Arts & Activities articles from September 2008

Arts & Activities archives from September 2008

Editor's note.(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... It's a fantastic thing to be greeted in your art room by the excited, joyous faces of youngsters like Aiden, the boy on our cover. You know you have reached them when they eagerly await the next thing to learn from you. Our mission this month...

Earth ... it's got art.(dear editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... I have been a longtime subscriber to your magazine, and am so excited about Debi West's "eARTh... it's got ART" lessons. The lessons are so fun and are adding another dimension to my already wonderfully strong art program. Tonja Mason ...

It works for me!(dear editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... I was so excited to see the "A&A: It Works!" section of the magazine (May 2008). To be able to share art lessons with other teachers is so rewarding. I showed the article to my boss and she showed the editor of the local news journal, who made...

I can see clearly now.(dear editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... I requested PDFs of lesson plans from Arts & Activities and, I must say, it has been such a treat to have received them. I am now able to enjoy the lesson plans, having completed my very dense and pressing finals. I was very happy to open the...

Glimpses at art happenings.(dear editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... My fifth- and sixth-graders and I are doing "global outreach" quilts made with fabric markers on muslin. The squares are then quilted by an adult quilter and sent to orphanages. Lise Triggs Murfreesboro, Tennessee A local street...

Requests and suggestions.(dear editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... I've read your magazine for years! I love it every month and save all my copies. They are great resources for articles, Web sites and e-mail addresses, and contain mostly well-written directions and book/DVD reviews. It would be helpful for you...

And some criticism ...(dear editor)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... I was appalled to find a lesson in your magazine with photocopied pages for students to design ("Pattern Pictures," Sept. 2007). Think... what is the message to the students?... "You aren't smart enough, creative enough to trust your own...

Exploring Color: Creating Color Wheels and Using Color Schemes.(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
September 1, 2008... EXPLORING COLOR: Creating Color Wheels and Using Color Schemes. VHS or DVD/21 min./ $29.95. Level: Middle and High School, Adult. Crystal Productions. Peggy Flores very competently takes viewers through the introductory steps of...

The Bible of Illuminated Letters: A Treasury of Decorative Calligraphy.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... THE BIBLE OF ILLUMINATED LETTERS: A Treasury of Decorative Calligraphy (2006; $24.99), by Margaret Morgan. Barron's Educational Series, Inc. There's a gigantic gap between graffiti images seen on urban walls and the illuminated manuscripts...

Creating with Crayons.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Video recording review)
September 1, 2008... CREATING WITH CRAYONS. DVD/28 min./$29.95. Level: Elementary. Crystal Productions. As basic as crayons are to an art program, they possess more qualities than one might first suspect. Peggy Flores guides viewers of this DVD through...

Rethinking Curriculum in Art.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... RETHINKING CURRICULUM IN ART (2007; $24.95), by Marilyn G. Stewart and Sydney R. Walker. Davis Publications. This book grew out of the work of many art educators involved in a five-year Transforming Education Through the Arts Challenge...

Young artist.(Emma Neumann)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... When I do art, I think it is so much fun! I've loved art ever since I was 2 years old. I painted in my high chair with finger paints and watercolors. I loved to decorate our driveway with chalk. I even started to paint rocks I found from...

An art history center in elementary school?(Cover story)
September 1, 2008... When I pictured my career as an art teacher, I had many images in my mind. Teaching kindergarten students to hold a paintbrush, teaching fifth-graders to use one point perspective, showing third-graders how to blend chalk pastels and create...

Times of day in art.(Introduction to the 2008-2009 CLIP & SAVE art prints)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the late winter and early spring months of 1892 and 1893, the French Impressionist painter Claude Monet rented space across the street from the Rouen Cathedral. In these rooms, with windows that looked out upon...

Clip & save art notes.(Pierre Eugene Frederic Bonnard)(Biography)
September 1, 2008... ABOUT THIS ARTIST French painter, Pierre Eugene Frederic Bonnard (1867-1947), was born outside of Paris to a comfortable, middle-class family. At the age of 18, Bonnard enrolled in law school, and used his free time to study painting....

