HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!!!

I can't believe my Aidan is 10 today!!! He is not a little boy anymore, but a blossoming young man.

Not to compare him to flowers, but he is really maturing!! 

New School Year, New Art Projects

I've had these wonderful eye dropper thing-a-ma-jigs that I haven't found a use for until now... GREAT FOR KINDERGARTEN and First Grade COLOR EXPERIMENTING! I would allow them to only use the Primary Colors Paints to create the SECONDARY COLORS at first then have them make something like a germ design with the second half of class. Allow to dry then use sharpie markers for mouth and googgly eyes !

Link that explains project in detail:

http://raisingsparks.com/craft-activities/blow-painting/

Art Room Make Over

Help: I 'm hoping to have the time to make over the art room and make it visually appealing especially to my students which are Kindergartners and First Grades. As my goal for the school year I'm working with students, teachers, parents, (hopefully my husband the woodworker) and anyone else who can help me make the room appealing for students with Autism. This is what the room looks like right now. In the middle there are several nice black tables to accommodate a class of 20-25 children. 

Help!! Got any ideas for me?

Inspirations for the NEW SCHOOL YEAR.

Ideas for the Art Room: After being in the same school district for 15 years I'm reaching out to new places to get ideas. My brain is done with those ideas I create on my own.... Time to use  some Social Networking such as PINTEREST.
 Here we go..... Kindergarten Display using self portraits instead of reproductions of famous pieces of artwork. 

    More hallway ideas:

 Personal Learning Goal Idea:  I'm hoping to have a Learning Goal that is connected to young children with Autism. So many children who have autism are extremely Visual. In the first years that I taught grades K- 4th grade I had an unforgettable student; we will call him Reed. During Art class he would enter class after demonstration and directions were given and caught on fast by just looking at the project. The art room can be an overwhelming place for a child with Autism. A visual overload in the art room can not always be controlled. After doing the assigned project, Reed would get some paper and taped each piece together the long way to extend his drawing space even before he started drawing. As Reed drew he talked about the numbers he encountered all the exit signs with numbers from his NYC trip over the weekend. Before my eyes I saw buildings, the George Washington Bridge that Reed drew. To get to my point I want to make the art room visually friendly for students with Autism. 

Ideas to make the art room visually friendly: Pictures and Signs for all the Supplies, Supplies placed in neat containers and organized nicely. 

    Another idea is to create boards in the room for leaning as well. For the longest time we have had OLD pictures from some 60's collection to fill up the walls. They have finally found there way to the garbage.  Here is a fun way to show what tints and shades. I already have paint samples from the paint 
store.
 

Here is another cool idea for the clock: 

Thanks  to:"http://mrspicassosartroom.blogspot.com/" 

I've had a great start on getting ideas to create a new environment for all students. 

This blog I just started following, (now that I know how to "follow "another blog.

SUMMER VACATION- THE CABIN, GILBOA, NY

Here it is Friday or is it Saturday? It's rainy, the fish are not bitting, and we are on the fence about if we should stay in NY until Sunday which promises to be the next nice day. This gives me a great opportunity to just blog !! Here are some of our adventures this week....


DAY #1 Me... Moving in! Yep, this is all my scrapbooking stuff for the week. I'm lucky enough to have a room to make my mess in away from the rest of the house!  

Day #1 fishing, dirt biking, biking to small stream with Sean who can't imagine doing anything better then catching minos, salamanders, water bugs, "mom, they are so easy to catch".

 Caitlin and I enjoy sitting by the pond watching and helping Sean with his ascend and descend. " I've got an idea, what I going to do is go over there and look into the tunnel to see if I can find the other end, are you guys coming?".

Caitlin; "Sean, we are going home... Because I'm tired..."

Sean; after tossing back a couple of fish that didn't make it because of the long walk from the stream to the bucket,"it happens! see what's going to happen later is a big fish is going to eat the little fish. "

Buckled back into the cart Caitlin says, "Ok, I'm ready!"

Day #2

While the boys rode their dirt bikes, I scrapbooked and Caitlin hung out and really didn't do anything until the boys went fishing and she followed them. While they fished a Bald Eagle flew by and landed into its nest, the same one we have been seeing for years.

 We also went for a boat ride as a family. The boys loved catching the little fish with their nets as they jumped out of the water escaping the larger fish chasing them.

 Aidan and Dad before he went for a dip.

Aidan and dad after he went for a dip off the boat with the fish.

Day # 4
Fishing and Cooperstown!!

 Outside the Baseball Hall of Fame

 Sucking on some sour candy outside Double Day Field.

Inside Double Day Field watching the game of the day.

Last Day #6  PAKINTACKIN FARMERS MARKET

Our New York trip isn't complete unless we visit the big farmers market. This was the last thing we did before we cleaned and left. 

Invention and Imagination Week Continued

Big Van Goghs- ages 9-12 

 Parachuting Self Portraits

                                                                  By Nicholas 

                                                                                             By Ryan

                                                                                                                    By Ally 

                                                                                           By Ally and Nicholas 

                                                                                                              By Daniel

                            Buddy found Daniel's painting outside drying in the sun and decided to make a snack out of it! Sorry Daniel!
                             Model Magic "8 Balls"

Caitlin helped out by filling each baby food jar with water. 

Next, each student wrote fortune teller words on foam squares.

I glued each of the pieces into a cube using my glue gun.

Students selected a color model magic ball and formed a pinch pot around the glass jar and decorated it.

Before I closed up the glass jar I placed the form cube into the water.  

                          Mini Van Goghs-ages 4-8  
                         Dinosaur and Shell Fossils, 
                   Wood Sculptures, Dinosaur Painting
  

Dinosaur and Shell Fossils made of model magic. Easy and fun...as a connection to the dinosaur invention, each student used a toy dinosaur and shells, pressed it into the colored model magic making an impression. 

After discussing 3-D forms, several wooden shapes were placed one on top of the other and glued using wood glue. 

After the glue dried for a little while, metallic paint was used to cover the wooden sculptures and allowed to dry.

                                              One last painting by Alex!! 


You have been wonderful to work with!!! 
Enjoy the rest of your summer!!!!     Ms.Michelle