thanksgiving

Wow! I haven't blogged in awhile! So what's been going on with me? My grand children started a new school. We were hit by Hurricane Irma on September 11. My husband had back surgery already scheduled for the end of October so I had to help him clean up on the weekends and get the yard and any of his projects completed. Now we are in the recovery stage. I still have to help him because he cant bend. lift. or twist or drive a car or even ride in a car until December.
Our candle business has had some huge orders come in lately so that has also kept me away from blogging.
Thanksgiving and Fall art is one of my favorite times of the year. I like to introduce and study Native American art. The National Ocmulgee Indian Mounds is in my town. There is a lot of history here and over the years children have found scads of arrowheads.
A favorite lesson is my Easy Native American art lesson. It tells a bit about early Native American art  and can be taught as a review of geometric shapes.
Click on the following link to find the lesson:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Easy-Native-American-Art-Project-1545675

Happy Fourth of July

I am usually on Saint Simons Island for the fourth of July. Saint Simons has fireworks going off from several spots on the beach and from the pier. It is a fantastic display if you can position your self to see most of the fireworks and Jekyll Island's display and there is another one off in the distance.
I am working on creating art projects organized by grades. My first one is posted on TPT. Here's the link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Art-Projects-for-First-Grade-Bundle-3227204

Earth Day Art Projects

Hey there! Earth Day 2017 will arrive on Sunday April 22. I do believe that is the week after Easter. If you are looking for some cool Earth Day Art projects to create with your children/students, I have a couple in my TPT store. Just click on the link:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Easy-Artsy-Landscapes-Galore-1212604

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Amazing-Landscapes-a-drawing-and-painting-project-for-beginners-615788

And Shhhh- I'm having a sale RIGHT NOW- 20% off my entire store thru tomorrow- April 3.

www.teacherspaylteachers.com/Store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Teacher Appreciation Sale on TPT!!

Teachers Pay Teachers is having a teacher appreciation sale! Tuesday May 3rd-4th! My while store is 20% off! Here is the link back to my store:
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Papier Mache Art Projects

Some thoughts and ideas about organizing supplies for papier mache projects

I just love papier mache! As an art teacher though it took me a few years to find ways to organize and make good products with the children doing all of the work. Keep in mind I had 6 art tables with 4 chairs at each table and a double sided easel on each end of the tables. I kept large clips on each easel. Each table was a color and each table had a designated table captain. I did have assigned seats which were moved each month.

First of all there is the glue- A veteran art teacher advised me to use a product called Art Paste. It comes in a dry pouch and mixes in a gallon of water. The glue is a vegetable based product so there shouldn’t be anyone allergic to it and it’s not made from animal’s hooves so it shouldn’t offend any religions. I had large gallon size plastic ice cream containers with lids. I would mix up the glue in each container, one per table, and an extra one for spare.  That was enough glue for one whole grade of 3 classes.  Each gallon container can be placed on the table. Or small bowls like frozen whip containers can be used at each table. Each table captain can refill the bowl as needed.

The tables were covered with either newspaper or vinyl tablecloths.

I would also have either a Styrofoam tray or a paint cup with masking tape for each person’s project to dry on. A helper can put the tape on ahead of time.  Students would write their own names on the masking tape with pencils or crayons.

Now the paper to use- I found it easier on the students to figure out how many layers they used if we used different kinds for each layer. I would begin with newspaper strips for the first layer. Second layer would be colored newsprint strips. The third and last layer would be white newsprint.  I found plastic boxes to use to put the paper strips in. Either I or an intern or any helper can tear  paper strips ahead of time and place in the boxes. It’s a lot of work to do ahead of time but well worth the effort!

On applying the glue to the strips- personally I like to dip the strip into the glue and squeeze the extra glue off with my fingers but some children are too squeamish to do it. Plus it takes a lot of time to wash the glue off the hands. Inexpensive sponge brushes work nicely for applying the glue and can even be thrown away.

Ok well those are my thoughts on setting up supplies for a paper mache project. I hope they were some helpful ideas.  Mizz Mac

Check out my paper mach animal art project lesson for Cinco de Mayo
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paper-Mache-Animals-for-Cinco-de-Mayo-661250

Holiday Ornaments

Holiday Ornaments for you and your little ones to make at home

I have walked around some art shops and galleries and noticed some artists are painting on clear glass ornament balls. I have heard that Macon Arts even had a glass blower making glass balls at the opening of their holiday show.  One of my first Christmas gifts I received when I first began teaching at a private school was a choo-choo train painted on a glass ball. I still cherish that ornament and put it on my tree every year.

Several years ago my school held an auction and one of the parents came in my room to have the children in a particular grade make a craft for the auction. This parent took glass ornament balls, filled each ball with a bit of craft paint and told the children to twirl the ball to twirl /marbleize the paint inside the ball.

 That art project could be a neat way to teach color mixing to little ones.  That project also inspired me one year to paint my own glass ornament balls. I used white puffy t-shirt paint to make a snowman face.

 As you can see in these photographs one side is painted but because the glass is clear, one can see through the clear side to the showman’s face! It doesn’t matter if the ball turns!

To paint a glass/plastic ornament  ball at home one need to buy clear plastic balls, white puffy t-shirt paint for the snowman, acrylic craft paint, and a small brush, preferably the short-handled kid’s brushes that come in a pack from a craft store like Michael’s or JoAnn’s.

Spread newspaper on the working surface. You will also need a container with water and some paper towels or a sponge for drying and cleaning the brush when changing colors. An egg carton works great to place the ornament in when painting and drying. A round plastic lid works for a palette and can easily be discarded when finished. Old plastic ice cube trays can work also and keep the paint colors separated.

Set your supplies up. Egg carton with ornament placed  in front of the child. Paint squeezed on the lid or in the ice cube tray. Now paint! Let dry overnight and hang when ready!

For more of Mizz Mac’s art lessons and art projects click on:

www/teacherspayteachers/com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Holiday Art

Only two more weeks left before the Holiday Break is here! Now that last week of school can be a bit hectic. How much learning actually takes place?? I would have so many breaks in my schedule that very little could be taught that week. Being an art teacher why not take time away from the art classes? Oh well--- I do have some very easy art craftivities that allow for reviewing patternmaking.One is a freebie for making candy canes with pony beads and chenille stems:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Easy-Christmas-Holiday-Candy-Canes-1007350

Holiday Christmas Art Projects

It's a rainy night in Georgia! Time to start searching for those holiday gift art projects. Back when I was teaching in a typical classroom school setting, I would really only have about 2 weeks of actual teaching time after Thanksgiving. My teaching schedule would change due to rehearsals for the holiday program and classroom holiday parties. I would organize my time to teach any gift giving art projects during those two weeks ( that amounted to two class periods for each grade). I would show art history based movies the last week of school that would tie in to the first week lessons after we returned from the holiday.
I have bundled a group of my favorite art projects that I would teach:
www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Easy-Christmas-Holiday-Art-Projects-962021

Time for Apples!

It’s time for Apples!

Apples are in season and they are great for beginning school activities, particularly kindergarten and preschool classes.  For art teachers the apple  is a great beginning observational subject to use.  This art teacher would begin the class reviewing the five kinds of lines- horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curvy, and zigzag. I would explain how artists take the lines and combine them to make drawings and shapes. I would then show them an apple and ask which line I would use to draw the apple. What am I going to look at when I draw the apple? I will be drawing the contour shape or the outside edge of the apple.

While holding the apple with my freehand I draw the apple slowly on the white board or with my tablet and project for all to see.

Students should already have paper and pencils and apples are then passed out. A 9x12 drawing paper could be folded two times, unfolded, and students told to draw their apple with four different views (side 1, side 2, top, and bottom) in each rectangle. Try to fill up each rectangle with an apple.  Each apple is then colored. The apples can be colored with crayons or oil pastels and the background painted with a thin watercolor or tempera wash.

Older children can do a progressive drawing with the apple. First drawing would be a whole apple, second an apple with one bite on one side, third an apple with two bites on each side, and the fourth with only the apple core. Students who don’t like apples are allowed to spit the apple bites out in a cup.

Check out my freebie apple print lesson for an easier lesson:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mizz-Macs-Print-An-Apple-for-Johnny-Appleseed-1428061

Back to School with Harriet Tubman and the Shoo Fly Quilt

The Harriet Tubman Museum in Macon, Ga is absolutely gorgeous! It was finally finished this year and I finally went in to see it today. OMG is it GORGEOUS!!! I am so proud that my hometown has such a beautiful museum.  Be sure to go upstairs. There are rooms with inventions that blacks have made, a huge mural one of our prominent black artists made depicting black heritage in Macon ( I have personal story to tell about this artist too) and in the Harriet Tubman room there are not only documents about the life and times of Harriet Tubman but one can view actual real nationally known artists work. Some of the artists I remember and have taught my students are john Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, and William Johnson.

