The highlight of last month in art was undoubtedly the Body, Mind & Spirit Night which featured second grade artists and their "Masterpieces". The fruits of several weeks of collaborative labor paid off with the exhibition of six unique masterpieces that were prominently on display for parents to view. The works of art were created by using a grid technique on a famous painting that was projected on the SmartBoard. Each student was assigned a specific portion of the grid. Initial rough sketches...

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All second grade art students have been working very hard on this year's "masterpiece" series. This was an extremely challenging project that I started with last year's second grade classes. Due to its success I decided to repeat it for this year. And like last year, each second grade class has been assigned a famous artist from art history. Working as a team, each student recreates a small designated section of the masterpiece. First they are roughly drawn, then they are matched up with corresponding...

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During this month, as we celebrate that magical milestone--the 100th day of school, it also serves as a chance to admire our students and their great achievements. Recent art projects at all three grade levels really display their tremendous growth.Kindergarten artists recently completed a study of primary colors by learning about Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian. Their loose interpretation of his work captured the spirit of his strict palette. Recent first grade student art focussed on tying...

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Well, it's that time of year when the bears are not the only ones who tend to hibernate. If you find yourself looking for an art activity that will both entertain and educate your child when the weather turns foul, look no further than the home computer. Together with your child, simply go to www.google.com to begin. Rather than type in your search words, this time look below the search field and run your cursor over the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button. This will spin in a slot machine style, stopping...

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I recall a couple of years ago during the very first week of school, a first grade class was busy working on an art assignment when one student leaned over and asked a friend what they were planning on being for Halloween! So much of what excites children at this age is centered around holidays. While Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day could keep an art teacher busy until mid February, I like to sprinkle a few of the other holidays into our art curriculum as well. Some examples of recent...

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It's decision time once again! Time to elect our leaders, from the President of the United States all the way down to our local officials. Regardless of who you support, I hope you elect to stop by the art exhibit at this year's polling place, which will be at the new Freeman Kennedy School. The exhibit highlights artwork from all second grade art classes from HOD. It features presidential portraits that have as much to do with Art History as they do with American History. In preparation for...

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The new school year got off to a promising start with some early art projects that were proudly on display for Open House. Second grade students confidently captured their likenesses with their fall self-portraits. How successful were you at finding your second grader? First grade students carefully traced their hands and turned them into leaves. They cleverly decorated them and hung them on their designated tree in the 1st Grade Forest located outside the art room. Also on display in the...

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Like everyone, I'm always amazed at how rapidly the school year flies by, especially in art at the elementary level. Perhaps the lack of snow days and therefore the uninterrupted schedule added to this, but I think the growth the children show from September to June really is what makes the days disappear so quickly. Recently, I was returning some kindergarten art that I had kept since the early part of the school year. The assignment had the children cut out large crayon shapes using templates....

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As mentioned in the April newsletter, 2nd grade students had the opportunity to show off more than just their outstanding agility and coordination during last month's Family Fitness Nights. Their artistic talents were also on display as part of their 2nd Grade Art Show. Taking a break from the cup stacking, students and parents joined me in a most enjoyable walk down the hallways as we appreciated the large-scale murals that paid homage to several famous masterpieces taken from art history. The...

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Art is all around us here at HOD. If you happen to be in the school visiting your child's classroom or helping out at lunch or library duty, one can't help but notice the multitude of artwork displays lining the hallways. The large majority of this art comes from the classroom rather than the art room. Our school is blessed with so many talented and creative classroom teachers who make it a point to weave the arts into their classroom curriculum. This is not always easy to do but the rewards...

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After an enjoyable break for the holidays, I hope all of my students are ready for a new year filled with fun and challenging art projects. The fall season has served as a great way to learn many of the basics in preparation for students to take on larger, more complex creations. January really is just the beginning of some of our biggest and best assignments in the art room. For some children what we've accomplished so far has been new and challenging while for others the weekly art...

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With the holiday season upon us, children anxiously anticipate the "winter break" from school. Parents, however, don't always feel the same way, especially when faced with the chore of finding stimulating and educational ways to entertain the kids. The Museum of Fine Arts of Boston (www.mfa.org) offers a terrific alternative to the vacation week trip to the movie theatre. There are always many interesting exhibits that will appeal to the children of all ages. If you haven't been to the museum...

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Many visitors to the H. Olive Day School have enjoyed the beautiful butterfly garden located at the front of the building near the drop off circle. The garden is a memorial in honor of Maddie Savoie, a talented artist and friend to all who knew her. Situated in the garden is a resting bench that was recently decorated with pink and yellow butterflies hand painted by H. O. D.'s own art teacher, Bill Reilly. The butterfly was a favorite theme of Maddie's just as the color scheme reflects her favorites....

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