Twelve Years a slave, Black History, Children's Art

I haven't seen Twelve Years A Slave but really want to go as soon as I have a chance. I think it's interesting since my paternal great grandmother was a Menorcan. I bet you have never heard of the Menorcans. Back around the mid 1700's there was a doctor who was married to a Greek woman. He had bought a plantation in Florida called New Smyrna Plantation. His wife talked him into hiring Mediterraneans to work the plantation. He sent a ship to the island of Minorca off the coast of Spain and signed up Menorcans, a few Italians and some Greeks as indentured servants. The whole group was called Menorcans as the Greeks and Italians all married within the group. The group worked hard on the plantation for 10 years and were treated like slaves by the plantation manager. Their contracts were never upheld. When Saint Augustine fell to the English in the 1780's and the Spanish middle class went back to Spain, the Menorcans' priest petitioned the governor of Florida for the Menorcans to leave the plantation and go to Saint Augustine. The petition was granted. The Menorcans left the plantation as a group and entered the Spanish village of Saint Augustine, Florida.
If you are going to teach a unit on slavery or Black History, there are two children's books I have found very interesting. One is called Dave the Potter and is about a slave named Dave who made clay pots and bowls and actually signed some of them. Another book is Faith Ringgold's "Tar Beach" about her family and the quilt paintings she has made. Try these lessons to add creativity and interest to your lessons :

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Story-quilt-Faith-Ringgold-Harriet-Powers-and-Black-History-466471

SHHHH! After Christmas Sale begins tomorrow.....

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

just click on link to find my holiday projects on sale-20% off !!! Mizz Mac

Happy Holidays to one and all!

I'll be back blogging about children's art, etc. after Christmas!

Be sure to visit my store at www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams

I'm going to have an after Christmas Sale!! Mizz Mac

Weather, Holidays, and Children's art projects

The sun is actually shining here in the south! It rained so hard yesterday. My house is in the city and we still had 2 bucks walk through the yard after the big storm! I do have neighbors with  about 50 woodsy acreage so I suppose that's where the deer live. So tomorrow the children will be anxious and ready to run, but here they won't be able to because of soaking wet playgrounds. Let's get out the art supplies and the art games. One of the indoor activities I like to do the week before the Holidays is to show my art history movies. Most of my students are exhausted from all of the crafts done in their classrooms with the room mom. I found this week to be a good time to show calm informational movies about artists and their lives. The subject matter the artists primarily did in the movies would relate to the subject matter of the art projects in January. For instance I would show a movie to second graders about Edward Degas and his ballerina paintings. Several of the little girls in my school take ballet and are in the Nutcracker. In January we would learn how to draw full figures and draw chalk drawings of our friends as models dancing. Mizz Mac

Snow or Rain? Art is the thing to do!

Teachers and parents, are you tired of the rain and the snow?? It was totally foggy here and still a gray day! We were suppose to have highs in the upper 70's but right now at 1:00 pm it's still in the low 60's. The students are probably tired of indoor recess. The boys are probably climbing the walls not being able to get out and run off steam. The girls are probably chatty. Now would be a good time to get out the clay. Air dry clay or better still earthenware clay are great for these days. Let the students pound away to get air bubbles out. For lessons and basic techniques see my store:
www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-McWilliams

Snow, Ice, Rain, Holidays, winter, Children's Art Projects

So we all have these yucky days- Here in the South it's warm and rainy. Some of us are wishing we had the snow! Either way the children are having indoor recess activities. What to do with children hyped up about Elf on the Shelf and no outside time to run that extra energy off? Here is an idea- Group the desks in groups of four. Say you have 24 students, 6 groups of four. At one group set out crayons. Another will have colored pencils, A third will have water-based markers. A fourth will have colored chalk. A fifth will have oil pastels. A sixth group will have regular pencils or permanent markers or watercolor paint markers. You get the picture- different drawing supplies at each group. Give one piece of white copy paper to each child. Have the class draw a holiday themed drawing on the paper but only spend 5 minutes at each group. Teachers control the rotation so that it is not a mad house of kids running to their favorite group. display the drawings for all to see how different they all are. This activity lasts about 40 minutes. Mizz Mac
              For additional art projects see my store on www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Winter, Holidays, Art Projects for Kids

Teachers, have you chosen that art project for the last day of school before winter break? What about your room mother's gift? Click on my link in the last post to find a variety of art projects available for your needs! Mizz Mac

Snowflakes, Winter, Candy Canes, Holidays, and Art projects for Kids

I know I said I was going to write something different but check out my latest Holiday art projects on TPT!

