Middle School Bulletin Boards

I like to get my bulletin boards done at the end of the school year. I cover them with newspaper for the summer so they stay nice for September. I've totally switched over to fabric for my backgrounds. Can be used over and over again, doesn't fade and is easy to handle. Last year my colors were purple and orange so to make things easier I kept the purple and added blue. I love the combo together.

 

These three posters were all pinterest finds. Love the way the word artist is used to base art room rules off of.

This will be my elements of art board. Not quite finished but close. Today was our last day so I will return next Monday to hopefully finish all my boards.

Elementary School Art Room

Finally took some pictures of the art room in the elementary school. I have this white board in my room that is not magnetic so I treat it more as a bulletin board. This year it is all about color.

Last year I put red duct tape on the shades. The shades in most of the rooms are in pretty bad shape. I keep mine at the same level all year long because it is so hard to get them up and down. In this corner I have drawing books and stencils for students to use when they have extra time.

The Word Tree

This is new for me. Trying to include vocabulary visually.

Sink area and supply shelves. One thing I wish I had is a closet. All of my shelves are open. The bulletin board is where I post what artists we are studying in each grade.

Have a rug area in my room and lots of books for lesson plans and student use. The birds on the window are for incentive. Each time the class has a good session the bird moves. When it gets to the end of the windows they will have a special art day.

I never have enough wall space for everything so my chalk board holds quite a few things: elements of art and principles of design, current element-shape, discipline posters. Keep forgetting to get a longer extension cord for my desk. Didn't take picture of my desk because it has already started to contain piles. Looking for ideas of how to store artwork that is in process. 

Hurry, Hurry, Back to School Night

Always feel pressured to have artwork up for back to school night. Sometimes this can be a challenge, depending on what we are working on in the art room.  The elementary school has btosn the second full week of school. Thought I would share my current bulletin boards, especially after being featured on Bulletin Board Ideas. The Picasso's are from the 2nd graders. First time I have done this project with younger kids. They enjoyed this. Think next year may lay some ground rules for the painting process.

We started with shape in all of the grades. In kindergarten we looked at Piet Mondrian. Using shape sponges we created our shapes and outlined with black paint.

One more back to school night this Thursday for middle school. Always glad when these are over. Love seeing all the parents but it is exhausting.

Soar Into Art: Elementary Art Room

This week just flew by. Spent 3 days working in my elementary school art room. Probably need 3 more. Decided to make pennants for my room this year. Bought scrap book paper, created a template for the size/shape and laminated all of them. Used letters I had and attached them with funtak. My main colors this year are green and orange and I am using birds for my theme.

This is my free art area. Keep supplies here that students may use freely. Still need to finish up the bulletin board.

This, I'm sure many of you have seen on pinterest. Made one to use for classroom management this year. Getting rid of some furniture in my room that takes up too much space and trying to consolidate. My room has no closet so it's hard to keep everything neat looking all of the time. Hoping to finish this room up the beginning of next week. Will photograph everything to show you!

Elementary School Bulletin Boards

Just a few bulletin boards. African crowned cranes from 3rd grade. This board is just outside my door and has terrible lighting but with light backgrounds on the artwork they show up pretty well.

1st grade roosters on the rails. Have started using boarders to decorate the rails. Sometimes I put up background paper but this is much easier and adds some style.

Kindergarten Eric Carle birds and houses.

This tree was painted over the summer to communicate our core values to everyone who enters. Used it as a background for some of the bird houses.

Black History Month Bulletin Boards

Lois Mailou Jones

This lesson plan is from Kathy Barbro at http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/

These masks were done by my 4th graders.

 The kente cloth I came up with last year.  I take a piece of  9x12 construction paper and fold it twice vertically to create three columns.  The students look at kente cloth pictures and imitate the patterns to create their own.  The African dancers are also from Kathy Barbro.

