Art of Education is a site I discovered a little more than a year ago. Their focus is unlike any help site for art teachers in that they focus on art education and all that it can be. I have a chance to be one of their online teachers this summer. This video shows a bit of my qualifications and why I want to be on their team.

Japanese Art Unit: So Versatile!

The school year, like others past, has flown by. We received a grant from Missouri Retired Teachers Association in the amount of $500, which we spent on our Japanese Unit. The unit took the entire first semester. It began with Zen Tangle, put  basic art skills, procedures, and understanding into lessons like Koinobori fish kites and  Japaneses stab bound books. We ended with an art show at the parent/student/teacher conferences showing off student work displayed inside a Japanese garden.

We began our year with art from Japan We made our own mini Japanese garden, experimented with Zen Tangle, watercolored Koi fish, and made fish wind socks. Finally, we combined all images and practice papers into a Japanese Wabi Sabi book.

Ugli Face Pots

We no longer have a kiln to fire clay, so rely on air-dry clay. Students make pinch pots, then built up with coils and added faces. These examples are from Tyrein and Chance who went above and beyond requirements. The one on the right is unsigned, but so cute, I store brads on my desk in it.

Op Art

We went beyond the usual Op Art by using a heat gun to warp old 45 records, then included them in the center (doesn't show up well in the photo).

Art-O-Rama

Studnts struggled a bit with this one. The assignment was to create 4 "gears" from cardboard and wooden spools, wrap cord around them so that when you pull one side or the other, they all moved. Listening to directions came in handy.