D's 1st grade zoo field trip

Every year the 1st grade class gets to go on a fall field trip to our local zoo. D was really bummed last year when she was in kindergarten that she couldn't go with big brother. I reminded her that she would get to go this year with her own friends. So the time came for the permission slips to come home for this year's trip and she insisted that I had to go with, like I wouldn't anyway. It turned out to be the perfect day for the trip. In October, you never really know what the weather will bring here in Northern Indiana. Last year for their trip to the pumpkin patch it was rainy, muddy, and bitter cold. As you can see from the pictures, some of the kids were wearing shorts!! Summer just didn't want to give up this year. D's teacher has not lived in this area for years now, and is finally back. Well she was unfamiliar with the changes to the zoo, so D, another mom, and I helped her out with our knowledge of the zoo. We have been here so many times over the years that we really have learned things that most people have not heard before. 

We started out by meeting up with the classes, and finding our children and their partner. Each buddy gets a clipboard, highlighter, and a sheet with different types of animals. They are to color in a square every time they see an animal.

Trying to get the class together for a picture.

Take number 2! Like a friend has said, "It's like herding cats!"

After the walk around the zoo, everyone heads to a large picnic shelter for a picnic lunch. After lunch, all the kids head over to a fenced in playground area. They were super lucky too, because when they got back to school they had the privilege of going to a bounce house party in the gym as a reward for the fundraising sale we had this year.

Art Smart-1st grade Part 2

We did so many fun projects this past year, that I had to split this into 2 posts!

Artist: Paul Klee
Supplies needed: drawing paper, pencil, crayons

We tried our hand at 1 line drawings. Each kid had 1 piece of paper and a pencil. I told them that they could draw anything they wanted, BUT they could NOT lift the pencil off of the paper. It had to be 1 continuous line with no breaks in it. Once they figured out their drawing and finished it to their liking, we let them add color to the picture with crayons. I figured with the crayons we could still see the pencil line.

Artist: Charles DeMuth
Supplies needed: white drawing paper, pencil, gold paper, cool color oil pastels

Each kid cut out a medium sized gold 5 and glued it in the middle of the paper. Using a pencil, they drew a straight line out to the edge of the paper from each point on the 5. (We added one on the round section on the bottom as well) They then drew 2 circles around the 5 at 1" apart. Using a black crayon or oil pastel, trace all the lines drawn with the pencil. Have the kids fill in each section with the cool colors!

Art Smart-1st grade Part 1

This past year with Art Smart has been a very busy one! I was asked to lead the entire first grade class (close to 100 students) in all the art lessons. It only occurs once a month, and then I was able to round up other helpers to then go back to each of the 4 classes to help the kids stay on task. In addition to the first grade, I was also teaching D's kindergarten class. I will share with you all the projects and artists that we talked about in first grade. Sadly I don't have pictures for all the projects, for the whole class. I do have some of L's projects and will upload more images of them as I can find them. (You know how all the end of school stuff gets stashed in random places)


Artist: Helen Frankenthaler
 This was tons of fun and actually the last one we did this year in class. When we got home from school that day, D really wanted to try it as well. And since we already had paints and paper out for my little Indiana Summer magazine craft, we went ahead and did this one again!

Supplies needed: thick paper, primary color paints (red, yellow, and blue), brushes, and plastic wrap
Have the children paint the primary colors in splotches all over the paper, they can wet the paper with plain water first to help spread the paint. (I found it also helps to slightly water down the paint as well). Show the kids that if 2 of the colors mix, it creates one of the secondary colors (purple, orange and green). When they are happy with the amount of paint on their papers, crinkle up a piece of plastic wrap and lay on top of the painting, and then let dry totally with it on there. Ours took 2 days to dry. Once you pull the plastic off, you will notice a really neat texture!

Artist Wassily Kandinsky
For this project I had the teachers push 2 tables together in each class, and then laid out a long sheet of white paper. This was a new project that I had added to the list this year, so I was nervous that it wouldn't work. It turned out fantastic, and each classroom's painting turned out completely different!

Supplies needed: long sheets of white paper, brushes, different paint colors (we mixed our own to make different shades), cups or bowls for the paint.
We started out by having each child stand around the tables, and each child had their own color of paint in a cup, and a brush that followed the child around the table. Each kid painted 1 circle anywhere in front of them. It could have been whatever size that they liked. We then told them next, each kid took 1 step to the right, and added a circle to the one that was already painted. We kept going like that until we either ran out of room, or all the kids made it all the way around the table. These made fun and colorful murals to hang up just in time for our art fair!

Artist: Cave Paintings
These were tons of fun and all the kids had a blast doing this one!
Supplies needed: brown paper grocery bags (our local store let us take whatever we needed but we did ask first), oil pastels, scissors, white thick paper, spray bottles, and watered down washable paint (we used re, orange or yellow as those would have been easy to make back then)

I went ahead and cut the paper bags into rectangles ahead of class time. We only had an hour, if you have more time, you can let the kids cut them or have them tear them into an animal hide shape. Using the oil pastels, the kids drew primitive animal shapes, fire, and people shapes on the bag, just like the cave people did.

