Year Prep & Prep/1C Watercolour Fish

First we read part of a book on fish and discussed how fish breath. Next using oil pastel students learned via a guided lesson how to draw a simple fish. Lastly students used watercolour paint to bring their fish to life.

Year 1 Spider Web Weaving Plates

First we listened to the book Sophie's Masterpiece read aloud by CCH Pounder on Storyline Online. This story is about a wonderful spider named Sophie who is initially misunderstood and feared, yet finally seen clearly and recognised as an artist that can weave a beautiful web.

Students learned how to draw a simple cartoon spider and drew this on their plate, colouring it in with marker and then colouring the background with crayon. Next students threaded their plastic needle and weaved a web across their plate. This was a tricky lesson yet all students persevered with impressive results.

Prep & P/1C Bead Snakes

First we read The Singing Snake by Stefan Czernecki and Timothy Rhodes, which is based on an Aboriginal legend about how the didgeridoo was first made. This book also has an underlying theme about honesty and playing fair. Students then threaded beads in patterns onto a pipe cleaner and added bead or button eyes to make their own snake.

Year 2 Pattern Monsters

Year 2 students listened to the book, Where the Wild Things Are, and then drew their own monster. We discussed pattern and students added this feature to their drawings. Next they cut out their monster and glued it onto their oil pastel rubbing picture for the background.

Prep & Year 1 Stamping Pictures

Students created pictures with shape stamps. In Prep/1C we read the book Miss Rumphius and students stamped a picture of a flower.

Prep & P/1C Claydough Echidna

We read a fun, rhyming book about Australian animals and then students modelled an echidna using claydough, which is a modelling clay halfway between real clay and playdough in consistency.

Year 2 Rainbow Giraffe

First we read Drew Daywalt's The Day the Crayons Quit, which explores the idea of using unusual colours instead of realistic ones in artwork. Next, students drew a giraffe and painted the picture with fun and unusual colours!

Year 2: Eric Carle-inspired Orange Elephant

First we read Eric Carle's The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse, based on a Franz Marc painting. This book discusses the concept of painting with unusual and unpredictable colours. Students painted a warm colour sheet, to later cut up for their elephant, and a cool colour background sheet. Students cut up the elephant pieces to create their own whimsical orange elephant!

Year 1: Fun with Origami

First we read Dogs' Night Out which is a fun book about dogs jumping out of their paintings in an art gallery. Students then folded orimgai dogs, cats, fans and foxes!

Prep & P/1C Origami Dog Stick Puppet

We first looked at a book called Spot a Dog which shows famous paintings that all contain dogs. Next students folded a dog head and decorated this with crayons. These were then glued onto a stick to create a puppet.

Prep & P/1C Colour Train

After listening to The Cat, the Mouse and the Runaway Train students painted their train engine using primary colour acrylic paint. They also painted a separate food dye wash background paper with white pastel resist lines. To finish their project students cut out their trains and glued these onto the background.

Year 2 String Runner Toy Construction

Students listened to a fun book called Splat the Cat. They chose a character from the book or made up their own and drew this on cardboard, coloured it in and cut it out. Next, they constructed a string runner toy using string, two plastic beads, a plastic drinking straw, a 5 cent coin as a weight, scissors and sticky tape.

Year 1 Fantastic Frogs

The Fantastic Frog process: First we read a book together about the life-cycle of frogs. Students then followed a directed line drawing lesson using oil pastels. Lastly, they painted their picture with a food dye wash and named their frog. You can view some of these frogs this term in the library!

Term 2: Prep & Prep/1C Mixed Up Chameleons

This term our visual arts learning focus across all levels will be on painting and construction. In the first week of the term we read Eric Carle's Mixed Up Chameleon. In the story the chameleon wishes he was a different animal, but soon realises that it's best to be himself. Students drew wonderful chameleons using oil pastel and then painted it with watercolour paints.

Prep & P/1C: Come Over to My House Collage

Prep A, B, and Prep/1C created colourful seaside houses by cutting, pasting and drawing after listening to Come Over to My House by Theo LeSieg. The story takes children around the world visiting houses in many different countries. We also discussed primary and secondary colours, and students used paper in these colours for their houses.

Year 2 Torn Paper Portraits

We read a fantastic book called All the Colours of the Earth which discusses multiculturalism. Students tore and glued paper to create imaginative portraits!

Year 2 Recycled Owls

Students created a mixed media picture with oil and soft pastels and cut up newspaper to make delightful owls!

Prep & Year 1: Little Owls

Prep and Year 1 students first listened to the story of Little Owl. Little Owl falls from his nest. He wants to discover "woo" he is and tries to be like other Australian animals. He soon realises he is an owl and finds his way back to his mother. Students drew an owl outline, branch, stars and a moon, then tore paper to make owl feathers for their own Little Owl.

Prep & P/1C: Colour for Curlews

This week I introduced Preps and P/1C to primary and secondary colours by reading Colour for Curlews. They also enjoyed drawing on scratch film paper with a wooden stylus to reveal the rainbow colours underneath! This term in the classroom one theme is Me and My Family, so they drew with this in mind.

 

Beautiful Oops

I read the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Salzberg to Prep, Year 1 and 2 students. It's a fantastic book about moving past "mistakes" in art. "When you think you've made a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful." I gave Prep students paper with a shape already drawn on it and a folded corner as starting points. Year 1 students had a torn paper with a smear of black pastel on it, and the year 2s started with a splash of paint and a hole in their paper...They created wonderfully imaginative pictures! "Beautiful Oops" is now a part of our everyday visual arts language. I have spoken with all grades about the principle of Beautiful Oops. My intent is for students to have fun, take risks and become fearless with their art.