This past May, as the kids were working on that final project...you know the one? The one that never gets to be in an art show, the one that never gets displayed, the one that might not even get finished? And here I was wandering around the classroom musing about GOSH it sure is sad these works got straight home, yet in August the walls are bare, AND WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT if we could save this work for back to school?
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| Unfinished Medieval Architecture project, May 2014. |
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| Kids working hard and fast to finish their work, May 2014. |
Go ahead and roll your eyes at me right now, I deserve it.
Naturally the kids thought this was a dandy idea, and agreed to let their art work have a summer sleepover. *(Disclaimer: if a kid was moving, or thought they might be, or just plain didn't want to participate, they took their work home in June.)
Now, I am lucky in that I have some extra room in my school to safely house this artwork. There are rooms with large drawers that can be taped shut over the summer, and cases to store 3D work. (If I didn't have these options, I could have put it in portfolios and brought it home for extra safe keeping).
But the point is, I have started with year off with art work from my 3rd-5th graders displayed in the halls.
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| Hallways, before |
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| August, 2014: First day of school! Display cases are full of 3rd and 4th grade ceramics. |
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2nd grade science focuses on Animals and their Habitats during their last 9 weeks of school. Here's how we integrated art and science.
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4th grade Medieval Architecture, drawings with water color wash. The rose window was created on acetate and added at the end.
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The kids mounted and labeled their art when they finished, that very last day of art. I kept the class lists sheets to keep track of who took theirs home. And it all went into boxes, drawers, etc. with giant DO NOT TOUCH signs, and luckily they all survived: no fading, no rips, no water damage...
Whew!
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Outside of my room: framed quotes about how art connects with basically everything. These cool wooden frames came from Michael's. I will use them throughout the year, I love the look.
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I am very happy that the halls and cases are full of art. It takes weeks to get enough student art to display.
Over the past 20+ years, I have done many different thing to cover my boards, from caution tape to prints to nothing at all. This took a little planning, but what a huge pay off! The staff, parents and kids have been so excited to see their art.
