Lesson 4: Spooky Halloween Watercolor Wash Scene

For this fun Halloween lesson I decided to focus on the mood the artist creates in their work through use of color and painting techniques. I read the children a classic Halloween picture book called “Pumpkin Pie” and asked the children to pay attention to how the pictures made them feel emotion (spooky, scared, mysterious, etc,.). The kids then drew with crayons their own spooky Halloween scene on paper. I emphasized the importance of shading deeply and the effect bold color use has on an art piece. Mrs. Olsen is always so great when things slip my mind! She is more than ready to help these kids become the best artists they can be! The kids then used a washable black paint wash and coated their entire paper. Some of the pieces really popped while others still seemed a bit dull. If I had to do it over, I would have done a few more test runs myself for optimum color and would have focused on teaching the children better brushstrokes. As usual, I am always amazed with these kids and their creativity!

 Izzy shows off her work proudly. Next time we would do it not as dark!

 This is the sample that I presented on the overhead to emulate the importance of bold shading.

These kids are so adorable and were ready to be done for the week to Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Lesson 3: Seasonal Tree Lesson Plan

Season Tree Lesson Plan

Name of Art Scholar: Sunny Leavitt

Name of Teacher: Shellie Olsen

Subject Concepts		Art Concepts
Content Covered:       Seasons and seasonal shifts in weather		Content Covered:       Fine motor skills, color effects, create seasonal moods
State Standards & Objectives      (USOE/UEN): Science Objective 3a: Identify characteristics of the seasons of the year.		State Standards & Objectives (USOE/UEN): Integrated Core Objective 3b: Express how colors, values, and sizes have been controlled in artworks to create mood, tell stories, or celebrate events.
Learning Outcomes:     The student will be able to…         Differentiate between different seasons and the effects of weather on the same object (tree).		Learning Outcomes:     The student will be able to… Develop their fine motor skills and depict seasons and moods through crayon use of color.
Lesson Plan
1.     Gather children to talk about characteristics of seasons. 2.     Identify some of our favorite seasons and talk about current season (fall). 3.     Instruct children to fold paper into four quadrants. 4.     Start by outlining to the children the basis for the tree (trunk) and how to disperse tree into ALL four quadrants. 5.     Once the tree was complete, go through each pane and discuss color pertaining to the season and different seasonal activities to depict. 6.     Let students color and create, further emphasizing use of warm colors and cool ones. 7.     Clean up.		Materials Needed: ·       Art construction paper ·       Crayons for each child ·       over head for display ·       pencils for each child

Lesson 3: Season Window Pane Crayon Piece

This project we decided to focus on the four seasons and what they mean artistically to these first graders. We began by talking about the weather and seasons, and delved into warm and cool colors (how color can make us feel a link between seasons). The kids divided their paper into four equal panes and crayoned a tree that branched into all four quadrants. We then walked through each season and developed the branches and the trees to display the art in nature and how it can constantly change. Some of the children had a harder time with the concept that the ground was only on the bottom two panes (they wanted to create a midlevel ground as well). I learned that it’s essential to be specific with this young age. Give them some constraints but then let them run wild with the rest. J

 The students loved having time to come up with different seasonal activities to incorporate in their art!

 Look how creative this girl's "fall" section was!

I made sure to do the activity with the kids so that they could look at a sample from the overhead. However, I soon after quit working on it to let them think outside the box a bit.

Lesson 2 Lesson Plan: Animal Handprints

Animal Handprints Lesson Plan

Name of Art Scholar: Sunny Leavitt

Name of Teacher: Shellie Olsen

Subject Concepts		Art Concepts
Content Covered:       Animal form and comparison		Content Covered:       Fine motor skills
State Standards & Objectives      (USOE/UEN): Science Objective 2a: Make observations about living things and their environment using the five senses.		State Standards & Objectives (USOE/UEN): Objective 2c: Develop manipulative skills (e.g., cut, glue, throw, catch, kick, strike).

Learning Outcomes:     The student will be able to…         Observe the similarities between their hands and some of their favorite animals.		Learning Outcomes:     The student will be able to… Develop their fine motor skills by using their fingers to create “animals.”
Lesson Plan
1.     Gather children to talk about animal form and structure. 2.     Identify some of our favorite animals and how they may relate to our hands. 3.     Talk about characteristics of certain animals. 4.     Allow children to choose which color to dip hand in. Print children’s hands onto art paper. 5.     Allow each child black and brown paint to “decorate” their animals. 6.     Discuss how we can use different parts of our bodies to help us produce art. 7.     Clean up.		Materials Needed: ·       Art construction paper ·       6 plates of different colored washable paint ·       paint brushes for all children ·       cups of water ·       over head for display ·       wipes for cleanup