Then as an added fun cave painting drawing, we left our artist mark. The cave people would put their paint in their mouth, and spit it at their hand on the cave wall, leaving behind a hand outline. Well, instead of spitting the paint, we put watered down washable paints in inexpensive spray bottles. Each kid wrote their name on the back of a thick piece of white paper. Next they put them inside a large box, and put their hands down on top of the paper. I then sprayed the paint over their hands, and when they lifted it up, we had their mark!

Artist: Georgia O'Keffe
This was super simple but fun!
Supplies needed: white drawing paper, pencil, crayons

The kids started by drawing a small basic flower shape in the center of the paper. They then drew the same lines just a 1/2" around the first drawing. Continue this until the entire paper is filled. We then let the kids fill in the picture with crayons, markers, or you could have them paint them!

Artist: Grandma Moses
This worked out great right before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Supplies needed: white drawing paper, pencil, crayons, construction paper frame
Grandma Moses was known for drawing family get togethers, and normal everyday life on the farm. Have the kids think of a family get together or function. Most kids in our class picked a holiday. Have them draw their family with added details around the room. Color them in!

Last Day of School Fun!

On the very last day of school, we have what we call Fun In The Sun. Basically it is a field day for the entire school, and this year I was able to lead a relay race for the morning half of the day. I was then able to have lunch with both kids on the hill with all their friends.

After lunch I headed out to run some errands. I had picked up fun things from Dollar Tree to fill up a sand bucket. I put in a bug house, bubbles, silly string, book log, small can of root beer, goldfish crackers, and Twizzler bites. I also picked up a window marker and wrote on the back side windows, "Welcome to Summer." And last but not least, I picked up 2 helium balloons that I tied to the inside door handle of each kids door. When I arrived at school for pick up, I opened the windows and let the balloons fly out. When I drove up to the sidewalk where all the kids and teachers were waiting, I was met with loud hoots, hollers, and cheers. The kid's mouths dropped open. You could tell they were wondering what the heck mom was up to!

Both were very excited to break into their summer fun buckets right away!

And of course the silly string was used as soon as we made it home. 

Here is to a fun filled summer! Hope you all have a great time with everything you do this year!!!

Last days of school 2013

Wow, it has been awhile since I posted here. Sorry for the gap in time. The last month of school is always a very busy one. We finished up L's first grade and D's kindergarten year at the beginning of June. Their school does an awards ceremony for each grade level over 2 days. This year, we were lucky that both of ours fell on the same day. We started out the morning at L's. He was given a Life Skill award of problem solving. It was a great time! They also put together a very nice slide show for the entire first grade, and I have to say that I was honored to be included with the Art Smart work I have done with them over the last year.

L and his wonderful teacher! She has really made a difference in him over this past year!

The afternoon we were able to head to D's awards. They also had a nice slideshow for the entire kindergarten class, but they also sang 3 songs. It was very sweet, and many tears were shed through out the entire day. Not just by the parents, but the kids and teachers as well. 

D and her fantastic teacher. We will be sad to leave such a fun and wonderful classroom. 

First Week of school 2012

This has been a big year in our house this school year. Both kids are in school full time! D started kindergarten and L started first grade. I was both excited and sad by this change. It is the first time in 6 years that I have been able to spend time during the day for myself. Yes, I miss they during the day at times, and yes the time goes even quicker now. But I have also been able to start working out again, meet my friends for coffee or lunch, and watch a movie during the day. I still go to the library at least once a week, and I still come home with a stack of kid's books. I am cherishing my quiet time, but also loving all that the kids are learning.

Highlights from this past week:
There are 5 red heads in D's class
Both kids were excited about the teachers they got
L got new glasses with stronger lenses in them
D wore dresses that her Grammy made for her the first two days of school
They both LOVE school so far, and have even proclaimed it the best year ever
L's reading has suddenly sky rocketed!
Neither wants to leave the school after school gets out
I have already helped with painting in D's class
D is decked out in Hello Kitty everything
L is decked out in Super Hero everything




The day before school started we woke up to find a giant pencil sitting in front of the door. The kids were amazed and curious. Does it open? Where did it come from? They opened it up to find small balloons filled with candy and a note. A member from the moms group made these up for all the kids going into school this year, and dropped them off early in the morning. It was such a sweet gesture, that I know most of the moms cried.

D had orientation on the first day of school, which meant that she only went from 9-10 that day. But we treated it as if it were her first day as well. 

 L was very nervous about starting first grade. He thought he wouldn't know many in his class, and generally didn't like school. When I picked him up that day he had made a new best friend, and loved school. Amazing what one day can do!

This was D's official first day of school

Check out last year's first week! 2011