In another room downstairs for Georgia black artists I got to see art work by the Dot Man who was featured in an article published in an issue of School Arts magazine when I first started teaching art. I was so excited!! It’s quite exciting to me to see the actual real artwork!

Another artist I must mention is Wini McQueen. She is one of our local black artists who mainly works in fabric, dying and using photographs in her pieces. She was commissioned by the Tubman to create banners and quilts depicting the history of the black people in Georgia and they are hung in the rotunda.

As sad as the past is let us all remember so it won’t be repeated.

Check out my arts integration lesson on the Shoo Fly quilt. Legend says it helped the blacks in their flight on the Underground Railroad: 

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shoo-Fly-Art-music-math-shapes-review-for-back-to-school-972741

Back To School Sale

It will be here soon!! Back to School Sale at Teachers Pay Teachers!! www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gean-Mcwilliams

Christmas in July Sale for back to school

Hey Y'all! I'm having a Christmas in July Sale 10% off my back to school and beginning art projects!
WHEN? July 26-28. WHERE? www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams
Here are a couple examples:

Fun Activities for Grandparents to do with their Grands

Summers are too short in my county. The children get out of public school at the end of May but they will be back in school the first week in August. A week in June is set for a vacation with one parent and the grandparents and another week in July is for vacation with the other parent and the other grandparents. Whew! With only3 weeks in June and July there isn’t much point in doing an enrichment camp, particularly since their school does an excellent job with providing plenty of enrichments during the school year.

My grands went to Camp GaGa (their name for me!) While at Camp GaGA, they have made a rocket ship, a pirate ship, a vending machine, a “ball” room, and now paper bag puppets. They have drawn landscapes and birds in their sketchbooks.  They studied science and wild life studies by catching fireflies at night, moths, and tiny baby tree frogs, put in jars with holes for air to breathe, and let go back into nature before going to bed.  They watched a pair of hawks soaring and hunting in the front yard and a fawn running all over the yard. The hummingbirds have been plenty!

While at two beaches there were sandcastles to learn how to build and tiny fish to hand catch in the tidal pools. Hermit crabs were found in seashells.  This grandmother had to hold a small jar of water with a conch shell and a hermit crab named Fred while the grands’ mother went in a store to learn how to take care of it. We did have to put Fred back onto the wild beach!

Camp GaGa  is coming to a fast end. Now is the time to review reading skills and number skills to get ready for back to school. Don’t forget those sight words, too!

Here is a  photo of the art we made at Camp GaGa!

How to Draw a Bird

Our elementary and preschools are teaching the recognition of geometric shapes. Art teachers also teach looking for shapes to draw and paint. Some art teachers have children put on their “shape” eyes when looking at an object to draw or paint.

Parents, grandparents, child keepers help reinforce children’s learning of shapes in school. The following is an example of one of my interactions with my grandson.

Yesterday Bishop sat in front of our picture window and said he wanted to draw a bird. He had gotten his sketchbook out and his crayons.

Bishop asked, “ GaGa, will you help me draw a bird?”

Me: “First draw an oval.”

 He did.

“Next draw a circle for the head.”

He did.

“Draw triangles for the wings.”

 He did.

“Draw another one for the tail.”

He did.  He added the legs, eyes, and beak without directions from me. He also added the limb and the tree on his own and colored it!

For another directed drawing lesson click here:

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Drawing-with-Beginners-398360

Directing children to draw using lines and shapes not only reinforces math concepts of geometric shapes that are taught in school but also demystifies the act of drawing for some.

Mizz Mac has taught children's art for over 25 years and sells art projects and art lesson plans on her store:

www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

Preschool Children, Painting, and Watercolors

How many of you have bought those cool watercolors in the box for your young children? Who remembers painting watercolors with the metal Prang watercolors? We can still buy the Prang watercolors but they will stain clothes. Crayola has better watercolors for young children and Sargeants can be found also.

Did anyone have a classroom teacher say not to mix the colors? I know they do and I understand why they say it. If the children aren’t taught good brush handling skills, they will dip the bush into every single solitary color in the watercolor box. What happens? The colors are no longer clean but muddy or even black!  If the children are taught how to use the brush, eventually good brush painting skills will be a habit.

I found the best way for me to teach good brush painting skills was at the beginning of the school year. I would give the children a dry brush and a cup of water and a sponge. We would practice dipping the brush into the water and drying it on the sponge. Next we would pretend paint in the air, dip in the water, swish the brush to clean, dry it on the sponge, and pretend to dip the brush in the paint.

