'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Break)

Yo Yo Yo, it’s Sarah Claus, rappin’ and wrappin’ my way through December….

The art room has been busier than Santa’s Workshop this month. Paint flowed. Thousands of tiny pieces of paper swirled through the air in a faux snowstorm. There was the unfortunate pink glitter incident, which adorned not only ornaments but the table and floor, as well. (The glitter incident was my own fault, since I gave it to a student who asked, instead of feigning ignorance). Yes, it’s been a colorful month…. 

We’ve had a festive time, so without further ado, here is what my elves created:

Kindergarten made Rudolph tree ornaments, complete with real bells.

My first-grade artists made snow people ornaments, and they have such personality!

Second grade created Christmas trees out of paper plates, decorated with colorful paper ornaments.

My third-grade artists curled paper to create three-dimensional branches on their Christmas trees. I encouraged the kids to go wild with color for a playful feel. Some students added strips of

origami paper.

Fourth grade colored wooden tree ornaments. Didn’t the kids do a good job? 

My fifth-grade students made some amazing three-dimensional Christmas trees from pipe cleaners and beads. Some of the beads are pearlescent and the effect is a beautiful, shiny glow.

Sixth grade colored and folded three-dimensional manger scenes from cardstock. I love how the kids added visual texture to the wooden manger and the straw. 

Seventh grade made tree ornaments, too. We used paint (mistake number one on my part! Super messy….). Details were added with sharpie and marker. These wooden ornaments are from the Dollar Tree, and at six for $1.25, they are a great deal. How cute are these Santas and snow people?

Finally, my eighth-grade artists made Christmas trees from cardstock. Each side of our trees has a different pattern and color scheme so there is plenty of variety and pattern.

Keeping with our holiday theme, I asked the kids which Christmas movies they like. As always, there were strong opinions. Favorites included Elf, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Rudolph, Frostie the Snowman and Christmas Chronicles. There was some spirited debate about whether Die Hard qualified as a Christmas film. It takes place in December, but is it truly a Christmas movie? It was an art room divided.

On that note, I’ll excuse myself to go check on our Elf (not) on the shelf. Our elf is hanging upside down and has amazing strength. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas or Hannukah or the winter solstice, have a safe and cozy season. If you need this Sarah Claus, she will be juggling madly until Christmas day, and then collapsing somewhere for a long winter’s nap…  

 

Did Someone Say "Gobble?"

Life has been a blur this month. It seems only five minutes since we chatted Halloween art, doesn’t it?

I’ve slowly adjusted to the earlier sunsets (but I’m not happy about it) and we have two more giant spiders in the front yard. A few leaves are changing color. Yep, it’s fall.

In the art room it was a flurry of feathers as we created Thanksgiving-themed art.

My Kindergarten kiddos colored turkeys and we discussed fall colors (warm colors like red, orange and yellow).

 

First grade drew pictures of what they appreciate and turned them into cards for their families. Aren’t these adorable? I love how much detail they put in their drawings.

The card on the right shows the earth, with four trees growing from it. I thought this was delightful.

Second grade made their own Thanksgiving cards. These kids have such cute personalities, and some are very imaginative. I love the random detail one kiddo included—an owl. Are owls the new turkeys?

My third-grade artists turned pinecones and paper plates into festive turkeys. They loved this project, and I enjoyed seeing all the variety in the results.

I taught my fourth-grade students how to draw cornucopias. Each one is different and has so much detail. These amazing artists are only nine years old. A few “early finishers” made turkey table toppers (say that five times fast).

Fifth grade made cards out of paper plates. Aren’t these cornucopias delightful? 

Seventh grade learned to do accordion folds to create three-dimensional turkeys for Thanksgiving cards.

There is less variety in our art this month because it’s all themed around Thanksgiving. So, to round things out, I’m including a few of my own recent paintings. I painted a lot this year, which felt great. Almost all my paintings were small, and therefore easier to finish. I love 1950s and 1960s design, and it was fun to paint items from that era.

Below are two Rock-Ola jukeboxes (circa 1946 and 1960ish), the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles (built in 1965) and the neon sign from Jimmy Wong’s Golden Dragon in San Diego (1958). You know a sign is beautiful when the restaurant changes names and still keeps the sign with the former name.

Okay, back to the topic at hand. It’s Thanksgiving week. We have so much for which to be grateful. I’m thankful for family, friends, health, freedom, my students, my coworkers and so much more. Thank you for reading and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving….