…..make wonderful art
Last week I was assigned a project that involved gathering up bits of nature to create a temporary work of art. After we finished creating we could photograph our masterpieces and then return the bits back to the environment or leave our creations somewhere outside where others could enjoy what we made. This idea came from Lynn Whipple who is one of the artists from Year of the Spark. This is a year long on-line art class brought to us by Carla Sonheim and Lynn. Every month they take turns coming up with wonderful and innovative assignments that bring out our inner spark. Every two weeks we get a new assignment.
I was really inspired by this project and came up with my own ‘Learning Stick’ and a composition of stones and dried foliage and grasses that I turned into a card. 
I’m hoping to make more but in the meantime I offered this assignment to my kindergarten class and they ate it up.
Before I arrived for our regular weekly art class, the children took a walk around the school yard and gathered up as many bits of nature that they could find. Between me and the ECE teacher and what the children gathered we had a very nice collection of materials to work with.
I told the children that we weren’t gluing anything down and when their picture was done I would come around and photograph it and then we would take it apart and if they wanted they could make another picture. When we finished with the materials we would return them to nature.
I printed the photographs on my printer at home onto regular sized photocopy paper and then I made one 4 x 6 glossy print to mount onto a card. Here’s what mine looked like.
After we mounted all the photographs onto a black background they were put up outside the kindergarten class for all to enjoy. Today they were moved to a more central part of the school so that more people would see them. The cards that I made will be given to the parents as a special gift on Earth Day.
Mama Cormier 
These just bring me JOY! What a great idea for your classroom! And I like how you made cards to give to the parents on Earth Day. I imagine these kids will remember this assignment for a long time! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know if they’ll remember it but their parents sure will. I don’t remember very much from kindergarten myself except that I used to help one of the boys tie his shoes and I hated nap time.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’ve got a point. I remember having to run around the school yard as it seemed like such a long way. I also remember a little boy who got sent to the coat room as time out and he ended up peeing on the floor… Kind of funny what we remember!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lots of creativity, your students have talent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Elizabeth. I love working with this group but I’m always under pressure to come up with the next great project.
LikeLiked by 2 people
this is pure JOY!!! your creations and the children ring with fun and happiness! love how they added drawings! you are so artful and a great teacher too!! thanks for sharing!
xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lynn. I try not to restrict what the students want to add to their creations. Sometimes you have to convince them that less is more but they don’t always take your advice. C’est la vie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fabulous idea! I bet the kids had a great time doing it. Their creativity is so inspiring. I love your card – it turned out beautifully!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Trisha. These cards really are fun to make but if you sneeze or blow on it you have some rearranging to do. I think I lost the bunny’s eye three times and had to redraw it each time.
LikeLike