Sneaky Black Cat

I have 2 very sweet black cats that cross my path all the time. I consider myself very lucky... Or better to say blessed in life & to have them into life.  Luck can be silly really if you think about it. This got me thinking (which can be dangerous). Why are black cats considered bad luck? Where did this unfair superstition originate? I looked it up and found out... www.todayifoundout.com

Since Halloween is approaching, I decided to a fast and easy (but ever so sweet) project with my students. The black cat has a bad rap simply because he is stealthily sneaky and blends in with the night. But really, they are not bad luck at all. So this project will show how the infamous black cat can be silly, cute & fun with nothing for us to fear. Next time a black cat crosses your path, reconsider your reaction to fearfully run.

Mrs. Bluhm's 1st graders

Black Cat on a Fence

1st & 2nd grade

1. Use a white or yellow circle paper for moon. I am using a tin foil cupcake cup from my craft box just for fun. 

Glue it on dark blue, purple,red or orange paper. Add a white haze around circle with peeled crayons or chalk to make it flow. Stars are good too. 

2. Using a brown piece of paper the same width as bottom of background, draw vertical lines going almost all the way to top, but stop before it. 

Use a zig zag line, or "v"s  with point on the lines across the vertical line fence. 

3.

Cut out fence and glue along bottom of page. You can add more texture with black marker or shading with brown crayon. 

At this point you can add more detail to shy if desire. I added purple clouds. 

4. Create cat...

White pencil on black paper. 

Outline with Mather when done. Make eyes glow with yellow construction paper crayon or a hole punched from yellow paper. 

Cut out cat and glue on fence. 

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2015

Mrs. Kolon's kinder cat

Liliana, Madison, Angie, Zaina, 

Kylie, Landon, Maci & Aiden. 

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2015

Mrs. Zarrlla's kinderArt class

2014

Mrs. Zarella's Monday kinderArt class

Mrs. Erck's Tuesday kinderArt class

Mrs. Kolon's Wednesday kinderArt Class

 

Mrs. Smee's Wednesday 

1st grade Art class 

Mrs. Blanchard's 2nd grade Thursday art

(Below) 

Mrs. Bluhm's 1st grade Thursday Class. 

(below)

Mrs. Johnson's 2nd grade Thursday class (below)

I just took the idea and altered it for a one day easy project for K-2nd grade. 

I thought for older kids, they could do a checkered background of 2,4 or 6 (as below) and put 1 cat in eAch box. But for kindergarten, I play for each student to do one cat on alternating paper and puzzle together as a group for displAy. 

Football shaped eyes are cut from yellow paper. I folded the paper so that it would be faster and also symmetrical. Usually cat's eyes point up on the outside and down on the inside corners. I did do it different ways though for a fun variety ;)

Finished Teacher example: advanced

Quartered cats: regular 

Double cats: kinder 

Higher grade Assignment:

Random Spiderweb contest 

Kindergarten using counting... 1 dot in center, 4 lines to each corner, 4 more I between to make 8 lines for the web. 8 legged spiders. One student had 66 spiders with 8 legs (528 legs)!!!! 

Hot Day & Cool Night Desert

This lesson will be done with Kindergarten and First Grade.

 

I started out this lesson with books to look through for comparing night and day desert.

We compared what we thought it was like at both times and why.

The two books above would be great resources if available. I may order them for next year,

 but I just used the ones located in the library with pictures as our reference material.

 

The previous assignment we worked on was focusing of cool colors only.

See Previous lesson here, the Lily Pad Pond:

 http://tabithaannthelostsock.blogspot.com/2014/09/water-lilies-mixed-media.html

 

So, my kindergarten students knew about that area already.

We also talked about warm colors as we talked about desert.

Andy Warhol's Soup Cans

 are a great example to show the repeated picture using a variety of colors.

 

I had the student do a step by step pencil line drawing of a simple cactus landscape.

                       I then had them outline the pencil lines with a black Crayola maker.

The talk and the outlined drawing took the first 45 minute period.

 

I took each line drawing to our awesome ladies at the copy room and had them copy each one onto one cool and one warm piece of paper. When the students showed up the next day we used construction paper crayons for each time of day.

 They will color the cool paper with only cool crayons to mimic a moody night time desert scene. They can add in extra pieces of the drawing with a marker at this time (stars, moon, animals).

Next, they will color the day desert on the warm paper with only warm crayons. They may add day details (sun, clouds, animals). The two pieces will be taped on the back together to appear as one piece of art.

Examples from our students will be coming soon.

Can't Wait!

 

The original drawing on white paper....

Printed to colored paper....

Get this poster and many more for teaching art here at my TPT store...
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Lost-Sock-Art-Teacher

Colored with Crayola construction paper crayons...

Elementary Art Positive Pallettes

After 10 years of teaching Art to grades 6-8, I have begun a new adventure of teaching K-5! I have realized after 4 weeks of teaching, they need "STICKERS!!!!!"

I am not naturally a sticker kinda teacher. But, I'm gonna go ahead and become one for the happiness of my atudents ;)

So, as an art teacher I wanted to theme my positive idea in a creative way... 

Art.... Thinking.... Thinking.... Hmmmm... Paint.... Pallettes.... Colors.... eUREKA! 

Painters want lots of colors to use on their work... Not just the same ones over and over, but variety in the Pallette. If a class gets lots of colors for lots of various behaviors, then the have a happy paintbrush!

Each class has it's own laminated Positive Paint Pallette with their teacher's name in the middle. According to the daily behavior (I only see each class once a week), they get a colored sticker according to behavior; 

Violet- responsible Volume

Blue- beautiful Manners

Green-great Effort (class work)

Yellow- worry about You

Orange- orderly and organized

Red-respect others

Part of Orange (Orderly and Organized) is each table doing their own table jobs at clean up time. This is a big struggle in most classes. When each student at each table worries about their own self and stays orderly... It goes great. It just takes practice ;) and reminders. 

If a class is diligent enough to remain positive, they will get a paintbrush (paper & laminated) for their Pallette. This means they are a Master Class! This will have special privledges attached depending on number of classes achieving Master status.