Creating a Sewing Kit

We had 'sew' much fun making our Owl Softies that we wanted to make more... and more... and more.  My daughter has turned into quite a little teacher. She wanted to bring her project to her cousins two hours away as she visited my parents for a week. We decided to make a sewing kit for each of the participants. 

I used some charm packs that I had laying around for years... Using the 'good stuff'.  A charm pack is coordinating fabric pieces that are 5 by 5 inches. I cut some fusible batting to 4 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches and ironed it onto the back/middle of one of the fabrics.

Then I sandwiched the fabrics with the plastic in the middle.  So it was fabric one, face up. The plastic was placed on the bottom of the first fabric. Then the other fabric was placed on top with right side down.

 

I sewed on three sides.  The plastic is on the bottom of this 'sandwich'.

I wanted to make the part that folds into a trapezoid so that it fits into the plastic easy. I simply drew lines from the center to the top to make an upside down triangle on either side (as shown).

Sew and trim the corners. 

Now flip this inside-out. Iron the top into itself. 

Sew around the top of the trapezoid securing the open edges so that it remains closed.  

Fill the sewing kit with the materials needed for an 'on-the-go' project.

Turns out I love making these.  I think I'll make some for school as well for students to borrow for sewing projects in my 'almost TAB' classroom.

Realistic Animals, ATC inspired by ArteaScuola.com

My 4th grade learns through creating Artist Trading Cards. They have created quite the selection so far this year.  I have been introducing new project ideas to them by presenting 3 new card options at a time.  This way they can choose what card or method they would like to create.  The next three cards that I will be offering are cards that were inspired by the 2016 ATC swap.

 

In this case, my dear friend Miriam Paternoster's 8th grade class. She posted about her lesson on her blog, ArtaeScuola.com.  Her cards were stunning.  EVERY card was done with care. I was completely impressed.  She not only participated, but she also got several teachers in Italy to participate this year. Italy cards were amazing.  Be sure to check out Miriam's blog for several project samples.  Also, check out the video below to see my version of this card.

Art Made Easy Podcast

WHAT AN HONOR!! I was invited to be a guest on Deep Space Sparkle, Art Made Easy, Podcast by Patty Palmer.  Yep, that Patty Palmer, you know the Patty Palmer I confessed a #Crush on last February?  WOW!! I have to say she is a treat to talk to. We had such a good chat and I'm so excited to share it with you today.

So here we go... I hope you enjoy this podcast (click here)

Careers in Art- Botanist

I am continuing to work on #CareersInArt with my 3rd grade.  This one was a blast.  I asked the students to 'Become a Botanist'. Yes, a Botanist is a plant Scientist... but I explain that many times these Scientists need Artist skills to allow them to communicate their findings to others. Here is the flipped video that I presented to my Artist at the start of class. 

I brought in a lot of veggies and fruit.  I tried to find things that my students might otherwise not have an opportunity to interact with. I brought in the Key Limes because they smell amazing, the veggies and sunflower from my garden, and some fun fruit that were even new to my eye and pallet. 

When we think of teaching preschoolers we think of giving them experiences to welcome their five senses.  I tried to give my 3rd graders the same thing.  I let them touch, smell, look... nope, no tasting (not messing with allergies with fruits I'm not familiar with).  I even let the kids take one sunflower seed if they wanted to draw it, or pull it apart... or, many students put it in their pocket to bring it home to 'plant' it. Typically, growing a sunflower doesn't work really well in November in Minnesota... but who am I to tell them no. 

In the video, I showed the kids how to do some expansion on their observational drawing. I was shocked to see the little masterworks that they created from a quick project sample and a few suggestions in the flipped lesson.

While becoming a Botanist, some students explored watercolors.  I asked them to only use one sheet of watercolor paper, and I think this helped many students be a little more controlled with their paintings. 

Because the kids were only asked to use one watercolor paper, I also found that they chose to do practice paintings first on recycled paper.  I love when students make the choices to better their Artwork without me having to mention every step... sometimes, I just forget. This is another way that I have found success in choice-based learning. Students are starting to really think like an Artist in the Art Studio.

Our Media Center at Hassan is really wonderful.  I just have to go on upstairs to find some amazing books that will support any lesson I teach. 

One of the most successful stations that I saw in the choices given was collage work. I have some boxes labeled collage and they are filled with painted paper from previous projects. Use the good stuff... right?? I told the kids to have at the paper and they created amazing works.

After students finished their projects in class, I asked them to place them in the front of the room.  We took the time to look at the Art created in class.  We had a great discussion and students were able to share and talk about the work created.  This was a powerful wrap-up to this lesson. 

Careers in Art- Toy Designer

The third grade continues on their #CareersInArt series. In this lesson, I have asked my students to become toy designers. They were pumped for this challenge. 

I am always surprised what stations the kids are drawn to.  Each class is different too... Some classes will have lots of kids at the shadow puppets and the next class no one will be there.  I really can't tell why students choose what they do, but it's fun to observe. 

The puzzles were amazing.  When I talked about this option I really stressed craftsmanship.  The kids took a lot of time on their image and I found most of them didn't have time to cut the puzzle out. The best part about this was in our review the following week, several students explained that they made puzzles for family members.  I love when you can teach kids something they can create as a give for a loved one... it's empowering to them.

     

The collaboration I saw at the shadow puppet station was fun to watch.  I loved hearing the stories they were creating.  Even more exciting was the problem solving.  I found that students had to discover how to create details inside their creations without drawing.  Almost all students would draw a face on their figures and then wonder why it wasn't showing up on the shadow.  It always took some peer teaching and discovery to understand that they had to cut out the details in order to let the light shine through.  This was a great station for discovery.

     

     

I have an overwhelming amount of cardboard tubes in my storage area.  This is truly treasures for my students. They loved the freedom to create using colored papers and any adhesive that worked best for them.  This station was filled with creativity and energy.  Each toy had a story behind it.  The toys were played with as they were being created.  The kids were so excited... SO Excited... to bring these treasures home.  This was another lesson that students said they created at home. Always a win when they make it at home.

The last station was the IKEA stuffed toy design.  I explained to the class that they could design a stuffed toy and IKEA will choose a couple to actually produce and offer in their store for sale.  The hard part was that I was not able to submit these designs.  So I created a little worksheet that explained the link to parents and allowed them to submit the designs to the company.  Actually, it took a lot of pressure off me.  I really didn't think that any would have been entered, but I saw on Facebook from one of the families I work with that yes indeed... one of my student's works are now in the competition! How exciting. If you would like to vote for Olivia's owl (image below) Please visit the website (click here) Search for Olivia's work by typing in her number = 289105.