The Best Part of Me

Such a beautiful project.  I am so proud of the students writing, so heartfelt and authentic.  The Best Part of Me, by Wendy Eswald, inspired this project.  The award winning photographer asked children "what's the best part of you?" and compiled their answers in this book alongside stunning black and white photography.  After reading the excerpts in the book, the students were ready to answer the same question.  They wrote drafts, before peer editing, and starting on their good copies.  They even helped photograph one another using an ipad.  It was a great experience for them, celebrating and sharing something personal and loveable about themselves.

Most of you had the opportunity to see the display during student led conferences in March, but here's another peek.  Each student will be taking home a class book as a keepsake.

Arts Umbrella - Bugs

Before Spring Break we had a wonderful session with Arts Umbrella!  The workshop was full of exploration, discovery, creativity and art.

The kids wrote about the artistic process afterwards, and I think their retelling of the events sums up the session best.  Below you'll find student writing coupled with photographs of their projects.  Click on the photos to see them on a larger scale!  The artwork is hanging in the hallway (look up) where the kids enter in the mornings.  Pop inside to have a closer look.  They are stunning!

Making Bugs:

Hot dog fold

Draw half of your bug

Fold and rub

Open and viola...trace over lines

 

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild

We just love, love, love this latest book by Peter Brown!  Great story, great art.  After reading the book, we spent some time poking around on Peter Brown's website.  Definitely worth a visit and revisit!  http://www.peterbrownstudio.com/

We also watched a great four minute video clip by Peter Brown discussing the creation of the story, the writing process, and the artistic influences that shaped his book.  http://vimeo.com/80293481

The children quickly got busy cutting out greenery for their jungle scenes, focusing on the repetitive shapes used in the book.  Once they had heaping piles of foliage, it was time to layer them and glue them down.

A variety of orange, black, white and pink papers were used for cutting out more simple shapes (rectangles, squares and circles) to assemble Mr. Tiger.  Some opted for smiling mouths and others preferred roaring ones!  Top hat or no top hat...all big decisions!

Oil pastels were used to apply the finishing details on Mr. Tiger, before he was tucked in behind the plants in the jungle.  The children also cut out small pink butterflies for a pop of colour. These photographs were taken before that final step.  Don't they look fantastic?

Warm and Cool Landscapes