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Common Core Standards and Art and a TPT Cyber Sale

Hey y'all! I will be writing future posts how to use art lessons and projects to review some of the standards. Also, I will be writing how to use art projects and lessons to reinforce the standards. In the meantime, check out my store's sale on TPT.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-Mcwilliams

CYBER Monday and Tuesday on teachers pay teachers!!!

Remember my store- 20% off everything!!! Monday and Tuesday!!!! After ordering purchase, add the code "cyber" to get the full discount!!! Mizz Mac

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-Mcwilliams

I'm Having a Fall Sale!

I know I should have waited for Cyber Sale on Monday and Tuesday! For those of you who are looking for sales online I have put my Fall and Back-to School items on sale!! 20% off- Here's the ad and the link to my store! Mizz Mac

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Happy thanksgiving to all!

Happy thanksgiving! I hope all of you have had a good one! I spent time with my family! Anyone going to Black Friday sales?? I'm not. I'm going on the pottery walk on Saturday. In my town the potters in town put their wares on sale on the first weekend in December. This year it's this weekend and I shop for Xmas gifts and support my local potters! Mizz Mac 

TPT's CYBER SALE!!!

Cyber Monday and Tuesday-December 2 and 3. I have put my whole store on sale at 20%off! www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams
Happy Holidays and have fun shopping!!! Mizz Mac

It's a cold, rainy day here in the South!

Anybody ready for hot chocolate? Our weather here in Middle Georgia is weird- the northern part could actually get snow or some sort of frozen precipitation tomorrow. the middle and southern area will probably get rain. We are getting hit with cold weather for Thanksgiving and will probably be in shorts and flip flops for Christmas!!
  Rainy days with kids out of school are a good time to do art/crafts. For ideas either check out my store on TPT or search for my summer blogs.  Grandparents do love those handmade gifts from grandchildren.
                                                                                   Mizz Mac

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I am truly thankful to be alive and well. Thirteen years ago on a rainy Thanksgiving morning my family and I headed to Birmingham, Ala to have a feast with my husband's aunt and cousins. We had a "Great Entanglement with a guardrail" (my husband calls it) when a tire blew and we hit the guardrail on the interstate. Instead of rolling over we slid down the rail and eventually rode up on top of the guardrail. We continued to bounce a ways down the rail, puncturing the gas tank which caught the car on fire. When we stopped, the fire subsided long enough for my family to get out safely, all except me! I was slow and somehow caught on fire when I jumped out. I was burned over 15 percent of my body and was taken to the Augusta Burn Center. I was lucky to have fine doctors on duty and I am fine now. I still hurt occasionally due to some nerve damage but nothing like I did. That is what I am thankful for every Thanksgiving!!

Those of you who teach this week- Please remember "It's a GREAT time for those art projects which can also be used for review work!" Mizz Mac

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mizz-Macs-Eay-Leafy-Fall-Art-Projects-862114

Happy Holidays art projects

So you have only two or three weeks left to make those holiday gifts or art projects. You will also need to set aside time to rehearse for those holiday programs. And there are those Common Core Standards still to be met! What are you going to do?  Try linking those art projects/gifts with the Common Core Standards or review what has been covered already! Need a bundle? Try this:

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Holiday-Bundle-of-Art-Projects-962021

Easy Clean thanksgiving art projects plus review of those geometric flat shapes!! Common Core Math Standards within art projects

Do you need an easy art lesson/project for those excited students ready to be out for Thanksgiving break? Do you want to review those geometric shapes? I have posted art projects on TPT that fit your needs!

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shoo-Fly-quilt-Flat-Shapes-and-a-little-American-Art-History-972741

A new freebie for the holidays!!

This is my newest free art project on TPT! It is a lot of fun to paint and decorate with the older children.

Younger children could stamp on the plates with help from adults. Mizz Mac

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Snowy-Holiday-Glass-Plates-960077

Thanksgiving! It's going to be late this year!

