"Spoons" and "Tweezers" Meet Feathered Friends, Meet Kindergarteners

Early Sunday morning, while my kindergartener busily gathered necessary materials to turn herself into a queen, I noticed a drawing she made of an expertly rendered bird.

When I asked her about it she said, "Its a pigeon." Knowing that she is studying pigeons in her class, I inquired further. OMG, she knows A LOT about pigeons. For example: they eat popcorn, make "chirp, chirp" sounds, stand on roofs, some have pink on their necks and some have blue bars on their backs, homing pigeons go "around in circles and then come right back to their homes."

Moving beyond the specifics of the pigeon genus, more broadly to species, she wondered aloud, Why do ducks drink water that is disgusting? Why do some birds, like seagulls, swim? Good questions!

In Arbo's class, here's a few of the pigeon study art-e-facts that have been created so far:

These beauties are hanging outside the classroom... 

...alongside some photos of the kids doing observationl drawings of pigeons...

...and making books out of 'em.

(Gotta love the rigid lines of pixelated Minecraft pigeon!)

Back at school the kids are writing stories about pigeons and making more drawings. 

Oh my! What's this?? My daughter never mentioned anything about "spoons" and "tweezers!" Who knew?

Go, Barbara! No wonder the kids can draw pigeons so well. And, thanks for helping our kids make sure all the parts are there! 

Clay with Paola by Sabine Hoffman

Clay is a magical material that can last thousand of years. Objects made of clay are a beautiful expression of art that can also be useful in everyday life. In Paola's class, students work with clay a lot. Here they are making bowls.
After giving an overview of the steps involved in making a clay bowl, Paola passed out sketches students had previously drawn to remind them of possible design ideas. When asked if the drawn design had to be followed exactly, Paola answered: "Sometimes the clay will tell you what it wants to be." (She might have said it slightly differently, her point being that the creative process sometimes requires a change of plans, as many students discovered in the following session). Starting with a mold, then adding a curl (or several) on top, students' bowls were an enactment of a story about the Lenape that had been read and discussed the day before. Smoothing with water and sponges and fingers, finding a balance between too much water and not enough, many designs shifted as work progressed. Each individual's process and personality was visibly manifest. The last step was "drawing" a pattern/design into the bowl with a thin stick or carving tool. Some students added sculptural elements. In the end, the students transformed slabs of clay into wonderful bowls. The tables were a battlefield of creativity. Everyone helped clean up and Paola went on...more inspiration, more clay. 

by Sabine Hoffman

Apple Fest Makery

Thank you to all the volunteers and participants who made Apple Fest a huge success.  It was, yet again, a wonderful celebration of our collective creativity with a vertiginous array of opportunities to explore fall themed materials, get adorned and get messy BNS artsy-style.

Hairweaving

Whoa. Bill fell under the spell of children with paintbrushes!

This looks like Makey Makey to me. I'll bet those bananas sang songs! 

So, we were encouraged to pull (I mean really pull, cuz its not easy) the sheep's wool out! Then we had a mini yarn rolling contest. Wool is AMAZING! And so cozy. Thank you, sheep!

The mandala. And some dance steps.

Speaking of dancing. The zombies had a blast.

Bubbles and face paint!

Thanks for painting faces MaryAnn! You're the best.

Thanks everyone.  

Photos courtesy of Justin Weiner and Mollie McQuarrie