Fifth and First Grade Visits Kentler: More Mapping!

It seems that mapping and line explorations are in the air! Fifth grade students visited Kentler International Drawing Space to see the work of Rombaldi Seppey ...

...and Hedwig Brouckaert...

...where they deconstructed maps and then used transfer paper to layer lines. Back in the classroom, students explored the concept of "flow" and how it could be applied to drawing. Here's what they made:

First Grade

Fifth Grade

Couple these (near fifth and first grade classrooms) with a tour of the gallery in the basement and you might find your own personal geography shift just a little. Continental drift of the mind? What would you even call that??

Lovin' Loopy, Long, Lilting, Lithe Lines

Paola is teaching our kids about LINES and lines they are a' plenty.

Fast lines, slow lines
lines that holler
whisper or weep
strike and creep
hasten, tarry or scoot
all the way home
to circle, square or fancy dome
All in a tangle
needing a friend
to mangle the mess
and wrangle
a dress or a boat
or ink well or moat
amidst paper bag towers
and fast skittish flowers.

Kindergarten explores straight lines using black construction paper:

First grade explores line and feeling using colored pencil:

4th and 5h grade explore still life through lines...

...creating negative spaces, complex forms and varied textures.

4th

 5th

Enjoy! 

Great Small Works at Ecorama: "Sandy, Sandy, Sandy"

Great Small Works is a local theater troupe that works in equal parts to delight audiences with drama and puppetry and to provoke them with thoughtful, edgy commentary about current events. At Ecorama, for the 4th and 5th grade, GSW transformed room 323 into a spooky underwater enclave complete with mini enclaves (fishtanks) used for the puppet play. Therein was told the tale of Coral (sea coral), Salty (a 400 year old pirate) and Lucia (a blue heron) struggling to manage life's challenges post hurricane Sandy.

The "rich people" puppets who employed private fire fighters. The one on the left is about to lose his head!

For every class, the fact that one of the puppet's heads came off fascinated the children. Roberto Rossi aka "Coral" explained that a few days before the show, the puppet broke! Ack, what to do?? He decided to work with this new, two part iteration of the puppet and weave a decapitation into the play. So resourceful!

Following the performance, students asked the troupe many excellent questions: How old is Salty? And why is "Salty" his name? How did you create your costumes? How did you create the characters? Is that your real hair? Where were you during the hurricane? What are you doing about climate change? (Wise kids we have). When and where can we see more GSW puppet plays? (Click here to find out more about GSW's where and when-abouts). As much as GSW put out for our kids, our kids in turn put out for them with their knowledge and bold curiosity. 


Thank you, GSW, for your wisdom, ingenuity, humor and hard work!

Meredith Holch as Blue Heron

Roberto Rossi as Coral

And, thank you, Barbara and Johanna for facilitating the event's production in conjunction with Ecorama, Mia for videotaping the whole thing from every angle possible, Justin Weiner for his awesome photography, and all the volunteers and teachers who participated.

The final words of show and overall gist of the event in its entirety? Whether you are dealing with environmental destruction, political action, or making and producing puppet plays, success depends on working together. Viva!

Jenny Romaine and Salty

Which side are YOU on? Dream and Reality in the Gallery

BNS 5th graders held center stage in the art gallery next to the art room last fall.

Art and social issues have gone hand and hand for centuries, and at BNS, our fifth graders continued the tradition of spreading their message through creativity.  After viewing the video, "Which Side are You On," by Rebel Diaz, they created peace posters expressing their own interpretations of war and peace.

The fifth grade also had an exhibit of their own watercolor/collage mixed media pieces based on their study of the Surrealists paintings of Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. The aim of Surrealism was to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality." Our fifth graders have responded to this through their magical, mystical and often paradoxical renditions of works that feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur.

Thank you 5th grade teachers for keepin' it real!

Janine Sopp

The Roving Parent: What inspires you?

Recent examples of our children's beautiful artwork spotted in the BNS hallways. Have you seen anything on the BNS walls that inspires you? 

Arbo's Class Collages

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 Third Grade Mulberry Leaf Drawings with Ann:

 Fifth Grade Prints:

First Grade:

Thank you, Lynn Groveman, for taking these pics!

Saw some art you liked? Be a blogger. Click here.