Donorschoose.org

A friend of mine that works for Teach for America in the Los Angeles area told me about a useful resource for teachers.  DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit that helps teachers get the educational tools that they need to enhance the educational experience for their students.  Teachers create an account and post projects with supply requests.  Donors choose a project that inspires them.  When the goal amount is attained the supplies are sent to the school.  

"You can save time if someone tells you to put blue and yellow together to make green, but the essence of painting is a self-disciplined activity that you have to learn by yourself," artist, Romare Bearden said. I want my students to not only learn about art but to experience it.  My purpose as a teacher is to provide my students with the best possible education for them to be successful in the years to come.  In doing so it is necessary to expose my students to a variety of art media.  Art materials can be expensive.  In order to give my students a quality art education I hope to provide for them supplies that they can explore with.

http://www.donorschoose.org/schadwick

My request for new art supplies:

The resources that I am requesting are new paint brushes because our old ones are in poor condition. We use water color paints so much that we are running very low on them. I am also requesting tempera cakes which will be used for teaching color theories. The students will be able to mix the primary colors together to make the secondary colors. They will also be able to create tints and shades using the cakes. This allows them to experiment with making their own colors. Painting is an important part of any school curriculum. It aids in developing many necessary skills that are the foundation to early education. Painting helps to develop fine and gross motor skills, hand eye coordination, and spatial awareness. 

Donations towards my request will make a large impact on the lives of my students. Painting benefits their developmental needs. My students will also be able to experience and experiment with a versatile art medium. They love painting and it makes me so happy to be able to provide them with an opportunity to learn and enjoy themselves at the same time!

After I posted my request I sent out emails to friends and family explaining what I was doing.  Within twenty days my goal of $542 was fulfilled by nine donors.  The next step was to have my students write letters thanking the donors.  I explained to the children that we would be getting new art supplies and about how the money was donated from various people.  As a teacher it is my responsibility to enrich the students’ educational experience.  Their reactions of gratitude and appreciation validated the reason why it is important to take time to give back to my students.  The students created thank you cards for the donors connecting art with language arts and gave them a chance to express their gratitude towards the donors.

The school provides art supplies but I figured I would take advantage of donorschoose.org.  Using the website enabled me to teach the students about giving and donating.  It places value on the materials that they are using.  They become aware of the importance of their education and learn that the community values their education by providing them with new materials for them to enjoy and explore.  As an educator I can tell my students that their education is important.  Showing them that their education is important helps them to understand better.  

*** I would like to thank all of you that donated towards my project!!! The kids are so excited to get their new supplies. ***

Perspective Pumpkins

One more fall project before winter officially arrives...

Third and Fourth grade project- Secondary Colored Perspective Pumpkins.

To begin the project we discussed how the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) make the secondary colors (orange, green, purple) when mixed together. I also introduced perspective and how artists use it to show that objects are closer or further away. 

3rd grade student

I'm not sure which blog I got the idea for this project from. First the students drew in pencil, then they went over their lines in black crayon. The colors they used were only the secondary colors and black. The sky was the first to be colored with chalk pastels, then the grass, then the pumpkins. The last thing that they did was the shadows for the pumpkins in black chalk pastel.

I laminated the pictures when they were completed. I think the heat from the lamination machine really did wonders for the chalk...it made the colors so vibrant and bright! 

I loved this one because it looks very abstract. 

Turkeys for Turkey Day!

I know that Thanksgiving has come and gone but these turkeys are too adorable not to post! This lesson was done by Kindergarten through Second grade. 

To begin the lesson I read the story, Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert. To incorporate Leaf Man into the project I told my students that they would be using leaves to make their turkeys just like in the story. The first step was to begin with the tail feathers. I decided to put a twist on the traditional approach of "hand turkeys", my students traced their hands in the warm colors (red, yellow, orange) and cut them out to make tail feathers for their turkeys.

Initially, I wanted to use giant leaves for the bodies but they became too dry and started falling apart (next time I will iron them in wax paper to preserve them). Instead they cut out brown circles for the bodies. Since I told them that they would be using leaves on their turkeys I found foamy leaves at the craft store and they used them for their heads and feet. They cut out their own waddles and beaks and glued them on the head along with googly eyes. 

Theses examples were done by the second graders.

I absolutely love how unique they turned out...each turkey has it's own little personality!

The kids were so excited to take them home to show their families for Thanksgiving.

Welcome!

Welcome to the “Thinking Outside the Crayon Box” blog.  This is a place for me to show why I love teaching art! In this blog you will find artwork created by my students and ideas for lesson plans. It will also give me a chance to archive my lessons for future reference. Like many art teachers, I gather ideas and inspiration from many places; books, blogs, websites, and other artists. Feel free to get inspiration from my blog. I will give credit to other places I have gotten ideas from so please do the same if you use mine. 

(Crayon and Watercolor)

(Colored pencil on black mat board)

I am a first year art teacher at an urban charter school in the Detroit area. I have already learned so much in the 3 months that I have been teaching and expect to gain a lot more knowledge in my future as an art teacher. It can be challenging...but the most rewarding experience at the same time. I love seeing my students’ faces light up when they realize they can create beautiful artwork. My goal is to create lessons that every student can be successful doing. 

Please check back often to see the amazing work that my students are creating!