Art Class: Cardboard String Art

Hi Teachers! Have you watched the video about true cyan? Last few weeks, the students went through the lesson unit on Optical Illusion. It's a hit with children because it offers weird and interesting truths about the nature of perception and colours. You can search Youtuber Zack King's videos for some brilliantly-stitched videos that are quite magically. I brought string art artmaking back due to popular demand its accessibility. I'm quite surprised to hear that many students do not have strings or threads at home. We have been doing mostly solo work or work that don't requires a lot of movement in the classroom. Thus, the materials used are quite economical. It's light and handy in case students need to bring them home to complete. 

On another note, Singapore schools moved online last Wednesday. The press release was on a weekend so we had time to prepare and distribute materials to our affected classes on the first two days of the week. The students were just tidying up their artwork for Term 2 and it seems like I can only see their final work in Term 3. When school term ends this month, we will still be in the midst of Phase Two. I'm working on something for the students to participate during the school vacation. Please check back!

Housekeeping: The Indispensable Tool

Hi! We all have that one (or countless!) essential tool in the art room. I use the scissors quite frequently and I can't imagine depriving the children of the opportunity to practise cutting just because we want to 'protect' them (from getting hurt). I shared about a scissors safety lesson and I'm happy to say that most of them do remember the rules. 

Recently, the scissors are re-arranged to not just to appear neater but to track their whereabout and ensures that all scissors are returned after use. This layout allows me to see at a glance that all tools are in place. It's especially useful if you need to run to another class and counting all forty takes time. 

Art Class: Painting Routines

Hi! The children have started painting with water. I like using the coloured crepe papers for this lesson to talk about the painting routines. So when we are ready to proceed to using the actual paint pigment, the children are familiar with the routines and movement:

• clutter-free desk
• half-filled water container
• water container placed in the top center of the desk
• given only one paintbrush
• must place recycled paper underneath the watercolour paper
• tear the 'magical papers' and keep them under the water container
• hold the recycled paper lengthwise with both hands and bring to the drying rack
• rinse the paintbrush and water container

Instructions such as the amount of water to use is learnt through practice. Some children need more reminders so rest assured after a few practices, they will remember the routines. Take swimming for example, you can listen to explanation after explanation and watch many swimming videos. By not getting into the pool, how would you learn to swim? When all the children are in their painting mode, you could hear the pin drop! But the silence doesn't last long. 😹