The Next Best Thing to Children’s Art

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. buying children’s art books

Today I was able to leave school early and go the book vendors’ sale for teacher librarians. When I got there I only had two hours to browse and buy books. I had 2 main objectives: purchase this year’s Forest of Reading books and purchase French books.

Luckily one vendor had most of the Forest of Reading books so that I didn’t have to wander over that large room looking for the various titles. As for the French books, there was one vendor that sold only French books. The first time I went to this book sale this same vendor had already packed up and left by the time I got there. Even though I arrived 2 hours before closing, he was starting to pack up when I arrived at his section.

When they saw that I was interested in buying numerous books from them they were very helpful and over $900.00 later they were glad that they hadn’t left early this time. Normally I take a French Immersion teacher with me to help make decisions about which French books to buy; however today I literally had to judge a book by its cover and trust the suggestions made by the vendor. Hopefully I’ve made some good choices.

I had time to visit a third vendor today. The two women who own this book shop in the east end of Toronto are very knowledgeable about their books and I really enjoy buying books from them because they are so passionate about their books. They sold me several art books for children and I’ve decided to share them with you.

The first books are a series of art books by Irene Luxbacher, titled 1 2 3 I Can Paint, 1 2 3 I Can Print, 1 2 3 I Can Collage, 1 2 3 I Can Builld and 1 2 3 I Can Draw. They are written for children but teachers new to teaching art would find these books very helpful. Most of the examples could be used for art lesson plans.

Each book has a materials page so that you’ll know what you need to complete all the projects. Each activity has step by step instructions with clear techniques and inspirational projects that will leave children with a sense of accomplishment. At the back of the book art words that are used throughout the book are explained and teachers and parents are given tips to “ensure a good art experience every time” for their children.

Tomorrow I will share some more books with you.

Cheers!

In the Pumpkin Patch

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. children’s art always makes me smile

Today we had the dreaded District Review. I knew that we would probably fare well but I couldn’t help but worry about my 15 minute inspection. I stayed up late to make samples for today’s lesson. I got up early and printed some worksheets, left the house without eating breakfast and worked through my lunch hour to set up the classroom for the lesson.

The 15 minute visit was over in a blink of an eye. We had to pretend that the team wasn’t in the room. The teacher wasn’t spoken to but they did ask questions of a few students while they worked. It was a pretty unsatisfying experience.

At the end of the day the staff was asked to come down to the staffroom for a quick overview of what the teams observed throughout the day. The report was positive and down the road a more detailed report will make it’s way back to the school with suggestions on how to move forward. You could almost hear the sigh of relief that every teacher wanted to release as the superintendent gave her report.

When I went back to the library I started to go through all the artwork that my 110 students have produced in the last 2 months. Their beautiful pictures fill me with a sense of pride. I’ve posted a few of the pumpkin pictures that my grades 2 and 3 students completed.

Enjoy!

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Back to Normal?

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. not quite yet

The library has been weeded of 1300 damaged and outdated books, hundreds of new books have been processed and added to the newly organized shelves, and the cases from the book fair were picked up today.

The book fair was a huge success. Over $6700. worth of merchandise was sold and 60% comes back into the library in the way of new books. I had a crew of student helpers that drove me crazy at times with their enthusiasm but I couldn’t have survived the week without them. Today I rewarded them with some of the merchandise from the fair (pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners and treats).

I thought the day would be somewhat normal but our caretaker kindly started to assemble my new desk in the middle of the library and a group of students helped me put the books back into one the carousels that had to be emptied last week before we could move it in the first place. I still have a little bit of paperwork to do before I find out exactly how much money I have to spend on books.

Tomorrow I have to assemble over a hundred peace banners designed by the students to string and hang in the gym for our Remembrance Day assembly on Friday. I also have to get lessons ready for a supply teacher who is going to cover my classes for three days while I’m away. I have to undergo minor surgery and hopefully there won’t be any complications. I foolishly thought I could go back to work the next day but my doctor said I could be off for as long as a week. I’ve booked 3 days which takes me into the weekend.

I have a few more report cards I have to proofread before I can go to bed so I’m going to sign off. Hopefully my new desk will be assembled tomorrow and I’m hoping to share some of the peace banners that my students designed. Till tomorrow. Cheers!

