Art Teacher Travels: Rome

If y'all follow me on Insta, then you know I recently returned from a 9 day adventure to Italy with my mama. Before leaving, I shared my Top Five Tips for the Traveling Art Teacher. And since I've been back, I posted my needle felted postcards inspired by my trip (more to come!). Now I thought I'd share my trip with y'all! 

While in Italy, mom and I hit Rome, Florence and Venice. Many folks have asked me how I went about planning such a trip: what online travel services we used, hotels we stayed in and city tours we took. I tell you, planning a trip like this can be super stressful and expensive. There were times I honestly wanted to throw in the towel. But once I found the online travel service that worked best for us, everything else fell into place. So I thought I'd not only share my adventures in these three amazing cities with you but also my recommendations. Please feel free to share yours as well, we can all learn about traveling to this beautiful country together!

After doing some serious online shopping for flights, hotels and more, I felt overwhelmed. It was then I started investigating online travel agencies. Having read the reviews of many (and calling them to make sure I could actually talk to a human...which didn't happen often), I settled on Costco Travel. YES, that Costco. You do have to become a member to book your trip. With Costco Travel, I booked our roundtrip tickets from Nashville, our hotels (there are a dozen to choose from depending on what is important to you: location, cost and/or fanciness. I always booked the ones with the best location), our train tickets from city to city and a car service to and from the airport. When I did the side-by-side financial comparison between what I could book versus Costco, it was no contest. Not to mention that Costco was continuously getting me the best rate. At one point, when they were able to get my train tickets cheaper, they refunded my credit card nearly $200. Needless to say, I was thrilled with this travel service and cannot recommend them enough.

Rome, Day 1: When we arrived in Rome, it was 8am. We did our very best to sleep on the plane so we could hit the ground running. It is super important to get yourself acclimated to the timezone you are in to avoid jet lag. Our driver was waiting for us at baggage claim and took us on a wild ride into the old city of Rome. Word to the wise: do NOT rent a car in Rome. Romans drive crazy! Our funny driver told us that stop signs and red lights are just a suggestion and pedestrians stand a very good chance of being run over by a car, motorcycle, Vespa or bike if they are not careful. An hour later, we were in the center of Rome at Hotel delle Nazioni which is just a half a block from Trevi Fountain and a short walk from the Spanish Steps. We couldn't have asked for a better location. 

Our room was not glamorous by any means but it was nice. I was impressed that we were allowed to check in right away. This gave us a hot minute to unload our stuff, glance at the map and take in our living quarters for the next three nights. We had comfy-ish beds, free breakfast and air conditioning...which came in super handy as the temps soared. We were surprised to find a bidet in every hotel (I just assumed that was a French thing). After freshening up, we were read to explore Rome!

It was so incredible to have Trevi Fountain just down the block from our hotel. What an incredible sight to see right away! I had previously been to Italy when I traveled abroad in college (I did my student teaching in Ireland and traveled a bit afterward) but I had never been in Rome. And my mom had never been out of the country! So you can imagine just how thrilled we were to be there. Doesn't the fountain look amazing? Here's what they don't show you on the postcards of Rome:

The herds of people! When mom and I arrived in mid-June, we were at the front end of tourist season. Apparently July and August are the real tourist times...so if you can go at a different time, not only will you be able to travel cheaper but you also won't have to deal with such crowds. 

Before leaving on our trip, I poured over my Rick Steves travel book. Laugh if you wanna but I have been a fan of Rick Steves for a long time. I remember watching his travels on PBS and being fascinated. From him, I learned that the best way to see the history of Rome is to learn from a local. There are a ton of tour groups and guides (almost all are Italian) to choose from. So, how did I pick? I hopped on over to TripAdvisor. I decided what I wanted to see with the time that I had and knew that a tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum were in order. Before booking, read the reviews! This will help you decide if a tour is the right one for you.

I booked a tour for mom and myself at 1:30pm. This gave us plenty of time to hop off the plane, get to our hotel, unload and walk our way down to the Colosseum. Another reason to love the location of our hotel: we were able to walk to everything! This also made for guilt-free gelato consumption...which we gobbled up daily. 

Mama soakin' up the sun and history of Rome. A benefit to booking a tour: you are able to get to jump the lines. We were able to scoot right into the Colosseum and learn all about the rich history during out hour and a half tour. Here's a one minute video I created of the Colosseum...

From that tour, we explored Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. I knew so little about this rich history...I was thrilled to learn about it from a local guide. 

Now at this point, the moms and I were getting mighty hot and starting to fade. One thing that really helped us was to stay hydrated. Rome made this easy for us: there are fountains and water spigots everywhere! The water is cold and delicious. What a gift. 

I have neck issues that only start to drive me bonkers when I carry a purse on my shoulder. Knowing that, I always carried a lightweight cross body purse. In that, I had my phone, our passports and my cash. I wore my camera around my neck in true tourist fashion. Thankfully, mom does not have these issues so she carried a bigger bag with our water bottles. 

We wrapped up our day with an amazing dinner and a million of our friends on the Spanish Steps. Speaking of dinner, let's talk food, shall we? You absolutely CAN go wrong with food in Italy, despite what everyone says. Some tips we learned from a local: don't eat at places that have photos of the food posted outside the restaurant as they are catering to tourists who are easily fooled; skip the joints that have menus out front in every language on the planet or ones that have a fast-talkin' dude standing outside. Don't let his cute looks, accent and slicked-back hair fool you, keep walking. Instead, get off the beaten path and hit up those quiet places. That is where the locals go...and the food will be amazing. 

Rome, Day 2: Before leaving the states, I found out about Kelly Medford's Sketching Rome. I was so excited about the idea to actually sit and draw (something I rarely do) in ROME of all places that I immediately signed up. You can follow Kelly and her tours here for more inspiration. I cannot even tell you how much fun it was to spend time with folks of all walks of artistic life and draw this beautiful city. 

I must admit: whenever I go to workshops, classes or professional development, I suffer from performance anxiety. I know I'm not alone in this. But I feel that one way to work through something like that is to keep on pushing yourself which is another reason I signed on for the class. 

With Kelly's guidance, we explored blind contour, contour, shading, crosshatching, watercolor and more...in just two hours. 

 Not only that, but she provided us with hand bound sketchbooks (that she created!) and all the supplies we would need. 

These are the sweet folks I got to sketch with. I was thrilled to then have the supplies to sketch for the rest of my trip!

My sketching class was in the Borghese Gardens. When it was over, mom and I grabbed some gelato and made our way to the Vatican for our tour of the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel. 

 Lemme just restate: booking a tour not only gives you inside info but also gets you to the front of the line. Folks in line were looking at a two hour wait in the hot Roman sun while we skipped right ahead. Our tour began with a walk through the Vatican Museums which is equal parts insanely crowded and beautiful. You aren't allowed to stop for more than a moment to grab a quick photo. You honestly feel like a herd of cattle moving in front of priceless masterpieces. 

 And it was in the Vatican Museums that we promptly lost my mom. She paused for just a moment too long to snap a photo while our group moved ahead...and she vanished. Of course, I had no cell service. Thankfully, a sweet Irish couple lent me their phone to text her. It wasn't until hours later, when our tour was near it's end, that a woman in our group spotted her in St. Peter's Square. 

But let me back track to the Sistine Chapel. There are no photos of that amazingness as you are not allowed to take any. The Chapel itself, despite it's soaring ceiling, is actually very small. It's strange to think that Michelangelo spent 9 years of his life in that chapel: 4 painting the ceiling and 5 painting the second coming on the wall. It is absolutely INCREDIBLE to stand in the Sistine Chapel. I cried. The history, the beauty, the skill of such an artist. Despite popular belief, Michelangelo did not lay down on his back to paint the ceiling, he stood on scaffolding with his neck bent backward. Can you imagine? He must has suffered so much pain throughout the course of his life from that experience. What an incredible gift that chapel is. 

And then there's St. Peter's Bascilica. There is absolutely nothing like it that I have ever seen. Compared to the Sistine Chapel, it is a mammoth. Mom and I toured the Bascilica twice. Little known fact: you can get into the Bascilica for free, just like all churches in Rome. Just approach the Vatican from St. Peter's Square and you are in. It's worth it just to see the Pieta. 

This has always been one of my favorite sculptures by Michelangelo. Sadly, it is incased behind a sheet of thick glass. Several years ago, a man claiming to be Jesus attacked the sculpture with a hammer and did some damage before being stopped by guards. Since then, the Pieta has been protected by glass. 

 I believe I took one million trillion photos of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Bascilica...I'll spare you all of those. Trust me when I tell you, it was a breathtaking sight. 

 Rome, Day 3: On our final day in Rome, I made a point not to have any tours planned. I wanted us to have time to go back and revisit any places we had seen and to explore those we'd missed. I also just wanted us to ditch the map and get lost. I will say, out of the three cities we visited, Rome was the easiest to navigate. The roads were (kinda) well marked and the map I purchased from a street vendor for a couple of euro did me alright. 

We are also two ladies who love to shop! So it was fun to pop in and out of any stores that caught our eye and not have to worry about keeping a schedule. The Pinocchio store was my absolute fave. 

 In addition to my lightweight purse and camera as must-haves when traveling, I also packed one pair of sandals (Chacos were my shoes of choice ) and sneakers for our bike adventure (more to come about that!). I only took 5 dresses on my trip, a hat and a pair of sunglasses. I packed surprisingly light...knowing that I might have to fit a Pinocchio in my suitcase!

We also took in the Pantheon (one of the oldest pieces of architecture from ancient times), the Fonte Acqua Paola as well as the fun surrounding area of Trastevere. 

 And, of course, gelato. Had to squeeze in that daily gelato. 

 One important thing we had to figure out everyday while in Italy: where are we going to see the sunset? The sun sets around 9pm. On our final day in Rome, we decided to see it from the top of the Altar of the Fatherland. For a handful of euro, you can go to the top and catch this view of the city:

Another thing we always did was make sure we caught a view of the cities from above. It really put Rome in perspective. 

Mom absolutely loved Rome. I think it would have been her favorite city if Venice hadn't won her over by being on the water. Me, I liked Rome a lot...but it was not my favorite spot out of the three we visited. It had just a little too much of a big city vibe for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Rome...but Florence and Venice truly have my heart. You'll have to tell me what you think. I'll be sharing them in up coming blog posts, so stay tuned. 

Until then, I'll leave you with our final view of Trevi Fountain on our last night's stay. This time, I'll leave out the crowd of tourists! 

DIY: Needle Felted Postcards

Ciao! Last Thursday, my mama and I returned from a whirlwind trip to Italy...photo and video heavy blog post to come. Over the past weekend, as I was scrolling through my endless photos of Rome, Florence and Venice, I decided to recreate some of my favorite memories in the form of postcard-sized needle felt. It was super simple to do...although, like all needle felting projects, it is time consuming. However, I love to sit, relax, watch something that doesn't require too much focus (anyone else watching Glow right now and having 80's flashbacks?!) and create. So needle felted postcards it is! 

After sharing these on my IG, I got handful of questions about how these were made. So I filmed the process and slapped it together in this video. I hope it answers your questions...but if not, feel free to drop me a line in the comments!

The hardest part about creating these postcards...was not having a drawing of the image created beforehand. I didn't draw on the felt or work from a sketch, I just went for it. Sometimes this was frustrating as I had to (gently) tear out what I didn't like. For the most part, working without a script, so to speak, was pretty dang freeing. It felt like painting. I think that's why I enjoy felting so much. It takes me back to my painting days...but it is a medium that I find much easier to work with than watercolor or oil paint. 

I asked mom many times what her favorite part of our trip was. We both have had a hard time answering that question! For me, one of my fave days was our bike ride thru Tuscany to visit a couple of vineyards and stop for a traditional Tuscan lunch. It was magical and a day I definitely wanted to capture on a needle felted postcard.

To give the sunflowers a more 3-dimensional look, I didn't needle felt them entirely so they were raised up a pinch. 

One daily question while in Italy was, "Where should we watch the sunset tonight?" The sunset it late, close to 9pm so we usually tried to be somewhere magical every evening to catch a breathtaking view. On our last night in Rome, that meant the top of the Alter of the Fatherland. I loved the silhouette of the statues even more than the view!

For a couple of Euro, we took a glass elevator that was packed with tired tourists toting bottles of wine and cameras. 

With paint, colors tend to mix...with roving, you can layer many colors and it takes on an atmospheric look that I love. 

I have never worked this small with needle felting before...it can be tedious. I have a tendency to over work images (which is what I think I was doing with the image of Venice below) so I always have to take a break, step back and look at what I'm creating from a distance. Anyone else like this?

Gondola man just about did me in. At first I was hesitant to put a gondola in the image as it seemed rather cliche...but there are literally gondolas EVERYWHERE in Venice, it's no exaggeration. And the light between the buildings really is that beautiful. 

Venice has this magical ability to be "postcard ready" everywhere you look. One person I met referred to it as being like Disney. She's right. Except Disney would charge you a small fortune to get on the island and require you to have a magical tracking band to get to the front of the line at St. Mark's Basilica...which is actually a really great idea. But I digress. 

 I've already started on a fourth postcard...I just can't stop. I'll be certain to share those with you when they are complete. 

 Until then, I need to figure out how to display these bad boys. Small frames? Large frame/large mat? A frame that can hold multiple images? 

Until I get that figured out, y'all have a wonderful day and we'll chat real soon!

In the Art Room: Clay Tacos!

Hey, friends! I thought I'd share with you a fun clay project that you can do with either kiln fire or air dry clay: Clay Tacos! I did this project with my kindergarten kiddos and it was a huge hit. It also taught them a ton: clay can capture texture; how to create a sphere, coil and a slab, the holy trinity of clay sculpture; how to adhere clay with an alternative slip and score method. So here you go: Clay Tacos!

One thing I love when working with clay and kiddos is introducing them to texture and clay. We step on the clay, pound it into textures, you name it, we try it. My favorite thing is to have a variety of lace, doilies and burlap for them to experiment with. 

With a class of 20 kids pounding clay flat, it is going to sound like a crazy roll of thunder (with echoes of lots of laughs from the kids) but I have found it to be the quickest and easiest way to introduce the kids to creating a slab. 

With a beautiful textured piece of clay, the possibilities are endless! In fact, I'll be sharing EIGHT of my favorite air dry clay projects using this method and more at the Art Ed NOW conference! 

Have y'all signed up? You really should, it's a ton of fun. 

I explored EVERY air dry clay on the market (seriously) when working on my clay book which is now available for sale here! Many of the air dry clays have the look and feel of kiln fire so it's a great way to introduce kids to the magic of clay even if you are kiln-less. So get you some clay and make you a clay taco today! 

Published in a Magritte Activity Book!

Last winter I was contacted by Liesbeth Elseviers who is an editor of children's books in Belgium. They were working on a fun Magritte activity book for children to celebrate an upcoming exposition on Magritte's work. Liesbeth had seen one of my Magritte lessons on this here blog and asked if it could be featured in the book. I happily agreed and then promptly forgot all about the book. Until it arrived on my doorstep from the Netherlands. Look how absolutely stunning this book is!

 A few months ago, when Liesbeth sent me the page proof, I was blown away. She and her team really did a beautiful job with the layout and design of the book. Flipping through the pages, each page is a work of art with a large variety of Magritte-inspired art activities for kids. 

 The book is in English as well as French and Dutch. 

 Isn't it a beauty? Y'all can check out my Magritte-inspired projects here, our mural here and my Magritte costume here! 

 I thought I would share a little flip through so you can see all that the book has to offer. It would be a great book for kids to use independently, for teachers to use as a teaching tool and sketchbook inspiration. 

I love activities that give the kids quiet sketch time. Telling them the story of how Magritte came up with his surrealistic ideas would be a great jumping point for our kids to come up with ideas outside the box. 

So much inspiration here! I'm thrilled and honored to be apart of such a beautiful book based on such a wonderful artist. 

So where can you get your copy? Currently the book is only available to friends in Belgium and The Netherlands. You can purchase here. If interested in overseas shipping, try contacting the folks here. The book will be available in the land of Oz at the Australian Museum of Modern Art. 

Best Books for Art Teachers!

Summertime is my favorite time to reflect on the past school year. I often find myself uprooting all of my favorite art teacherin' books during this time. Sometimes, I'll just flip through them, look over my cryptic notes (I really gotta become a better note keeper!) and rethink my life choices, er, strategies in the art room. Other times, I'll dig deep into a book, really opening my mind up to new possibilities for the new year. I love this part of teaching: that we get the chance to hit the reset button every school year, throw out the old and bring in the new. I feel like Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day every August! 

In case you missed, during our last Facebook LIVE art teacherin' chat, we were talking about our favorite art teacher books. You can find that chat archived on my page. Be sure to peruse the comments to see what other folks are reading. We agreed that a book club would be super fun so, during the month of July during FB LIVE, that's what we'll be up to! 

How to join the book club? First, get you a copy of the book. We won't be starting until Wednesday, July 5th so plenty of time to get a copy and start flipping through it. Our chats our held here. In order for you to view the chat, you'll need to like my page. At 8pm CST on Wednesday, July 5th, I'll pop up in your feed! We usually chat for about an hour...but you can come and go any time. 

I'm very excited about sharing ideas with one another on how we can infuse art education and growth mindsets in our art room! Until then, I thought I'd share with you some of my very favorite books as an art teacher. Some of these books, I've had since my first year teaching and they truly helped me so much. One book I discovered during my first years teaching was Drawing with Children by Mona Brooks. 

 Wow, did this book teach me more than I learned in college about working with children! It's such a comprehensive book that explains child development; showcases lessons and examples; recommends supplies and teaching strategies. I followed this book to a T when first started out and it was like having a friend guide me. It is very heavy on the side of guided drawing which I know some folks feel very much against. But, for me, I believe that there is a place for guided drawing in the art room as long as it is balanced with open-ended projects. You would never expect a music teacher to teach a student how to play an instrument without first showing them how to do it. Why is art thought to be different? I also have Mona's book on teaching older children which is also very helpful. She dives into teaching more from observational drawing in that book. 

Ah, a classic, right? Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is currently in either it's fourth or fifth addition. I love the concepts in the book...but it is hard to use with children because it is so dry. Trust me, I know, I've tried. As an elementary art teacher, I really do want to use the concepts from this book, but change it up and make it more geared toward my fun and funny little audience. This is something I'm thinking about this summer. 

What I really like about Hooked on Drawing is that the author, Sandy Brooke, does a great job of sharing lessons that go beyond pencil and paper. She has her students work with chalk, charcoal, kneaded erasers; all that stuff I never used until college. My kids LOVE working with those supplies. Observational Drawing with Children is a great read. What I like about it is that it really explains the developmental stages of drawing. It also provides conversations between student and teacher to give you a peak into an art teacher's classroom. Open-ended lessons and ideas are provided in this small book. 

It's hard to teach what you don't know...and I definitely did not know color when walking into the art room. I used this book as a crash course for myself to become a better teacher. If you are a teacher of older students, you could use the concepts from this book with your kiddos. 

My first year was also helped out greatly by Cathy Topal's book Children and Painting. This book is beautiful with full color photos and great lessons that scaffold. Another beautiful book is You Can Weave! I was so fearful of introducing weaving to my students...this book was a game changer. Again, lots of full color photos and easy to follow steps. 

 I love art history. LOVE it! But how to teach it all? One of my favorite ways to teach is by telling a story. Another teacher who is gifted at this is Marianne Saccardi. Her book Art in Story provides inspiring, well-researched and fascinating stories of artists or art history. You can read them aloud to your students or memorize them and add sound effects, lighting, music and amateur acting skills as I like to do. My very favorite art history book is The Annotated Mona Lisa. Y'all, this is one of my top five. I use this when creating my Hot Minute of History lessons for my kids. It's snippets of art history are short, concise and to the point. 

 A fun and inspirational read is Educating Esme. This is the diary of a first year fifth grade teacher in an inner city school. She struggles with the kiddos, her administration and just finding herself as a teacher. It's a quick read that will leave you inspired. Speaking of inspire, Ron Clark, anyone?! Holy mary, the Godfather of Teacher, can I get an amen? I love all of his books. 

 Need more inspo? Teach like a Pirate is beyond awesome. Dave Burgess is the teacher we all wanna be. But Meena Srinivasan shows us that teaching isn't just about being as wild, crazy and energetic as you can. In Teach, Breathe, Learn, she shares her methods of inspiring mindfulness in her students both in and out of the classroom. 

The key is to discover who YOU are in your art room...reading these books should inspire you, not make you feel the need to conform to any one else's methods or styles of teaching. Your passion is what is going to drive you as an educator and make you  your very best. Just keep that in mind as you flip through the pages of these books and happy reading!