Cactus Huggers

“Homebody” has taken on new meaning lately. We all are staying home because of the virus that shall not be named. But life goes on, and school certainly continues.

At the elementary school where I teach art, the teachers have developed an online teaching system. I have posted two art lessons online, and I was delighted by what my students made.

I’d like to share three different art projects by my students.

First will be cactus drawings.

Second will be colorful wire sculptures made by my 8^th grade students before school was closed.

Last will be still life drawings done by my older students.

First, the cactus huggers. (Please note that cactus hugging is not advised, nor does it reflect the views of the author or the Blogspot website. Do so at your own risk.)

The cactus drawings were made by tracing kids’ hands onto paper. The sky was a sunset sky, created by doing a gradation of colors from light to dark. I encouraged the kids to add needles and flowers to their cacti. Although all the cactus drawings are similar in some ways, I love how each student personalized his or hers. Each sky and cactus has its own colorful look.

This creative paper sculpture was made by a student who wanted her cactus to be 3-D.

Next, we have a cute collection of small wire sculptures. My eighth grade students were asked to make something 3-D with colorful wire. Some followed a tutorial on caterpillars but a few students freestyled and came up with their own ideas. I thought this tree was particularly charming.

This tree has so much texture. I love how the student wrapped the wire.

Butterfly resting on a flower.

The still life drawings really impressed me. It’s hard enough for kids to do this kind of art in the classroom, with me right there to help them understand shading and perspective. But this project was given online, so the beautiful drawings done were finished with no hands-on assistance by me. I thought the kids did an amazing job.

My fifth grade student really amazed me with this one.

I love that this 6th grader was not afraid to use dark tones.

My online teaching will continue for the next month or two month as school may not reopen until the fall. So I will have more student art to share in the next few months. I hope you liked seeing what the kids made and I wish you good health and safety as we shelter at home. I also hope that if you are out in nature you are keeping a six foot distance from any cacti out there. Admire the cacti. Wave from afar. Tree hugging is fine, but please don’t be a cactus hugger.

The Pyramids Come to San Diego

4th grade

Remember the 80s song, “Walk Like An Egyptian?” My art students are too young to know the song but we have been making Ancient Egyptian Art at school. Naturally, I dressed the part, because as everyone knows, you can’t teach Egyptian Art without wearing Egyptian accessories. (Well, you can, but…why would you?)

I’ve never dressed in costume while teaching the kids. I figured it would be distracting and they have enough trouble listening to me. But we must make exceptions for certain occasions and I’m so glad I did. The other teachers loved my accessories and many of the kids did, too. 

In case you are wondering about my accessories, I made them myself. The head ornament is made of felt, paint and gems. The necklace was created with paint on top of scraps from an old pair of jeans. Why jeans? Because denim has more weight than cotton and I wanted the necklace to stay flat and hold up to the paint. I glued on a few gems and used glitter hot glue sticks for the paint. We had my belt already and I attached an old necktie, which I painted with gold. Total out of pocket: $1.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten

I’m fascinated by how my students have interpreted this lesson. I always say that, but it’s always true. They astonish me with what they create, and I’m so proud of them. It’s impossible to pick favorites among the art projects I’ve taught but this one is truly one of my favorites because the results are so varied and so creative.

1st grade

2nd grade

My Kindergarten, first and second grade students were given printables to color in. If you're not familiar with the term, printables are like coloring book pages. The older kids created their own pieces. I encouraged the kids to draw a geometric border around their subject, as most Egyptian art has a border. It really enhances each piece, and makes it look more complete. 

In the art room we often use photos for reference. I always ask the students to put their own twist on their art piece, rather than to copy exactly from the photo. Many of the Egyptian art photos were highly detailed, so I told the students that they could simplify the design if it was too complicated. Some simplified, but some added incredible detail. They rose to the task and here is what they made:

3rd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade

4th grade

4th grade

4th grade

4th grade

5th grade

5th grade

5th grade

6th grade

6th grade

6th grade

6th grade

6th grade

7th grade

7th grade

8th grade

8th grade

8th grade

8th grade

8th grade

Ancient Egyptians buried their dead with lots of gold, sculptures and art inside the tomb. They believed that these treasures would ensure an arrival into the afterlife. Because the Egyptian desert is so dry, many artifacts have survived over the last 5,000 years.