Happy Hallowe’en

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. tired but not tempted by all the treats

Cupcakes, cookies, Rice Krispie squares, chips, chocolates, candy….. all these treats were in front of me today and I didn’t consume any of them. Well I did lick the icing from the cupcake and then threw the rest away. In years past I would have eaten a bag of chips, at least one cupcake, two or three mini chocolate bars and probably a cookie or two.

I find it difficult to say no to students who offer up their special treats. This year I said yes and graciously accepted their gifts and then put them in the staff room for others to enjoy. At home this evening I had a huge bowl of chocolate bars and another bowl with potato chips to shell out. Didn’t touch any of it.

I always buy too much candy for Hallowe’en and invariably end up with lots of leftovers. This year was no different but I actually had more kids come to the door than I anticipated. It’s been raining all day and I really thought the turnout for Trick or Treating would be lower than normal.

So what am I going to do with the leftovers? My husband would have helped me with this problem in the past but he too is trying to eat healthier. I’ve decided to make up gift bags for my student helpers at school who have helped me with the book fair this week. I’ll throw in some pencils and erasers to balance it out so it’s not all candy and chips.

At school I’ve taken a lot of pictures of the staff and students in their costumes. I’ve selected a few that I’m able to share with you. Enjoy!

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By the way, I’m still down 32 pounds. I’ve been up and down the last couple of weeks but I feel that my weight is on its way down again. After the weekend I was surprised that I was back down to my 32 pound loss. I also bit the bullet and joined the health club I used to belong to. I have 6 sessions with a personal trainer and am looking forward to seeing how much my fitness level has improved and where I can go from here. Stay tuned!

Playing with Paint

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. when it rains it pours

Literally it was pouring rain today and the kids were indoors all day. That’s tough on the kids and the teachers.

My friend L and I left school earlier than we normally do and headed for Art Junction hoping to find some free materials for my art classes and for her dance and music classes. The posters I was hoping to get weren’t accessible today because of a flood they had earlier in the summer but I did find these great banners that can be cut to size. The back side of these banners are blank and white and will work well for painting projects. L found lots of interesting materials for making instruments with the kids and she picked up some very funky costumes to use for her grade 5 opera production.

When I got home tonight I checked out a lot of art blogs and was so inspired that I finally pulled out my paints and had a great time. I created 3 mono prints on yupo paper and worked on making 3 examples of peace banners (using the recycled banners from Art Junction). This year for our Remembrance Day assembly we decided to decorate the gym with peace flags created by the children.

When I said ‘when it rains, it pours’ I was also referring to my obsession with painting. Once I start I don’t want to stop. It’s now 1:50 in the morning and I have to get up at 6:30 to go to work. The good thing about doing art is that I don’t snack….hmmm, maybe I should do more of this but stop at a more reasonable hour.

Here are the pieces of art that I was working on. The yupo prints are 6″ x 8″ and the flags are 14″ long.

: Abstract monoprint

The Visit is Over, the View from my Room and a Project for a New Week

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. my son is on his way back to the Netherlands

When I woke up this morning I was in awe of the beautiful golden colours from the crabapple tree outside my bedroom window. It was a sharp contrast from the cool fuchsia pink blossoms of the spring.

Despite the beautiful day It was somewhat sad. I had to say good bye to my son. His short visit was over and it was time for him to return to the Netherlands. There is a possibility that he’ll be back at Christmas.

Heading out for the bus station. B had to get back to Montreal to catch his flight back to Europe.

After dropping B at the bus station I did some shopping for school and home. Sunday is my least favourite day of the weekend because I always find I’m getting ready for school or trying to complete chores in the house that I didn’t get done earlier in the week.

Friday night I did work on a sample for one of our next art assignments. We’re working on how dark and light tones of colour add depth and dimension to objects using chalk pastels. I’ve already introduced the concept to one of my grade 3 classes and they’re very excited about drawing pumpkins.

There are many variations of this theme on numerous art blogs. I needed to move away from paint and have the students experiment with a new medium.

The blog that I used for this project belongs to Gail Bartel. She does some amazing projects with her students. Check them out at A Faithful Attempt

It’s going to be a crazy week. The library is going to be shut down for 2 days so that library services can come in and ‘revitalize the space’ (weed outdated and damaged books) and Scholastic Books is dropping off the cases for next week’s Book Fair. We also have to sit down and organize the Remembrance Day assembly, write report cards for the progress reports and get ready for our big district review (all classes will be inspected to see what kind of learning takes place).

Of course that means there will be more stress in my life and we all know how stress affects my weight loss. I’m thankful that I’m at least maintaining my weight loss. I’m contemplating joining a gym again. The one I used to go to has just reopened in a new location, closer to home, and is cheaper and offers more for less. I’m tempted. What do you think?

My Son is Home for a Visit

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. and it was a great running and walking day

Last night we picked up our son from the train station. Well actually, we parked the car and waited for him in a pub near by. Union Station in downtown Toronto is currently undergoing renovation and it’s difficult to find a place to park and pick up people from the train station at the best of times.

Our son, B, has been living and working in the Netherlands for the last 9 months. He had an opportunity to attend a conference of sorts in Montreal for 3 days and he decided to extend his stay for an extra 4 days and come to Toronto to reconnect with family, friends and business associates.

I’ve really missed B and it’s great seeing him again, even if it is only for a short time. While he was sharing his plans for the next year or so I found myself feeling a little melancholy. His plans of course didn’t involve moving back to Canada anytime soon. When the plate of fries arrived at our table I found myself indulging way more than I had planned. Usually I’m satisfied with a taste or two and then I can stop. Last night I probably ate as many fries as my husband and my son. That darn emotional eating…. it got the better of me last night. Those were the first fries I’ve had in over 6 months and they weren’t that good.

Today was a new day and I was determined to have a better food day. It was also the cross country city finals for all elementary schools in Toronto today. We had 33 students who qualified to go the city finals. It was my job to walk back and forth from the start line to the finish line for each race and take pictures and keep track of where the students finished. I did this for 5 races and walked over 6000 steps (according to my pedometer) before I had to return to school.

The ‘bunny’ that lead the kids through the cross country trail.

The students did really well. One of our grade 2 boys placed first, one grade five boy placed second and two of our grade 3 girls placed 4th and 8th.

Tonight I left work a little bit earlier than I normally do. When I got home my husband wasn’t back from a business meeting north of the city and it was still daylight so I decided to take Frances for a long walk. We started off on our normal route but I added a few extensions along the way. When we were about 3/4 of the way home it started to rain so I ran the last 1k. A year ago this wouldn’t have been possible. Today it felt perfectly normal and it didn’t hurt or leave me breathless.

I checked the distance on the computer when I got home. On top of the 6700 steps I had walked earlier in the day, our walk added another 4k. It felt pretty good even though I did get wet. I made a great salad for dinner and now I feel rejuvenated. So all in all it was a great running day for the kids and a great walking and running day for me. I need to do this more often.

Cheers!

Despite the difficulties….

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. the children produced beautiful pieces of art

After last Thursday’s disaster with my art cart I spread out the latest finished pieces of art and took joy in the freedom and beauty of my students’ ‘masterpieces’.

My inspiration came from the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. I love the message in this simply but beautifully illustrated picture book. The main character Vashti laments over the fact that she can’t draw and her teacher encourages her to make a mark on her paper and see where it takes her. She jabs the paper with her marker and makes one small dot. Her teacher makes her sign it and when she arrives for the next art class she discovers that her dot has been framed. She is moved to improve on her dot and she begins to experiment with dots of all sizes.

I knew that I wanted to share this story with my students to encourage them to take pride in their work and take ownership for it by signing it.

While browsing the web I’ve come across some great art blogs and I found one that gave me the idea for this next project. Pamela Holderman’s blog has a great project where the children paint circles using lots of colour. They can add collage, stamps, and add detail with marker. When each child has finished their piece it is cut into 4 equal squares and they keep one and share the other 3 squares with their classmates. Then they put the 4 pieces together to create a new piece of art and they continue adding more personal touches.

When I wanted to start this project I discovered that I didn’t have enough sheets of large paper for painting but I did have small squares of watercolour paper. I cut them all to 7 x 7 and I had each child make one circle piece of art that they could keep. It was a great way for them to experiment with the paints, markers and stamps. When we’re ready to do the larger piece for our cooperative art piece they will be more confident and less reluctant to share their work (hopefully).

Every piece is different and when put together they make a beautiful wall quilt. I think that’s how I’m going to display them outside the classroom.

These were done by my grade 3 class.

Papers Fluttering in the Breeze, Paint Boxes Strewn Over the Pavement and Blocks of Foam Flying Like TumbleWeed

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…… the flaws of doing “art on a cart”

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I do “art on a cart”. I don’t have my own classroom to hold my art classes. So I load up a cart with all the supplies that I need for each class.

Today was no exception except that the cart had to go outside and travel to the portable at the far end of the colas area. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this but for some reason I had one disaster after another today.

I had loaded the cart with bins filled with pots of tempera paint, paint boxes and brushes. It also held containers for holding water and cleaning brushes, a tray filled with hand made stamps glued to blocks of foam, paper for the next project and the unfinished projects from last week. I also carry a bin filled with markers, scissors and examples of art and books that I use for the lesson.

On top of that I also have to carry water to the class. As the bell rang one of my colleagues needed me to open the computer for the library so that her class could exchange books. She volunteered a few of her students to transport my art supplies to the portable while I set up the computer for her.

The students eagerly pushed the cart towards the outside doors. From the library I could hear the brushes fall to the floor. I wasn’t too worried, they were only brushes after all but when I got outside the students were only half way to the portable. The bin with the pots of tempera paint had fallen off the cart and the jars were rolling about on the pavement. I’m sure one of them broke because there was paint on the outside of one of the jars.

As we got closer to the portable the papers started to flutter in the wind and I grabbed them before they took off. The waiting class rushed into the classroom as soon as I opened the door and left me and the supplies outside. Normally they’re very helpful but today I had to go into the class and recruit help to bring all the supplies inside.

The next problem occurred when I tried to find surfaces in the classroom to put all the supplies. The table I had been using was filled with light experiments. So now I’m placing bins of supplies wherever I find a modicum of space.

Once the lesson started I was fine but I did have some difficulty finding things because my bins were spread out around the classroom. The worst part of the day was yet to happen.

As I was loading up the cart to bring things back into the school a huge gust of wind came up and my foam blocks literally flew out of the tray and immediately tumbled over the playground in all directions. My students quickly took up the challenge trying to retrieve them. I think I’ll be finding stray little blocks for days to come.

I carried the papers and the projects to keep them from suffering the same fate while a group of students pushed the cart. I was slightly ahead of the cart when I heard a crash. The bin with the paint boxes fell and they were strewn over the pavement. Again the kids scurried to pick them up but in their haste they weren’t properly stacked and when they resumed pushing the cart the bin fell out once again.

When I finally got inside I was ready to pull out my hair. Some the staff couldn’t help but laugh when I described my afternoon. The OA immediately got out the catalogues looking for a new cart that had bins that are securely fastened to the cart. However that won’t help me tomorrow when I have to do this all over again in the other portable that I deliver art to.

What about the art you say? Well that’s what makes all this worthwhile. I’ll share some of the new work in tomorrow’s post.

Loading this up, keeping it stocked and pushing it back and forth from the library to the class I teach is a bit of a challenge, especially when I have to go to the portables and lug buckets of water with me.

Running for Terry

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. and Kevin, Marcia, Kathy and anyone else who has or is suffering with cancer

Terry Fox was and is a Canadian hero. I say was because he passed away over 30 years ago just before his 23rd birthday. Diagnosed with a rare bone cancer at the age of 18 and after losing his right leg above the knee, Terry was determined to do something to help raise money to fight cancer and eventually find a cure.

In 1980, after secretly training on his artificial leg, Terry started his Marathon of Hope on the east coast of Canada and was determined to run all the way to the west coast. Everyday Terry ran 42 kilometres and along the way he collected money from the Canadian people for cancer research. His goal was to raise one dollar for every Canadian.

Unfortunately, just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario, Terry had to give up his journey because his cancer had spread to his lungs. Inspired by Terry’s dream, Canadians continued to raise money while Terry endured more treatments. Just before his death, Terry realized his dream when over 24 million dollars was raised.

Every year since, Terry Fox Runs across the country and in over 50 countries around the world have raised over 600 million dollars for cancer research. For the last 11 years at our school the children, staff and the community have raised over $22,000.

Thursday of this week we had our annual Terry Fox Run. After a short assembly and raising the Terry Fox flag, over 300 students, staff and parents ran around our cross country course. It was a beautiful day and full of emotion. Everyone wore large stickers this year with the names of loved ones they were running for.