Have you noticed it? Thanksgiving is going to be late this year! WOW! Are you looking for something educational and creative and enjoyable? I have posted a new project on Teachers pay teachers that is a Thanksgiving mural but it could be a bulletin board. It could take several lessons. Also, the class could also be divided into groups and work on the different panels to finish in one class period.

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams

For November 1st- the Day of the Dead

I have posted a new lesson on teachers pay teachers about bones, skeleltons, and Jose Posada! I just love Jose Posada's comical calaveras! My fourth graders who were more boys than girls had a blast making our own cavaleras playing football or baseball! It's a fun activity for the day after Halloween!

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams

Happy Halloween!

My Jack O'Lantern Freebie!

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Brrrrrr!

The first frost of the year! I was told once by my grandmother-in-law from Birmingham, Ala. the trees  need a first frost before the leaves will turn beautiful colors! Maybe now that we have had a couple of cold nights the leaves will turn colorful! I have three art projects posted on teacherspayteachers: Mizz Mac's Easy Leafy Fall Clay Flower Pot (a freebie), Fall Leaf Oil Pastel ($1.00), and Mizz Mac's Easy Leafy Fall Art Projects ( a bundle of art projects-$5.00). You can find them at www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Ooey Gooey Clay!!!

Ooey Gooey clay is my latest product for sale on tpt. It contains an introduction to the history of hand building with clay, definitions of terms, hand drawn illustrations of the basic methods, three basic methods used to build vessels with clay, and suggestions for decorating bisque-fired or greenware or air-dried clay. This information is needed for successful hand building and is alignment with the National Standards for Visual Art. Mizz Macwww.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams

Fall Holiday

I'm relaxing on saint Simons island with my computers in tow! I'm still writing my "Ooey Gooey Clay or basics of hand building with clay" . My new pen tablet has arrived. I plan on adding some hand drawn illustrations to my clay product! Mizz mac

SHHHH it's a secret= TPT SALE

I just stumbled onto this - TPT is having  a sale -10% off for fb fans- I have put some of my products on sale for the next two days for an additional 10%off- Mizz Mac

Fall is also working with clay

When I am teaching art, I just love to introduce hand building with clay during the Fall, particularly close to Halloween. I have had many parents tell me they have a collection of all of their children's clay pieces on the mantle of their fireplace. I am currently working on writing a document about the basics of working with clay. I prefer using clay from Lizella Clay company because it is mined and made here in Georgia. In fact, I can drive to pick up fresh clay whenever I need some. I enjoy teaching my young students how to make pinch pots that become pumpkins and jack o"lanterns. We glaze with an orange glaze that melts in the kiln when fired to become permanent. A tea candle can be placed inside. More to come about the clay- Mizz Mac

An Easy Halloween Project

I wrote about this project in my last posting. I have now written up the directions as a pdf . They can be found at my store on Teacherspay teachers- www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams
And it's for free-

October is for Fall and fun with Masks!

Hey Y'all! We have learned or reviewed line, shapes, and patterns. Color and painting shapes is next. Fall trees are painted with warm colors- reds, yellows, and oranges on a cool colored background. Tissue paper reds and yellows can be overlapped to make orange. Fall Festivals with orange pumpkins abound. Orange pumpkins can be made with clay or papiermached with orange tissue paper or even orange construction paper around styrofoam balls flattened at both ends. Black construction paper cut into triangles and arranged
and glue into place to make jack-o'lanterns. For the older elementary and young middle school student a study of masks from around the world is appropriate at this time of the year. My latest posting on TPT is a group of such masks. This is a great time of year for creating art!

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams

A little about me and my thoughts about teaching and art

Thank you for clicking on my blog. A little more about me- the name "Mizz Mac" originated from my students. When I first began teaching art in a school, my young kindergarteners and first graders couldn't pronounce Mrs. McWilliams very well. the k's were also learning a song about Mizz Mac. they would sing the song while walking to my classroom. And it stuck. I just loved it!
Our Halloween Paperbag Haunted House was a stable of our Halloween kindergarten art curriculum for many years. The project takes two or three 30 minute class periods to make. Several parents have told me they use it every year as a part their family's Halloween decorations.

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-McWilliams

Fall flower pot for all ages

Hey y'all! This is my latest freebie lesson on tpt http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-McwilliamsChildren of all ages and even adults can enjoy this art project. It is also a good project for the older child's birthday party and creates their own party favor. have fun! Mizz Mac

All About shapes

I can't believe we are so far into school! Lines, shapes, and patterns are great elements of design to begin the art year. Color could be introduced as well to help teach paint mixing techniques and brush handling. After these basics are introduced orreviewed, three dimensional art can be tried. Paper mache animals made the Oxacans, African Masks, or Clay Totem Poles are fun experiences for the older elementary student. Halloween symbols for k-2nd and maybe 3rd grades can also be created in art projects.  I have posted directions for the paper mache animals on my TPT store and I have posted two new art projects this week, one is a Halloween one for k-2nd graders. Mizz Mac

Fall, Colors, and Shapes in Art

I can't wait for cooler weather. If we have a sufficient freeze, we should have a beautiful fall. There is soo much art that can be covered in Autumn. First we have the two kinds of shapes- geometric and natural that can be covered along with warm colors and earth tones of the land. We can look at Georgia O'Keefe's series of autumn leaves paintings, African masks, and Native American art. Fall is just a wonderful season for art!! Here is my latest posting on Teachers pay teachers:

Expressive Names

Expressive Names is my latest ice breaker for fifth graders on TPT. There is an introduction page that not only reviews the five kinds of lines but also introduces what lines can create in art. It is  a simple project that teachers can use as an ice breaker, as a filler for those times when a little something is needed, and as an art project that can be printed out and put in an art center. I hope you have fun with it! www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams 

Overlapping Circle Designs

Take a look at my Overlapping Circle Designs lesson. It's a part of my back-to-school ice breakers series!www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/gena-mcwilliams

Back to School Ice Breakers

My directions and more can be found at.www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Teachers Pay Teachers Sale!!!

Back to School Sale!!

It's TPT's Back to School Sale! My store will be 20% off during the sale and on the 17th and 20th. TPT gives an extra 10% off which equates to 8% more in savings ( I don't understand the math) on the 18th -19th. Come one and all for wonderful savings!!! Mizz Mac!

It's Back To School Time!!!

Are you excited? Are you going to see friends you haven't seen all summer?? When you go to school and you have those new supplies in front of you and those new white sheets of paper, what are you going to draw? Do you want to do your best and give your teacher and new friends a good impression? Are you a great artist or just ok and want to be good?? What are you going to draw? If your mind and imagination goes blank, try to remember this basic art rule- There are only five lines and two basic shapes that you need to make your drawings and paintings. The lines are (1) the straight across line called the horizon line, (2) the straight up and down line called the vertical line, (3) the straight leaning line called the diagonal line, (4) the curved line called spirals or curves or wavy lines, and (5) the repeating leaning lines called the zigzag lines. The two shapes are the geometric shapes like squares and circles and the blob shapes like clouds.
  Now if your teacher asks you to draw what you did this summer, ask yourself- did you go to the mountains or the beach? Did you climb a tree or swim in a pool? Think about the lines and the shapes you need to draw to make your picture. Draw with a pencil first so you can erase your mistakes. When you like what you draw, then color your picture.

Art in July Sale

Mizz Mac is having a sale at her store on www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena_Mcwilliams.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Happy Fourthof July!!  Mizz Mac hopes you are having a fun and safe holiday! I'm having a sale at my store on www.teacherspayteachers.com!

New art bundle!

For those of you who like kings and queens and fairy tales and clay, check out my new bundle of art projects at www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena_Mcwilliams

I'm having a sale on www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena_Mcwilliams

Rainy day art at home

A great time to watercolor! Your watercolors won't dry out too fast. You can paint some fantastic wet-on-wet shapes, blobs of wet color on damp paper. Mingle the colors together to make new colors. Use the opposite end of your brush to drizzle curly lines of paint into your color blobs. Let your painting dry a bit. You can speed up the drying with a hand held hair dryer. Turn your painting around. Do your shapes look like anything? Do they remind you of something, like a fall day, a setting sun, or a vase of many different kinds of flowers? Add details to your painting with your water based colored markers! 

Have fun!! Mizz Mac

Summer camps at the Creative Alternative updated

Mizz Mac will be teaching preschool studio art camps at the Creative Alternative. There will be 5 camps with hours 9-12. The first camp begins on June 17-21, the second one June 24, and three weeks in July. Each day will be a drawing day, a painting day, a clay day, a mixed media day, and a presentation day all based on the week's theme.  The school is closed the week of July 4. All camps are $100 with a non- refundable $25 deposit.

Do you have older children?? There are plenty of camps available in the afternoon for the older students.
How to register? Contact either Mizz Mac via email or register online at www.creativealternative.info.  

Just get out of the way!

I had one of the best classes ever with my 8th graders . My 8th graders have been painting with acrylics on canvas boards. I have found that sometimes the best teaching happens when I guide the students towards self-expression. then I get out of their way!! If they get stuck, they call "Mizz Mac!" All of the students and their teacher(me) helped one student with developing her awesome painting. Sometimes the only thing the students need is help knowing when to quit, and sometimes it's only help mixing colors or even where to put a color. Mizz Mac

Out of School?? Bored? Try creating some art

Are you at the beach?? Get some plaster of paris, a sand bucket, small shovel. seashells, a stick. Draw in the sand or press seashells in the sand, create an image, maybe a mermaid or a pirate. Get some sea water in your bucket. Add your plaster of plaster. Stir with your stick until smooth and thick like cream. Pour the plaster on your creation. Let the plaster set up (get hard). When set up, lift the plaster out of the sand. When dry, wipe the loos sand off and you should have a sand sculpture of your creation. You can paint it when you get back to your beach house/condo/motel room.

Summer Art Camps in Macon, Georgia

Mizz Mac is back!! Mizz Mac will be teaching summer art camps at the Creative Alternative in Macon, Ga. She will be offering 5 weeks beginning studio art camps for preschoolers from 9-12 beginning in the the middle of June. Each week will have a different theme. Each camp cost $100, supplies and a snack included.  Creative Alternative has other instructors offering camps for older children. To sign up or for more information, click on www.creativealternative.info.

Art Ramblings and a Sale

I am having a sale today through Wednesday April 24 on http://teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gena-Mcwilliams.

 My daughter, grandchildren, and I went to our hometown's museum to see Charles Ladson and 6 emerging artists exhibit. If any of you have a chance to see Charles' artwork,  go - it is quite surreal and truly evokes emotions from sadness, loneliness, and even laughter!

Another pet peeve of mine is when fine art gets mixed up with arts and crafts. I finally ran across a good definiton- Arts and crafts is objective and Fine Art is subjective. When we teach or make specific art projects without creative thought, we are teaching objectively. When we analyze art from history or even present day to find out how the art was made and what the artist was thinking and then give the students a chance to create their own in the same or similar manner, then we are teaching subjectively.

Introduction

Welcome to Mizz Mac’s Art for Kids Online blog. Being a veteran art teacher with 25 and more years of art teaching and creating experience, I have accumulated many successful art projects for kids. They are all in alignment with the National Standards for Visual Arts. Some are about how to use art tools, some about the project itself being the assessment, and some are about art history/art appreciation.

Let's begin with an easy drawing lesson:

Drawing with Beginners

I like to begin my drawing classes with my drawing what the children tell me to draw as I ask questions.

The following is an example:

When we draw something, we only use five types of lines or a combination of the five lines. The lines are horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zigzag, and curvy. Connect the lines to make shapes. There are only two kinds of shapes: geometric (squares, circles, etc.) and natural (flowers, clouds, etc.).

With that in mind, let’s draw a cat.

I will ask the questions and you will answer, telling me what to draw.

1. What shape is a cat’s head? A circle. (Draw a circle.)

2. What shape is the body? An oval or a circle. (Draw the oval or circle connected to the head.)

3. What shapes are the legs? Either 4 lines or 4 rectangles. (Draw whatever is said.)

4. What shape are the paws? Circles. (Draw that.)

5. What shape are the ears? Triangles-draw 2 triangles near the top of the head.

6. Now for the face- What shapes are the eyes, nose, and cheeks? Circles. Draw those in the middle of the head.

7. Whiskers? Lines form the cheeks- Draw that.

8. The mouth? A curved line under the nose. - Draw that.

9. The tail? A curvy line or long skinny oval- Draw that attach to the body.

10. Color and add a background with a room or outside scenery.