1st grade makes fossils and dinosaur tracks

What a fun project!! We used the same clay dough as before but without color except for a bit of coffee grounds. We talked about dinosaurs and their size and how fossils were formed and how they can be identified in rocks. We used shells, a pinecone, fern leaves and a wood stick to create the "fossil" imprints. I would add some little seeds and berries and smaller shells next time but this really works.

We read a great book about dinosaurs from the library discussing which were vegaterians and which weren't, then made dino feet out of the remaining clay.

3rd grade studies light & refections in the Taj Mahal

I was fortunate enough to borrow a print of the Taj Mahal from WBC Library for this lesson. The students spent the first week discussing how reflections work and drawing the buildings to proportion in fairly great detail. The second week we completed the buildings and drew the reflected building and added extra details. The final week we used crayons and chalk to create the soft colors like the print and learned how to make the reflection a bit darker than the original.

I was concerned about using varnish fixatives in the building and found that hair spray does set chalk well enough to use it and not be so worried about how toxic it might be. We even liked the scent.!

1st grade studies light

The 1st grade has been working on the art of light this month. First the students looked at reflections and mirror images. Students drew and colored an item of their own selection on the top half of the page then made the reflection on the remainder of the paper. We double checked the orientation of the relection using large mirrors.

The second study was on fireworks from the book . Students discussed the colors of fireworks and what chemicals create the colors. We also discussed how the rockets that launch fireworks operate. Painting with metalic paint on black paper was dramatic and got lots of OHs and AHs. The students began to add glitter and sequins to really personalize the project. This was a very popular project and not as messy as I expected.