Let's Make Mask Emotions!

After one week of teaching my students, I noticed something. I am having a hard time gauging their emotions. And, right now, I know they are experiencing many feelings. On Tuesday, I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Dr. Gilboa and I learned so much about how to manage my own stress this new school year. She also touched on how our students may be feeling and letting them know that their feelings are valid and valued. You can listen to part one of our chat in my Cassie Stephens podcast right here.

Her conversation inspired me to create this lesson that I'll be doing with both my virtual and in person first grade students this upcoming week. I'm even thinking that I may do it with my second graders as well. 

I think the kids will not only enjoy this lesson but, hopefully, find a way to express themselves. Even if this activity just gets them talking about sharing their feelings, then my job is done. Ultimately, I plan to take photos of my students "wearing" these masks while talking about emotions. For example, "I am happy, when..." But that is still a lesson I'm working on. For now, we are starting here. 

My older students will be working on these too. If you haven't seen this lesson, you might want to give it a try. 

I share my lessons freely but lately I've noticed that some folks are taking my lessons, recreating them and selling them on TPT. I beg you to stop. If you use my lessons, all I ask is that you just give credit when it's asked. Taking someone's intellectual property and selling it as your own is stealing. So, like, don't. 

Have a great week, y'all! Stay tuned for Part 2 of my interview with Dr. G to be out soon!

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In the Art Room: First Grade Slab Fish and Under the Sea Sculptures

If you've been a-thinkin' that there's something fishy about this here blog post, you are correct, friend! My first grade friends just finished off these hilariously expressive fish and I just can't stop lookin' -n- laughin' at 'em. They have just as much silliness as the wee artists that created them. This was a fun 30 minute art class project that I know your kids would love to do so I just had to share it with y'all!

To start, every kid was given a grapefruit-ish sized piece of clay. I use cone 06 clay and I love it. I had a little selection of doilies, burlap an textured fabrics on each table for the kids to use as the "scales" of their fishy friend. 

The clay was then annihilated by the pounding fists of the first grade set. Our rule is pound it as flat as a cookie but no more. I also chat with them about how the clay should be level like a plain. There should be no peaks or valleys. Once it's smooth-ish, they peal it away from the fabric to reveal the texture underneath...

 Which always gets a multitude of Oooooh's and AAAAaaaah's. 

Once the fabric is pealed away, the clay is then cut into a circle shape. I had coffee lids for the kids to trace.

The excess clay trimmed off was then used for the whites of the fishes eyes. Two spheres were rolled and then flattened for this part. 

 In my art room, we use the terms "slip and score" but an old ratty toothbrush is used for the job of scoring. 

 Boom, two eyes. 

Smaller spheres for the pupils. AND just in case any of the clay is too thick, we used the back of our skewer stick to poke two pupils in the iris. 

 For the mouth, we rolled a coil.

 With both the eyes and mouth, we talked about expression. So, your fish could be surprised...

 Or fishy-mouthed...

 Or happy with a touch of possible constipation. It's up to you!

Next up, we pounded another piece of clay flat onto a texture. I love how this photo looks like my fish is eyeballing the clay as if it were a cookie. 

 Cut in half...

Now use one piece as the tail and the other as the fin!

Cut out a section for the top fin and, viola! Fishy is finished!

Once out of the kiln, these lil guys were given color with bright oil pastels. Then they were dipped into a bath of watery ink (although watery tempera would work as well)...

 And, ta-da! Seriously, aren't these little guys a total crack up?!

Since the kids didn't exactly experience sculpting with this slab clay project, I thought I'd introduce them to this art form another way. I picked up some pink insulation foam from the local hardware store that I scored and broke into pieces. 

This project was a great review of abstract, line names and sculpture. Each child had so much fun with their creation and I loved how fun and funky each turned out.

Each compliments it's fish so nicely. This is definitely a project I'll be doing again. Hope you will give it a go as well. Smell y'all later! 

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