Art & Science: Liquids into Solids

Alimacani art students are learning the science of the clay making process.  We compared the steps of making a cake in a kitchen oven to that of clay fired in a kiln explaining that the application of heat makes big changes. 

 


We discussed how primitive cultures fired their pottery by digging holes in the ground, filling with dried leaves and twigs, and placing pottery on top.  They started a fire by rubbing two sticks together, then covered it all with dirt.  Days later, they dug up their clay pieces to find then strong and hard.

Stay Tuned For Pottery Projects at Alimacani!

Such great news!  Thanks to the Alimacani PTA and all the students who participated in our Turkey Trot school fundraiser, we have a new addition to our art program:  a new, state of art kiln so our students can create beautiful pottery projects!  This long overdue piece of equipment will allow every student at Alimacani to create a clay project to treasure a lifetime.  We are SO fortunate to have a committed PTA and supportive families to help make this happen.  

Not only will students create a clay masterpiece, they will learn the science behind the firing process and how Native Americans and other primitive cultures around the world created and fired pottery before the invention of electric kilns.

Ask your students where we would go to find clay for pottery and how primitive cultures fired the clay to become strong and hard.

ARTY PARTY = Learning Disguised as FUN!

Alimacani art students who met the behavioral challenge of earning "all happy faces" on the behavior meter every art class earned a special "ARTY PARTY" during art classes this week before winter break.  Six stations were set up with science integrated art activities for center rotation - in other words, learning disguised as fun!

Sculpture with Brain Flakes

Architecture with Magnetic Tiles 

Designing a city with Kinetic Sand

Fun with Play Dough

Thanksgiving Parade Designs By Alimacani 4th Grade Students

GIRL POWER!

 We have some future Macy's Parade balloon designers! Forth grade students at Alimacani did an amazing job as they designed their own version of a balloon for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!  We learned about the history of the parade and studied the progression of balloon designs through the years.  This year, for the first time in history, the parade will introduce a new balloon created by a woman! The 4th grade girls were thrilled and shouted "Girl Power!"  

Art supply balloon! 

Minecraft!

Girl Power!

Hydraflask!

Fall is in the Air!

Yes, fall is indeed here and the leaves are dropping.  3rd graders had a blast literally "dropping" leaves onto their paper to create an abstract fall leaf line design.  Dropping leaf patterns onto their  background paper, they worked to create a pleasing composition. They traced each leaf where it landed then painted each one in fall tempera colors. Next step: Using oil pastels, they created line designs creating concentric organic shapes. They learned emphasis by using colors with contrast.

 

Chinese Sumi-e Painting- Bamboo for Alimacani

Forth grade art students at Alimacani Elementary learned painting techniques used by student artists on the other side of the world - China.  After viewing "Bamboo for Beginners," they they steadied their hands and practiced the simple, elongated strokes of Chinese Sumi-e painting.  Once they were happy with their brushstrokes they began to paint beautiful stalks of bamboo much like the children in China must do in their art classes. 
With each brushstroke, they were immersed in the Chinese culture, painting bamboo and calligraphy while listening to traditional Chinese music. 

Painting Lines with Alimacani Kinders

One never knows what to expect when painting for the first time with Kindergarten students but these little artists have inspired me to put out the paint at anytime.  Not only are they developing painting skills, techniques, and processes in the arts but they are strengthening their ability to remember, focus, process, and sequence information.