Freedom Quilts

We are in the process of making Freedom Quilts for Black History Month. It is a group project we are doing in  fourth and fifth grade. The groups each have their own family of slaves that they must make a quilt for. They all have different routes to follow to the North and must figure out which codes are needed to help their specific family. This one is the first one finished and today I hung it up in our town library as a part the local Black History Month display. We used scrap book paper to acheieve the fabric look.

P.S. Say a prayer for all of us Texas teachers (and Texas students)...if you haven't heard, the whole state is looking at massive education budget cuts. They will let go of 1000 Dallas school district employees next school year. I don't work for that school district but in a smaller Dallas suburb district.

Mondrian Inspired Trees

Where did I get this idea from???? I saw it on someone's blog and have looked and looked but can't find whose it was! If you know please tell me so I can give them credit.

This is a lesson I did with fourth grade and fifth grade. (I have a few classes with a mix of fourth and fifth graders, so now I teach the same lessons to both grades.) We talked about Piet Mondrian's Tree paintings, and the symbolism trees meant to him. We painted the trees with black tempera paint, and used liquid watercolors for the background. The blog I got this from used oil pastels I believe. I made a few examples to test what media I liked best for the tree, oil pastels, black glue but I like the way the tempera best.

***I got this idea from Marcia at Vivid Layers!!

Snowman Portraits

I did these snowman with my Kindergarten kiddos. I found the lesson on a website somewhere last year but I can't remember where.  Anyhow we talked about portraits, and their own school portraits. We talked about different facial expressions, different items they could wear. I especially like the anrgy looking snowman becaue he's different. I have more pictures that I may post later. Some used manilla paper and some used blue construction paper (which I liked better), drew two white circles, added the details, colored in the snowmen white and then painted over the whole paper with blue watercolors. I really like them!