Classroom use of the art print.
September 1, 2008... Pierre Bonnard (French; 1867-1947). Dusk, The Croquet Game, 1892. Oil on canvas; 51.25" x 64". Music d'Orsay, Paris, France. THINGS TO KNOW Pierre Bonnard was born outside of Paris in 1867. He grew up in a comfortable, middle-class...

Mixed-media collage color wheel.
September 1, 2008... Teaching the color wheel can be unimaginative and boring, but this mixed-media, cooperative, multi-grade-level color wheel is fun for all? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Starting with first-and second-graders, each class was divided into six...

Power play.(art ACROSS the CURRICULUM)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The one that got away. The road not taken. Just say no. Such phrases may seem like worn-out cliches, but, ultimately, making a choice or having choices made for you are the things that will shape the course of your...

The hole truth.(On the ART CAREER TRACK)(layout and design project )
September 1, 2008... When thinking about a plausible subject for a layout and design project driven by the element of shape, the bagel proved a worthy topic. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In Ottawa, we are well positioned to discuss the merits of the many...

10 Teaching and learning strategies in a "choice-based" art program.
September 1, 2008... In a choice-based art program, the classroom becomes a "studio" and students are treated as artists. Individual students are responsible for designing and implementing their "art problems," and initiating their own projects. This system honors...

The value of a good teacher.
September 1, 2008... How do we measure the value of a good teacher? Now, that's a loaded question. We at Bridgman High School measure the value of a good teacher on many levels--their subject expertise, their positive interaction with students, their commitment to...

Object family tree.
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sitting pensively one day, gazing listlessly over a stack of ideas for a drawing project, I began to think, "Why would my junior-high students care about any of these projects?" Some of the ideas were fancy, some...

Op-art line design.
September 1, 2008... As each new school year begins, I find myself asking this question: Do I have enough time for a quality art lesson, after I've given my "Welcome-to-the-art-room rules and regulations, who do I remember, and where-shall-we-sit" speech? The...

It's in the bag: introducing art elements through literature.
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In today's educational climate, the presence of art educators and the occurrence of art-education experiences are often scarce. As a result, the question becomes: how can every teacher provide beneficial art...

Sakura of America.(shop talk)(Pigma Sensei Manga Drawing Set )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Pigma Sensei Manga Drawing Set from Sakura includes all the tools needed to illustrate in Manga style, including a pencil, eraser, quality Pigma ink and four hub sizes to lay down the ink. Pigma ink will not...

Earthlight Pictures.(shop talk)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Earthlight's Animation Teletraining offers students the chance to develop their talent as animation moviemakers through an all-live, interactive video format. The TelAnimate system allows lessons to be conducted with...

Dixon Ticonderoga.(shop talk)(Prang Payons )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Payons watercolor crayons, new from Prang, are bright, bold watercolors in crayon form. Use Payons (PAint craYONS) like a regular crayon, then wet with a brush to turn your art into a watercolor painting. Or dip...

Jonti-Craft.(shop talk)(Jonti-Craft Thrifty KYDZ)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jonti-Craft introduces their Thrifty KYDZ lineup of ready-to-assemble furniture. ThriftyKYDZ products come ready to assemble and are available in over 20 of the most popular early learning furniture designs. All...

Crystal Productions.(shop talk)(Art Room Basics)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new "Art Room Basics" poster set for K-5 classrooms features art-room rules and safety tips, as well as encouraging words to help students overcome mistakes. Each set includes four 13" x 18.5" posters printed on...

Getty Publications.(shop talk)(Beasts Factual & Fantastic )(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Beasts Factual & Fantastic explores renderings of animals in medieval culture from the illuminated manuscript collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and British Library. The book explores animals in daily life,...

Art education conferences 2008-2009.(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... Following is a list of conferences being held in the coming year by art education associations throughout the country. For more information, contact information is provided at the end of each listing. This listing is also available at...

Tried & true tips for art teachers.(Back to School)
September 1, 2008... Excitement is in the air! You're looking forward to seeing former students or a whole new batch of kids. You've been planning, thinking about assignments and connections to other disciplines. Perhaps you and a team of colleagues have already...