Final Projects, Just as good as the beginning!

As the year winds down, we are busy finishing up art projects. Some of the projects are really turning out beautifully. Why does that seem so surprising? Because, ususally, during this time of year, the kids have stopped really getting into the projects and changed their focus to getting out soon.....so I don't usually get the best results. But here are some really nice pieces that will miss being put up on the wall, so I am glad you will be seeing them here.

6th Graders Come "HOME" to Glaze "High 5" tiles

How fun it was to see all these students who came in to paint their High 5 tiles. With FCAT scores coming in AFTER school was out for the summer, these students did not get to design their tile until this year, when they are 6th graders. I am so glad we were able to get them in, because seeing your tile on the wall is much more fun if you made it yourself. I would have hated that they would have missed designing their very last art project at Chets Creek.

What is our High 5 tile about? At Chets Creek, any student who makes a 5 on the FCAT gets to decorate and glaze a 6"x6" tile. It then gets fired and put up on our HIGH 5 tile wall, that is worming its way around our dining room. That way, they can come back later on and always be able to find their tile. It really is a cool thing AND it really adds beauty to our dining room.

What was really fun was hearing these 6th graders chat about what was going on with them in Middle School. Oh, has the drama has already begun.......funny! They thought is was fun coming back to Chets Creek as they were constantly asking of their old (well...not really so old) teachers were still here. You'd think they had been gone for years. They had a blast seeing each other again and catching up, as many are attending different Middle Schools. Even the parents, who were hanging around, were jumping into the conversation, laughing, and teasing. Some were even helping to paint their child's tile. Others were offering advice as to how they should be painted. Little siblings (at least those not in strollers) were coloring up a storm and sharing their artwork. It was, to say the least, lively in the art lab these two nights. It all made staying after school, late, a really fun experience!

An Art Lab in Action

I really think it is so cool when students come into the Art Lab during their recesses, before school, and/or after school to work on their art projects. It make this room feel like a REAL art lab; a working art lab; a place where students can come put in a little extra time to improve their craftsmanship or catch up on their project, getting their artwork to to level they want it, instead of to the point that regular class time allows. It is exciting to have so many students WANT to spend their extra time doing art! To me, that is the ultimate goal -> to have students excited about what they are creating and desiring to do it well.

Lately, it seems we have had a stream of students in and out at all hours of the day, starting at 8:30 until 4:00 or 4:30. These are students that come to the lab OUTSIDE their normally scheduled art class. I might have as many as 7 or 8 students working in the back of the room on their various projects, sparking interests from the assigned class. Questions start flying..."What are they working on?," " That is really cool, can we do that too?" and so on. I guess a real art LAB is when students feel that they have access to it whenever needed, to put in the extra time,desired, to complete their artwork.