Unit 4: Celebrations
Artist: Nick Cave
This studio had us to make a finger puppet in order to celebrate something about ourselves. I chose to make the little kid me finger puppet.I decided that I wanted to celebrate how far I have come in life and how I have grown. Our puppets also had to be able to make a sound. I hot glued two bamboo sticks together because I thought it would be best in order to give the puppet illusion. I made a pink dress out of fabric; I loved the color pink as a child and still do. I found an "M" charm on an old bracelet and was able to hot glue it onto the pink dress in order to represent my name. It was also a big fashion statement when I was grown up to wear maybe a necklace, bracelet or a purse with your initial on it. I mixed different colors together to make the brown color for my head. I made pink/purple glasses because they looked like a pair I had as a child. My sound aspect of my finger puppet was the beads in my hair. I was trying to create the illusion that I had braids with beads on them, which describes my hair in elementary school. I love to have my hair swing and hear my beads.I think I may be able to create finger puppets in my classroom with maybe 2nd graders and above. I would love to have them create their own finger puppets about themselves, which can be tied into Social Studies or they can create a historical figure, which ties into Social Studies as well.
Artist: Norman Rockwell
This studio had us to celebrate something that has changed over time and I chose to highlight technology specifically within younger children. When I was growing up and for people much older than me we didn't have electronics nor would knew how to work the ones out. They were more seen for adults. The background of my magazine is a photo of my goddaughter that she took of herself on the Mac Photo Booth App. I believe it shows how genius young children are because I know she is not the only child that can navigate a Mac by herself and its amazing in my eyes. I then added a few photos I had in my laptop that show my goddaughter and her interactions with electronics/technology as she has grown up such as a cell phone, iPod, etc. I had headlines on my Children's Today magazine that just pertained to technology and kids. I believe the reasoning behind the title of the magazine is self explanatory. I would definitely use this activity in upper elementary. I believe this creating a magazine idea can be used in all subjects. If I'm teaching Science, each of my students can be given an element off of the periodic table and compose a magazine cover for it. I love this idea because it will require my students to think out of the box, be creative, and do a higher level of thinking. This project can also be used in the beginning of the year to have each student introduce themselves in someway to me as the instructor. Once they create a magazine cover on themselves, we can display them on a bulletin board for the whole classroom community and school community to see.
Artist: Miriam Schapiro
This studio was an artist's choice studio. We had to stay within the parameters of the big idea, celebrations. I am moving on Friday and wanted to make something that can be decoration in my apartment or can be put in my classroom one day. I went and got my supplies for this craft from Hobby Lobby. I bought the decorative stickers, letter stickers, the jumbo letter and mod podge so that I would be prepared. I used the white acrylic paint in the art room to paint my jumbo M first. I did two coats of white and took my M outside to dry for about 20 minutes in the sunlight. I put my name in stickers on the M, mod podged the M, and let it dry for 20 minutes. I then was able to apply stickers to them. I chose teacher/school stickers to the M because I feel that it is a big part of me. I have always wanted to be a teacher and I feel like I am so close to my dream, which makes me extremely excited and happy. I would definitely use this craft in my classroom. I just wrote a lesson plan that involves each student making a family letter and adding stickers, painting symbols, or gluing on magazine colors, etc. in order to make their letter symbolize their family. I just love this craft because I feel that it allows students to really showcase their talents and creativity.