sure they stick them with the scour and slip method. See this here: http://clairesprimaryschoolart.blogspot.ie/2015/08/using-clay.html

Drawing:

Polar Bears are also great to explore drawing and sketching with. The texture of the fur would be fun to draw and experiment with!

Why not introduce 'tone' or 'shading' with them?

http://justiraziel.deviantart.com/art/CW04-value-shading-359817233

Begin by giving the class a variety of materials- charcoal, chalk pastels, soft pencils (6B, 8B) get the children to draw lines and smudge the marks.

They could then apply this to a drawing of a polar bear. Maybe using white pastels on black or dark blue paper?

Seal the chalk pastels with hairspray after ;)

Fabric and Fibre:

The shape of a polar bear is simple and rounded- have you thought about embroidery or sewing?
Use some hessian, embroidery thread and plastic needles to practice stitches.

(see here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hemline-Hand-Sewing-Needles-Plastic/dp/B0039NEK6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443730624&sr=8-1&keywords=plastic+embroidery+needles )


Then let the class draw a simple outline of a polar bear with pencil on the hessian and sew over the line as practiced.