2nd Grade Starry Nights

2nd graders recreated one of my favorite paintings of all time: The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. We learned about the artist's interesting life, then began to draw in his style, using impressions and strokes to create his artistic style. They first used oil pastels in a limited color palette, then began to use liquid watercolor over top, creating a mixed media landscape.

2nd grade snowflakes

2nd graders hand made their classroom winter display. First, they mixed together cool colors to make a snowy mountain top, then they cut out endless snowflakes for their classroom window.

Dîa de los muertos

3rd, 4th and 5th graders learned about the Day of the Dead, and then drew some sugar skulls as well as cut-out art. They used neon paper and added details around their skeletons like flowers, musical instruments, hair accessories and pattern designs.

1st grade Mayflower drawings

As the first graders were preparing for their amazing Pilgrim presentation, I thought we could make some are about the historic boat that landed at Plymouth Rock. First graders looked at some pictures of the Mayflower, then began their drawings. I love how they each came out different, showcasing all of their personal artistic styles.

Our classroom fireplace

As winter approaches, I find myself constantly freezing and thought a fireplace in the class would really make it a little warmer. My always excited 3rd graders eagerly agreed, so we went to work on our classroom's fireplace. They used black and white to paint the outer rocks, and painted the fire mixing yellow and red. I have felt warmer ever since it was taped on the wall. Pretty soon we will be hanging out hand-painted stockings with care on our fireplace.

Thanksgiving Display

Third graders made a beautiful Thanksgiving display. They painted the different elements: the grass, sun and tree. Others cut out lots and lots of fall leaves in fall colors. We put labels on some of the leaves about what we are thankful for.

Here is the final result:

Halloween Black Cat Paintings

2nd graders looked at some different examples of Halloween art with black cats and pumpkins and made their own versions. We used a limited color scheme to achieve a spooky effect. I love Halloween, but I don't like the really scary stuff, so they did a great job of keeping Halloween "cute."