Bear Books! 
In my kindergarten class we made our own non-fiction bear books. We made pages about what a bear looks like, what it eats, and where it lives. We would read a non-fiction book and students would ask questions and make comments. We had excellent discussions about bears. After the students would go back to their spots and would use what they learned to draw a picture. We would talk about the features of bears and the colours they have. Then students would incorporate the details into their drawing. The students loved it and it was a great way from them to express their learning. They all did a really excellent job. I was very pleased.

When I need to have a little time to myself I like to go to my art room and sit amongst all the bits and bobs and make crafts. Lately I have been making cards. I like to find a good playlist and listen to my music and make my cards. I find that the mood I am in or the songs I am listening to influences my cards. 

                 

I love this picture. It was taken right before the ice started to form on Shane Lake. I like how a picture can bring you right back to a specific time. This picture reminds me of the cold clear day it was taken on. I can even imagine the smells.

For me it reminds me of the cold day I was walking my dog but it could bring up different feelings for other people. 

This is one of the art projects I did with my Kindergarten class for Halloween. It was a two day project but the students loved it and they turned out really well.

                                

First you need paper plates and then you hole punch around the edges. Then you paint the students hands except for the thumb. They press their hands down to form the spider. Then we set them aside to dry. The next day you glue on goggly eyes. Then you take white yarn and weave it through the holes to make the web. 

I was talking to my boyfriend this weekend and he told me he wasn't a big art person. Then he told me that he was going to spend the day working on his truck, which he often does. Later he sent me some pictures of his truck and the work he had done to it. He spends a lot of time designing and building his trucks. I thought that he was actually doing something creative. He was going through the whole art process without even knowing it. When he got home later I talked to him about his trucks being a type of art.

                                                                           

 It made me think about how art really does come in every shape and size. I think that everyone has some creativity in them and its a matter of finding something that they are inspired by and passionate about.

                                                                         

A great Brain Break that I saw in a classroom once was using Just Dance on the SMART board. This teacher would let the student helper of the day pick the song that they wanted they to dance to and then everyone would follow the actions. The teachers turned out some of the lights and the students would have a great time dancing and singing. It was a really good technique to use to get students to shake the sillys out and use up some of their excess energy, or to reenergize some of those students who needed a little bit of a pick me up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wlKFjMj93I

Art Gallery Day! We looked at two different exhibitions today and talked about how to talk about art and ask students questions to get them to think critically about it. I really enjoyed the exhibition by Andrzej Maciejewski called Garden of Eden.
 Maciejewski re-creates classic still life scenes of old dutch masters but puts a modern twist on it by keeping the PLU stickers on it. It created great discussion and really made you question things that you may not have thought of before.