3-D Family/Season Trees

Are you ready for total and utter cuteness? I hope so! This project turned out way better then expected! I seriously love when you try a project for the first time and it actually works out awesome!

In second grade, students learn all about different life cycles (seasons, plants, animals, etc.) They also do a family study and read Tomie dePaola stories. In art, we create a family tree with images the children bring in from home. The past few years we have learned how to draw a non-broccoli tree and added a season to one side and the photos to the other. It was not the most creative, but it was a valuable lesson and the kids enjoyed it!

I found this website on good ol' pinterest. Thank you for showing this project in photo form:)

In progress trees

Students created their trees using a RECYCLED paper bag, added a season with tissue paper, and then their family photos! It was hard for the kids to twist the paper bag, but it was great for hand strength! I helped them when they got tired, but the kids were able to do most of it by themselves.

I love the end result!

What a sweet family keepsake!

whoa...

Here are a couple of pinhole photographs I took... thank you homemade camera for making simple things look totally rad!

student journals...

So I tried out the visual journals in my pinhole photography class. The kids were like "what does this have to do photography?..."

Well kids, photography is an art, learning about principles and elements of art can only help your build your artistic knowledge, mixing up the medium is always a good idea, all the assignments are relating to photography... plus I said so. HA!

They had a total of 4 assignments and were given about 2 weeks for each. I only gave them one 55 minute class a week to work on them. They had specific assignments that they had to complete. Some  included things like:

1 page: 

Research the photographer Man Ray

Include a page dedicated to the photographer Man Ray. You must include photos of his work. What is Man Ray mostly known for? What do you like? What do you dislike? Why? 

2 page:

Going through the magazines in my room, or your own, find an advertisement you find to be compelling.

·       Tell me what you like about this advertisement.

·       What works for it?

·       How is it selling the product well?

What is different about this advertisement?  

1 page:
Almost, if not everyone, had the word emotion in their definition of ART. For this page I would like you to create a piece of ‘art’ bases on emotion(s).  

1 page:

Doodle, doodle, and more doodles…

Please do not doodle in other subject classes. This is reserved for photo class, home, flex, and other down time. 


1page:
Why create a journal? What is the purpose (other then JR’s trying to torture you)? What can be gained from journaling? Do you hate this? Why? Do you like this? Why? What can make you love this project?

I showed them different ways of manipulating the pages and ideas for backgrounds. We looked at examples and I sometimes worked along side with them. 

Like with anything, some kids loved it and other were not so fond of this project. I would love to teach an all journaling class. 


Here is what the kids did...

 I love this because you can begin to see the students styles... None is right or wrong just unique. Even students who don't like to draw or think they suck at art can make a journal interesting by being themselves!

while i wait...

I have 36 pieces of film to scan tonight and since there is some in between time, I thought I would share some NEW PHOTOS!

I have to say... these pinhole photos have turned out to be amazing! I love how the students have quickly adapted to the restrictions of the pinhole camera. (Ridiculously slow shutter speeds, loading and unloading in the dark... which means waiting for me to tape them into a bathroom, and an unreliable piece of electrical tape to protect their photo from too much sunlight.) In fact, they have taken those restrictions and done some really creative things! I am like a proud photo Mama!

Here are a few more gems for your viewing pleasure...

pinhole photography...

My elective for the upper school students is the amazing, fantastic, memorizing, magical pinhole photography!!! (I seriously LOVE this!!!)

Pinhole Camera... (For those of you who don't know)
The simplest camera you can use to take a photograph. A pinhole camera is a closed light-tight box with a pinhole on one side. Light enters through the hole and projects an inverted and reversed image on photographic film or paper placed inside the box, opposite the hole.

As a class, we turned one of our schools classrooms into a camera obscura... basically a room sized, live action camera but it doesn't actually record a photograph... (look it up if you want more info)

Students built cameras from just a sheet of foam core and glue. (Yes, that means the students had to measure, cut, and glue everything together...) (YIKESSSSS)

We took photographs with these camera: the exposure times ranging from 30 seconds to 20 minutes. 

No darkroom at school = a takeover of the teacher bathroom, hanging black fabric and duct taping light leaks from cracks in the door. We develop the film in my classroom and I scanned the images at home. We are going to print cyanotypes with the negatives, but we have not gotten there yet!

Look at these photos done with homemade cameras... 

 

 Magical right?

classroom... (pinhole style)

So here is my classroom...

This images was taken with a pinhole camera I made in collage. The exposure for this image was 2 hours. (That is why tables and chairs are ghostly!)

More on pinhole photography soon soon soon!