Art Enriches Our Lives

Art is so enriching, so therapeutic, so joyful! My new job has transported me in ways I didn't imagine, such as being surrounded daily by colorful paper, markers, books, glitter, sequins...listening to children tell you about what they're thinking & helping them to get it on paper. Seeing those smiles ...observing the ones who are diligent and detail oriented and those who always seem to exude a creative flow. Children are amazing; I am very thankful to share this small part of their lives.

These are Rhythm Collages made by 3rd & 5th graders. I got the idea from a wonderful art teacher, Holly V., who readily shares her talents via her vibrant & informative blog, Lines, Dots, and Doodles. Thank you Holly! For this project, I brought instrumental music on cd into the classroom & asked the students to write down the instruments they heard. They had to draw some of these instruments and arrange them into a collage. We then talked about how to show movement & festivity in their artwork, using angles, lines and shapes. Aren't they jubilant? I love how they turned out.

Notice the hands drawn to hold the maracas above...

I love all the colors in the hallway!! The students had fun with these; their creativity makes my heart smile.

As I bring new art projects to the students, my life is enriched too because I research the lesson, thus giving me an opportunity to discover new artists that I can learn from. Fabulous artists such as Joni James, who makes amazing calligrams!

One student told me they had seen a calligram of the Lord's Prayer, arranged in a way to form our Lord's hands clasped together as if in prayer.

These are a few calligrams from the imagination of 4th graders: