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