Mail Art + Pen Friends = Dear You Art Project
Printmaking and putting it to use is not only fun, but so rewarding for everybody. In this case, the Texans' friend in Iceland will enjoy their food even more when looking at such lovely designs!
Kathleen Finan and her group of 2nd graders at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas are making and sharing with the 1st and 2nd graders at Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland.
We enjoyed creating our abstract painting, without using a brush, while listening to music. We were unable to walk around and find natural items to paint with so I put out drinking straws, Q-tips, and wooden popsicle sticks to paint with. We listened to the music then I demonstrated a few ways to use our new painting tools. The children had a fun time listening to the music and painting.
Kathleen Finan
The 2nd graders at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas are making and sharing with the 1st and 2nd graders at Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland.
My students used magnifying glasses to find interesting patterns on their hands and arms. We all made heart shape finger prints to see the different line patterns on our thumbs. Then I let them lose to create a mask with patterns they found on their body.
Kathleen Finan
The 2nd graders at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas are making and sharing with the 1st and 2nd graders at Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland.
The children used colored pencil to create a landscape of the view from the back of their house, the front of their house or the their school. They were told to blend the colored pencils and work quickly with big strokes and pressing hard. We wrote a quick message and folded them like a screen that could be put behind their puppet and pop-up stage. So the background drawing is the environment where they live.
Kathleen Finan
Kathleen Finan, the art teacher at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Texas, USA, and her 4th Grade students are making and sharing art with the 4th Graders from Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland.
The 'Imagine Me' puppets that came from the 4th Grade students at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School were extraordinarily furry, friendly, and funny! Yes! Seeing them immediately put a smile on my face.
Kathleen Finan, the artists' art teacher, said, "I was given a box of faux fur and knew the kids would love it. We talked about having imaginary friend when we were young and the ways the helped us. Students chose materials from an assortment of goodies and started creating their imaginary friend. They named their I-friend and wrote on the back how their I-friend helped them."
I am sure their friends in Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland will be amazed by their new friend's creativity! Oh the amazing things that come out of Texas :).
Kathleen Finan, the art teacher at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas has been making Artist Trading Cards (ATC) with her artists. They have just sent these to their Dear You friends in Nottingham, UK!
Kathleen wrote, "The students wrote holiday greetings on the back of these ATC scratchboards. I bought these glitter scratchboards for the holidays, sometimes I make them with the kids. The candy bags had 3 ATCs in them telling their favorite holidays when candy is given."
What a treat! Not only did the artists make Candy Bags for the October project, but also ATCs!
Go ahead and try this out with your artists :)
Kathleen Finan and her 2nd graders at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas are ready to snail mail their first exchange of Dear You artworks to their new friends at Sneinton St Stephen's C of E Primary School in Nottingham, UK.
Their Self Portrait Puppets are full of personality!
