FriYAY! We did it!

You made it a whole week of remote learning! I have seen loads of creative art. Keep sending it my way. I am passing the photographs on to the PTO to post on Facebook. I finished a novel, next is to do some drawings and quilt some.

Looking to travel? Go to Google Arts and Culture and look around. Virtual art tours to most museums in the world. Or street view travel in Paris, China, London..Tell me where you and what you saw. I went to the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico. Was originally her home, in a quiet garden setting, colorful, large windows and interesting displays.

Our First Remote Learning Day

So how was your first day of remote learning? Excitement? Confusion? Challenging or a breeze?

Pip, Ruby, Teddy and I survived. We were warmed by all the art being shared with us. I enjoyed listening to Mrs. Cooper’s students telling their jokes on flipgrid. Great Job! The teachers were so glad to be connected to you all, but wished it was at school.

Be on the lookout for read aloud videos from Mrs. Worland and I. We started recording and uploading to Google Classroom and Class Dojo. Listen to them twice and then take an AR quiz.

My next challenge is to record myself teaching art techniques! Always have a goal for yourself.

Remember artist create art with materials they can access easily, grass, junk mail, foil, old clothes, sticks, chalk...get creative and show me or your teacher.

Stay healthy!

Art Fiction

Looking for a new novel? Art and artists make for terrific adventures like finding stolen art, insects who draw, and hiding in an art museum. You can find this books on Amazon, Kindle, your library, and maybe myON through AR/ Renaissance Place.

Blue Balliett wrote a series featuring Calder and Petra in Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, The Calder Game, and Pieces and Players. The sixth graders come together to solve a mystery to find lost art in Chicago. Using puzzles, pentominoes, and blue M&Ms, the children save the art of the Johannes Vermeer, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Alexander Calder.

Claudia and Jamie run away to New York City and hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Upon settling into the museum, they discover the new priceless art holds a secret. Determined to solve the mystery, set about researching and covertly communicating to the museum staff and take the journey of a lifetime. E.L. Konigsburg captures the novel idea of running from reality and being heroes in From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Do you ever try something new and discover you excel at it? In Masterpiece by Elise Broach, Marvin is the bravest of his beetle family and he discovers his talent for drawing. Tiny drawings. He befriends human boy James and gives him a tiny ink drawing for his 11th birthday. The drawing sets James on a path of learning about artists and the dark side of the art world. Will Marvin save the day?

Resources on the Side

There are so many creative wonderful artists, art instructors and art institutions with great videos and websites. The YouTube videos, Online Art Activities, Places to Visit lists are collections of delightful and informative art resources.

Art For Kids Hub channel is a goldmine of drawing videos let by a father and his children. The focus is on having fun and not being perfect. The end of each video offers ideas on how to apply color with highlights and shadows.

Art with Maddi and Dada channel offers art history in animated form. Maddi, a young artist, and her robot Dada make art and travel in time to visit famous artists of the past where they learn about using color, create space, and other art techniques.

I am proponent of STEM, but more so STEAM. By adding Art to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, aesthetics of appealing design are integrated into function. Creating the Never-ending Bloom, Math and Magic of Origami, and Vi Hart are snippets to support STEAM.

Vi Hart is a mathematician who connects math theories to visual representations. I love Vi’s perky personality and the connection between drawing and math. Vi Hart has a whole channel, but these videos are the ones I would love the students see.

The Online Art Activities include art museums with interactive children’s websites. The National Gallery of Art has the most online art based games and art activities. They even have an App to download. The #metkids site for The Metropolitan Museum of Art is fantastic with a time machine, videos for making and understanding, and a Where’s Waldo style virtual tour.

I will continue to develop my list. Explore with your family. Be Creative!

Welcome!

This world is but a canvas to our imagination. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Welcome to my blog for the students and families of Southwest Elementary! I hope to connect with my students to help share ways to get creative during our time away from our SW Art Studio. 

Who am I? I am Jennifer Wehlacz, art teacher, artist, and dog lover. My studies were in Metalsmithing and Jewelry design and Art History at IU and University of Kansas. Time away from the school building is spent reading, gardening, crafting, arting, cooking. I just finished Sabriel, an interesting fantasy novel. Very thrilled to start my new James Rollins, The Last Odyssey! But the kiddos can tell you my collection of art literature and research materials abound. Yay, books! I also collect building toys and puzzles all kinds. I love to challenge my brain and the students. I look forward to sharing new ways of thinking artistically. 

I am required to state this is not an official Greenwood Community School site and they are not legally liable for the material.

Nevertheless, I want to be able to share websites and images in a easy manner. To the right you will find some links to websites. I will be adding more as I find them. If one does not work, please let me know. I have YouTube channels to recommend as well. Stay posted and stay healthy. I love you, my SW family!