And so we brought a piece of Ancient Egypt to my classroom in San Diego. I’ve been thinking about this project for months and it feels great to have introduced the kids to the idea.

And now please excuse me. I must get back to my book, Hieroglyphics for Dummies…

Class dismissed.

8th grade

I Survived Gum Surgery…But the Post-Op Stinks

If you’re over forty, you know that aging is not for wimps. Just ask my receding gums.

(Please note that while I complain about all this, I truly am grateful for good health and great dental care! This is not a bid for sympathy. I’m in almost no pain. This post is just a good excuse for me to laugh about the delicate art of aging. What’s that old saying? When life gives you gum drama, make gumballs. Or write a funny blog post.)

Why do gums recede? Lots of reasons. I am a teeth grinder (and I wear a night guard to counteract it, but apparently grinding can tamper with gums). It may be partly hereditary. It may be due to that important force called gravity.

As I said to my sister a few years ago, gravity is never a woman’s best friend. Yes, I knew that as I age, certain body parts would relocate themselves a few inches lower than where they started. I can’t say I accepted that with grace, but I knew it would happen. But my gums?

Surgery itself wasn’t bad. It happened on Valentine’s Day, which is not a super important day for Hubby and me. We do a little something for each other but it’s not sacred to us. Still, he cooked my favorite dinner and dessert. I appreciated his thoughtfulness and mumbled my thanks as I iced my face.

I have been the recipient of gum surgery three times in the last six years. The first time was an invasive surgery for the receding gums behind my lower teeth. The second and third surgeries were far less invasive due to a different technique, and this was for the receding gums in front of my lower teeth.

The bad news is that with my swollen chin I looked like a cross between a Garibaldi and Popeye. Not the look most ladies aspire to on Valentine’s Day, but as you know, I like to do things my own way.

The good news is that if you buy nine gum surgeries, the tenth is free! (Kidding.) I knew that gum surgery is not a permanent fix, but even the dentist was surprised that I needed it only two years after he did it before. (To be fair, it’s not an identical surgery. He did the right side and middle before, and this time it was left and middle. And don't worry--this dentist is not swindling me. We've gone to the same practice for more than a decade and they are awesome.) I guess my aggressive brushing style didn’t exactly help the gums to stay put, but in my defense, I thought a gentle brushing style would not do the job.

Anyway, the surgery was okay but the post-op “lifestyle” cramps my ways. I’d forgotten that for six weeks following surgery there is:

• ·         No big smiling. WHAT???? I’m an expressive person. I’m not a robot. This is going to be hard.
• ·         No crunchy or sticky food. EXCUSE ME? Soft foods? What am I, an infant? The best foods are crunchy and sticky. I’d completely forgotten the “No-no” list from two years ago. Sigh.
• ·         No side-sleeping. Again, major problem. I have been a side-sleeper my whole life.
• ·         No big laughs, no looking at the gums, no pressing or touching them, no facial massage.
• ·         No eating on the left side. No opening wide. (Eating takes a lot longer now, as you’d imagine.)

The dentist recommended that I take Arnica to reduce swelling. I ran out so I popped into Sprouts to get more. Immediately all the crunchy and forbidden foods in the store called out to me, taunting me from behind an invisible barrier. Granola? Nope. Nuts? Sorry. Caramels? Forget it. Corn on the cob? Not yet. Apples? Try apple sauce. I actually did buy some cashews in bulk and later I’m going to try making cashew butter. But on principle I’m miffed that my eating and sleeping options have been altered. I’m not in much pain but the swelling makes things awkward and the lengthy list of stuff I can’t do has me irritable. Still, it could be worse, and I’m grateful that my teeth and I have coexisted happily for decades. So if we cross paths over the next five and a half weeks, you’ll see me delicately placing tiny bites of food into the right side of my mouth, using a long fondue fork. But once I pass the six week mark I’ll be smiling and laughing a lot, just because I finally can, and I’m going to eat crunchy foods and sleep on my side and shout as loud as I can. So if you have gums that behave, appreciate them. Give a big smile and laugh big and go eat a caramel. Do it for me….