Kinder Mixed Media Pumpkins

Kindergarteners used orange construction paper shapes to collage down onto a piece of white paper.  Students learned about collage, and worked on overlapping their shapes.  Once the orange paper shapes were dry, large pumpkin shapes were drawn and cut out of the collaged paper and glued down onto a tan background.  Kindergarteners practiced their cutting to make shapes for the pumpkin faces, as well as for the stems and vines.  Paper techniques were learned for folding and curling the vines. 

3rd Grade Papel Picado

3rd graders learned about Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).  Day of the Dead is a holiday that is celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.  Papel Picado is an art form that goes along with Day of the Dead.  Papel Picado is a craft form of detailed paper cuts.  Traditional Papel Picado is made from tissue paper and small craft knives and scissors.  Common designs include skulls, flowers, birds, and detailed patterning.  Papel Picado can be found displayed in private homes, and even as public banners for street festivals and celebrations.  3rd graders used thin colored papers and scissors to create their own Papel Picado paper cuts.  Papers were folded, and then cut, to create symmetrical designs.  

5th Grade Color Wheels

Learning Targets:

I can...  

- name and label the primary colors

- make, label, and mix the secondary colors

- make, label, and mix the intermediate colors

- mix 2 complementary colors to create a neutral color

- mix tints and shades of colors

- place colors in the correct places on the color wheel

5th Grade Sugar Skulls

5th graders learned about Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).  Day of the Dead is a holiday that is celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.  Each student designed their own sugar skull on scratch paper, using lines, shapes, and patterns to create fine, intricate designs.  

4th Grade Matisse Cut Outs

In this lesson, students learned about Henri Matisse, and his collage technique of "drawing with scissors." Students translated sports poses into abstract figures, which were then cut out of black paper.  The remaining negative space surrounding the abstract figures were then used to form shapes around the outside border of the collage.  Students each chose a color scheme to use throughout their collage.  Abstract shapes and "nature forms" were cut and glued onto the collage.

Pinwheels for Peace

     In September, Cushing Elementary participated in Pinwheels for Peace.  Each student created their own pinwheel, accompanied with a message of peace.  The pinwheels were set up in front of our school, and stuck into the ground in the formation of a large peace sign.  This large public art "peace" was set up on International Peace Day, as a way of spreading messages of peace.  This year, Mr. Last's 4th grade class helped install the outdoor display.