Triangle Trees

Finally back.  Have had a few things going on and just haven't been able to blog.  One of those things is my diet.  I have had a lot of issues with food all my life and than about 2 months ago I started to get hives.  So right after the holidays I started on an elimination diet.  It has been a lot of  headaches and just not feeling well from withdrawal but now I feel great, though I miss certain foods.  Right now I am wheat, gluten, sugar and dairy free.  I've lost 8 lbs. and have 2 more weeks before I start re-introducing other foods.  

Anywho, here is a kindergarten project and I apologize because I can't remember where I got this lesson from.  I simplified it a bit for kindergarten but basically it is based on triangles.  The kids could either draw their own or trace templates that I made.  Went over the lines with crayon and than painted.  

Elementary Christmas Bulletin Boards, cont.

My second graders made these nutcrackers.  The lesson plan for this is from http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/.  Students also made round pattern ornaments and pipe cleaner candy canes.

Kindergarteners almost always do stations.  Guess what the lesson was on? Yes, stars.  Station 1 was learning to draw stars, Station 2 was coloring the large "stained glass" star, Station 3 was glitter stars and Station 4 was a puzzle activity.  

I came up with this template last year.  This is an easy lesson.  I copy the template onto 12x18 paper and students cut the angels out.  Students draw faces and decorate the robes with tissue paper.  Last step is to create the halos with glitter.  

That is it for my Christmas decorating for the elementary school.  The middle school we just got a new tree for the lobby.  Hope to get that done tomorrow.  The theme is a Graffiti Christmas.

Christmas Bulletin Board

This isn't the best photograph but this case is very hard to get a good picture of.  I turned out the lights but there is a skylight right above it and there are glass sliders on the case.  I feel like Christmas decorating always sneaks up on me.  All of a sudden the schools need to be Christmasfied.  Tomorrow I will get the elementary bulletin boards done and will post those pics.  The middle school lobby will have to wait until next week when I can get some students to help out.

Hallway Bulletin Boards

 I made this canvas over the summer to hang outside of the middle school art room.  Just wanted something more personal than the usual "Welcome" sign.

At the middle school I am in charge of the general bulletin boards.  These are the ones that are up for September.  I now will have a bulletin board team of students to help me out.  Can't wait to meet with them and see what ideas they have!

By front office

Middle hallway...these are our core values which students will be adding to.

Sorry these are not the best pics!  The lighting in our hallways is flourescent and the sun wasn't shining.

School Starts!!

Time has flown by and I haven't even finished my vacation pics.  Sorry about that.  I will have to share those another time.  It is time.  School begins tomorrow.  Happy and sad.  I have a hard time giving up my freedom but I do much better when I am on a schedule and doing something I feel passionate about. Not that the time I have had to do my own artwork hasn't been fulfilling, it's just with school I feel called to my work and maybe can make a difference in a child's life.  I started to take some pics of my middle school classroom.  Still have things that haven't found a home but for the most part this is what my room looks like in part.

This is the entrance to my classroom.  Bookcase by door will hold hand sanitizer, lotion,  sign out sheet and recycle box.

To the left of the entrance is my computer station.  This computer is used for student research.  I also have a scanner and my own color printer.  Want to put fabric across shelf to hide storage of ink, old art books for projects and drawing boards.  Under this are mesh boxes that hold my collection of bottle caps that the community has been saving for an art project.

This corner has an area rug for working on the floor.  The white bins are for student journals.  In my larger classes I also use these tables for seating.  Will show more close-up pics next time.

My desk is here with bookshelves against the wall.  As you can see I still have some organizing to do.

This is the bulletin board behind my desk.  It is divided up for different uses.  The area that has the map of North America is for 6th grade.

This is the other bulletin board on the same wall.  Between these two boards is one of my white boards.  May God bless all of you who have started or are starting your school year.  It is going to be an exciting year.

Summer Bulletin Board

Painted this bulletin board for the summer at the elementary school.