A friend sent an email to me with info about an artist that, because of an injury, draws holding the pencil in his mouth. In a question & answer section of his website the artist says...

"Question - How did you learn to draw by mouth? Answer - I'm really just holding the pencil in my teeth. My neck is doing all the work. After the bet with my brother to see who could draw a better picture, I started out just sketching things out of art books and around the house. Then one day we received a Christmas card with a sketchy line drawing of a house on it. I thought I could do something like that, so I copied the style. After awhile my own style developed. I've only taken one art class after my injury and it was figure drawing. Every image I draw is a learning experience, about the animal and how to bring it to life. Because I've found this hidden talent within me, I believe everyone of us has hidden talents that each person can find in themselves."

I challenged students to learn something new this year, maybe discovering a hidden talent, so I have been sharing pictures and info about this artist with students this week.

If you'd like to learn more about the artist go to

http://www.mouthart.com/mouthart/frame_info.html

Cookie Monster goes to the library

The Magic of Books

To start of this year I am inviting students to discover the  “Magic” of books. Attempting to create a "castle" atmosphere in the kiva, I am starting off with a "coat of arms" shield (pictured right) that reminds us of the library rules. My plan is to add other items to the kiva throughout the year, each representing different genres or topics that we discuss. I want students to understand they can discover new things and travel to new places through the "magic" of books. 

*The "coat of arms" shield is simply a sturdy piece of cardboard covered with foil. Draw a design on the cardboard, trace the design with a glue gun creating a raised surface, cover it with foil and rub over the design until your pattern shows through. You can also stain it then rub over it with steel wool to give it an antique look. I also added a little color.

Cereal Box Book Report

I thought I would post a picture of the cereal box book report that I shared at the Elementary Library Meeting. Aside from decorating the front like the cover of the book, include "nutritional information" such as the genre, and a little about the characters and setting. Make sure to also give a brief description of the book, or a page or two from the book that would grab the readers attention. 

What smells @ Orchard?

This week @ Orchard we read "My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks: And Other Funny Family Portraits" by Hanoch Piven. In the book a little girl uses objects to make collages of her family; including the dog Schmutz who is as smelly as dirty socks (a dirty sock becomes an ear in his collage). Let students have fun making collages of themselves or their family members. What items would you use to make a collage of you? Check out my collage above - LOL!