Ms.R's art class: Weeks of 2/2/26 and 2/9/26 - 4th rotation with 4th and 5th graders

4th graders returned to create glue Batik bugs. We looked at examples of Batik works from Indonesia and had a class discussion about what we saw, what it was made from and if they have seen something like this before. Once done, we looked at a video of the Batik making process and compared it with the crayon resist process. I showed students how when we use a white crayon on white paper and then cover it with watercolors, the white crayon resists the watercolors and stays white similar to the Batik process where the artist used hot wax and dye on fabric.

We looked at several drawing of bugs, made four sketches and selected one as our final. We drew that bug on a 12-inch square paper and traced it with a black Sharpie. We then put a 12-inch white satin napkin over the paper, used tape to secure it to a plastic mat and used a white glue bottle to squeeze glue on the Sharpie lines and shapes of the bug.

During the next class, when the glue was dry, we used Dy Na Flow paint to color the entire napkin. Once dry, I soaked pieces in hot, soapy water and washed the glue off. The pieces looked amazing with the vibrant colors!

We also spent some time during the 2nd class to create running stitches on a 10-inch burlap fabric. Each student received a needle and a long piece of yarn. I taught students how to thread the needle, make a knot and go under and over to create a running stitch border. We will continue work on this during the next rotation and also add block prints.

Students also created a flyer for Celebration of Art using Google slides. I have incorporated this lesson each year and select the best flyer as the one to use for our annual art show. Students learn how to access Google slides, rename the slide with their name and room number, create text boxes, add text, change the font size, color and insert images. I show them how the title needs to be the biggest followed by the name of our school, address, date and time of the event and a catch phrase to get the viewer's attention. They also learned how to insert images responsibly from Google. I give students a print out of the information so they can access it close to them instead of constantly having to look up at the board. Here are examples of student flyers!

5th Graders created clay paint brushes! I gave each students a 4-inch x 12-inch clay slab. We divided it into thirds. We created the bristles in the first one third using the side of a popsicle stick and created the handle in the remaining two thirds using a variety of other tools to cut and add clay. Students slipped and scored pieces to the handle. There was great engagement from students, and I will wait about 3 weeks to bisque fire the pieces.

We also started creating designs for our 5th grade legacy mural. This year we were inspired by the art of Minnesota based artist Mary Ashley. We had a class discussion while looking at one of her murals and students noticed how colorful and fun her was and how she combined a variety of organic shapes in interesting ways.

Students used Chrome canvas to create one image inspired by Mary Ashlay's art while looking at several examples I provided. Once done, they submitted works on Google classroom. I selected 18 best images, invited those students back to work on final designs after dividing them into three groups. One final design was selected!