Grades 3-5. Click for lesson. Inspired by the Design Thinking process, children will prototype a tree house hide-away filled with things Mom or Dad might like!
Print Like Ellsworth Kelly!
Check out my latest guest post on the awesome TinkerLab.com and learn how to print like Ellsworth Kelly! Click here.
Already pinned 917 times to Pinterest : )
Make Natural Dyes – Just in Time for Easter
Click here for Recyclebank’s DIY Easter Tips.
As the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education encourages, “If you’ll be coloring eggs this coming weekend, consider using natural dyes instead of artificial food colorings or color additives that are “synthesized mainly from raw materials obtained from petroleum” (according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). A few examples include beet juice, chili powder, turmeric, and blueberries. Get those vibrant colors, naturally!”
Elements + Principles
In the undergraduate art history course I teach, students must identify the Elements and Principals of artworks. Even when I was a student, starting in middle school, I recall this being an important ability; as my high school art teacher Mr. Mayor would say, you have to “talk the talk” if you want to be an artist. They are vital to understand both when employing in your own artwork, and observing the work of others. The best online resource I’ve found so far that visually and textually explain these wonderful tools is by John Lovett.
Engaging Students + Families At a University Art Museum
Recently, I asked “How do you engage students and families at a university museum?” of some of my favorite professional groups, and the responses were so illuminating. Soon, I’ll summarize the most relevant and interesting studies and articles for a detailed post, but here are a few of the best: The University of Chicago’s Cultural Policy Center report Campus Art Museums in the 21st Century; A Conversation, suggested by Linda Berghoff, When Being Third Place Is a Good Thing, suggested by Seth Frankel, and The Wallace Foundation’s More Than Just a Party, about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, suggested by Blake Miller.
A Pep Talk From Kid President
Watch the brilliant, goofy, and inspirational video here. I wish I knew this little guy!
For Your Educational Toolbox
Improv(e) Your Teaching by Jen Oleniczak [January 20, 2013] connects good teaching with the principles of improv, which she describes as “like going to the gym for your brain.” A few benefits: communication, collaboration, how to listen, being present, letting go of fear to gain flexibility and spontanteity. When I worked at the Children’s Creativity Museum, we consistently practiced “Yes…And,” “freedom to fail,” and collaboration exercises, and these open-response activities also helped my ESL students gain language skills in a fun way when I worked with Cambridge Public Schools. I could feel my thoughts becoming more fluid, open, and creative; there’s a lot that comes from acceptance and running with it.