After practicing we would then paint with our watercolors. The following is a photograph of my granddaughter painting with her watercolors. She is mixing her colors on her watercolor paper.

This photo is her painting almost finished!

Another method for teaching children not to mix up the colors is by teaching them how to make colors through the color wheel. I will post more on this subject again. Mizz Mac

For more of Mizz Mac’s lessons or projects, check out her store on www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams.

It's Cherry Blossom time!

It’s Cherry Blossom time in Macon, Georgia! The birds are chirping outside my window and the sun is trying to come out. Spring must be coming soon.

I haven’t seen any cherry blossom buds yet. Have you?

I do have an easy art project for drawing cherry blossom trees with the little ones.

All you will need is a small sheet of watercolor paper or construction paper, a brown and a pink crayon or oil pastel, and an 8-color watercolor box with a paintbrush.

First place a pad of paper on your workspace. Now lay the watercolor paper on top. Coloring with crayons or oil pastels is easier and smoother if done on top of a padded surface.

Directions:

Lay the free hand and wrist on the watercolor paper. Trace around the free hand and wrist with the brown crayon or oil pastel. Color the hand and wrist brown. This makes the tree trunk and limbs.

Draw crooked lines from the limbs (fingers) to make tree branches with the brown crayon or oil pastel.

Draw and color small pink circles with the pink crayon or oil pastel to make cherry blossoms.

Paint the sky with blue watercolor.

Let it dry and mount on construction paper or poster board.

This is an easy project for all ages. For another easy method try my Easy Smeasy Cherry Blossom Trees on https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Easy-Smeasy-Cherry-Blossom-Trees-1741136. It’s free!

Thank you, Mizz Mac

Teachers Pay Teachers Sale

SALE!!! 20% off my whole store beginning tomorrow February 24- February 26th- TPT takes an extra 10% off on Wednesday February 25th!
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams

My whole store is on sale including Holiday products 20% off plus TPT's 10%! Mizz Mac

Fall/Autumn Leaf Art Project

Fall or autumn is one of the most creative seasons of all! I just love all the colors- the earth tones and the fall colored leaves.  There are plenty of art projects that can be accomplished just using leaves!

An Easy Leafy art project for home- Leaf Rubbings!

Supplies needed are crayons, leaves with obvious veins poking out on their underside, paper- thin white copy paper is best. The crayons can be any color. One year my first graders used Crayola Metallic Twistables and their rubbings were quite pretty! A teacher can also use the rubbings to teach fall colors or even how red plus yellow makes orange!

The directions are:

1.       Place the leaf upside down on a flat surface.

2.       Place the white paper on top.

3.       Rub a crayon on its side over the white paper with one hand. Hold the paper and leaf under the paper in place with the free hand.

4.       Remove the leaf when finished.

5.       Repeat the above steps, changing leaves and changing colors of crayons.

Example:

Three-d shapes in art or How to draw a cube

3-d shapes in art are called form. There are two kinds of form like there are two kinds of shapes- geometric and natural or organic. The 3-d shapes in Math currently being used by teachers are called geometric constructed forms, using art terms. Young children, generally, do not visually perceive 3-d forms. They visually perceive flat shapes. As they grow older they become more visually attuned to forms. When they can see forms, that’s when art teachers begin teaching how to create the illusions of 3-d forms. So now how do we teach the 3-d shapes/forms that Math and geometry standards dictate?

Apparently we can teach how to create geometric forms, particularly the cube or rectangle. Here are two methods and illustrations.

1.       Draw a square or rectangle on your paper. Draw another square or rectangle the same size but overlap the first square or rectangle like a Venn diagram. Connect the corners with lines- upper right to upper right, upper left to upper left, lower right to lower right, and lower left to lower left. Erase inside lines.

2.       The second way is to draw a horizontal line somewhere on your paper. Draw a square or a rectangle under the horizontal line. Draw a point or a dot on the horizontal line. Draw 3 diagonal lines from the dot on the horizontal line to 3 corners of the square or rectangle. Draw a horizontal line above the top of the rectangle/square between the top two diagonal lines. Draw a vertical line from the end of the previously drawn horizontal line down to the bottom diagonal line. Erase the diagonals between the dot and the 3-d shape.

3.       Illustrations of both methods:

Young children love drawing the cubes but when they draw from their imagination, they will still draw houses etc. with flat shapes. In time they will want to draw the other side of a house or will want to know how to make something look 3-d.  Mizz Mac

More of Mizz Mac’s lessons can be found in her store at www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/Gena-Mcwilliams.