Batik Buildings High School

Yes, there was a crayon fire in the process and thankfully no injuries. Our inspiration was looking at architectural. The students were given a list of different types of buildings and had to research and make preparatory drawings in their sketchbooks. Below are the results.  

UPDATE OCT 2016: I've had a few request for lesson plans over the years. Here is how I came up with the project. I recalled when I was in Grade 5 or 6, I had a lesson similar where we painted with crayons taped to a wooden board and then we dipped it in dye and ironed the wax out of it. I always thought it was cool idea and wanted to explore it with my students especially sincere there was a huge box with old crayons that were sitting in a closet. 

Here are the steps. 

1. Choose a theme. 

2. Get your supplies together: stretcher bars, cloth, tacks, crayons, a tin to foil to cook the crayons on, a hot plate, muffin pan and/or foil old pint brushes, iron, newsprint. 

3. Stretch out cloth on the board, like you would canvas and have students use a pencil to draw the image.

4. Melt crayons and apply to cloth 

5. Take cloth off stretcher and make into a ball to crack the crayon way and submerge in dye for 24 hours. 

6. Take out and let air dry for 24 hours

7. Iron with news print on top and bottom absorb the wax (this also make a nice mono print or a background for another project). 

8. Done   

Stretcher bar, tacks, and cloth

Crayons, cakes of color, brushes, muffin pan

Iron

Newsprint with image that was ironed

Additional news print

Adding crayon

Fashion design HS

It is true, I'm attempting to teach something new. I've asked my former student to co-teach the unit with me as she is getting into the business. She recently showed me a new line of shoes she designed that will go into production in a few weeks!

We have a seamstress on campus and my goal is to actually have some of the drawings come to life so to speak. We have barely started with the sketches, but I'm excited about this unit. Here's a teaser.

Grade 7 Sugar-high sculptures

The day before Christmas break is always about class parties which translates to kids consuming mass amounts of sugar. Kids arrive to Art soaring from the sugar buzz. I like to capitalize on this energy by doing my favorite one-day group project...wooden stool sculptures. There are three table and thus three teams. Each group has 3 minutes to work out their ideas based on a series of objectives: 


The first learning objectives are: symmetrical versus asymmetrical 
The second learning objectives are: representational versus abstract 
The final is each team has five minutes to use all 22 stools and anything goes. 


Here is what I observed:
students strategizing, assigning tasks and roles, the person with the vision trying to sell her/his idea to the group, cooperation, competition, arguments, team building, excitement, etc. 
The students had fun but more importantly there was serious learning happening. 


Here are the results... 

symmetrical 

symmetrical

Abstract

Chaos

One of the groups project was the Pyramids of Giza.

Another group did the tombs.

Mummy

Glazing and the aftermath

The results are coming in...

no camera trickery, it is that big

Grade 7 results 

ditto

Grade 8 boxes

Glazing with grade 8

Clay-The handbuilding month

Winter has arrived and so has the clay season in Egypt, more specifically in Mr. Bob's upstairs clay studio. From Dec-Feb all grades from K-12 will be doing handbuilding, wheel throwing, and glazing. He is our progress thus far.  

Kiln aka heater.

boxes and fish

The bottom of her cupcake box

Sponge Bob's eye's also act as mini-cups

next step is to ink the lines.