Happy Holidays and Art Class Update

Hello to All- I hope all is well with you and your families! All the best for the Holiday season!

Art Class Update:

We made art this fall under a tarp in the rain, at Robbins Farm and Menotomy Rocks with both balmy and brisk temperatures. Thanks to all who helped with this outdoor session. I am adding 'Active Art to 'Spaced Out Art’ as alternative descriptions of the classes! In that vein I am sending a link to the drawings we did at Robbins Playground this fall. It is fun to see them as a set- a sample of children’s representation of a complicated subject. There are a wide range of ages in the classes- 4 1/2 to 11yrs and of course a wide range of temperaments that respond differently to the invitation to climb and then draw. 

Enjoy!

https://link.shutterfly.com/ii52vG1Dfbb

Winter and Spring

I am taking a break this winter for my own work. I have been making paste paper, doing collages and binding journals. I have journals and cards on sale at the Roasted Granola right now. They have beautiful food and coffee and now are supporting local artists by selling their work.

https://www.roastedgranola.com/partners

I plan to have an outdoor Spring session in March or April. Stay Tuned! In the meantime I will try to update my blog once in a while.

Fall Outdoor Art 2020

Being committed to staying outside this fall, the weather will present the challenge of chillier temperatures. I looked up Boston’s average temperatures for last year: October high 62, low 47: November high 52, low 38. We are not going to be lounging on the driveway painting comfortably in 40 degree weather! there will be more logistics if we go on excursions. I want to start small and see how it goes. I am making this up and I will need your help!

What I imagine:

-all outdoor classes

-October-November

-masks for all unless the CDC changes its recommendations

-4 class session

-2 backyard clases, 2 excursion classes

-excursion classes may have drop off and pick up at our outdoor space

-I will carry emergency numbers in my bag 

-1 1/2 hours each class

-each group every other week

-age groupings K-Gr 2 and Gr 3-6  this is subject to change depending on enrollment. I may consolidate classes if numbers are too low

The Affordance of a Space: I love this term which I picked up at a Lesley seminar. I used to call it the potential of an environment. Children are great at getting at what a space calls for- A hill! roll down it  A field, twirl until you fall down, A pine bank, play hide and seek...

-the projects/excursions we will do will depend upon the weather

-excursions will include active games

-we will use a fundamental outdoor ed principle which is we use what the environment offers- light, shadow, sticks, leaves, stones

-we will use simple sets of materials when we are in the field (what I can carry )

What I will need from you

I will be asking more of you as parents to make the logistics possible!

-prior bathroom run. Or I should say walk! To increase the odds of bringing your child ready to be outside for 1 1/2 hours and not have to use the bathroom is to have a period of calm at home before class so they can check in with their bladder and bowels! This should be possible due to the virus' narrowing of four activities!

- prior snack and hydration preferably more than an hour before class

-dressing for the weather. In order to be comfortable outside in cold or wet weather your child needs the right amount of insulation and clothes that fit him/her properly. Cotton does not insulate especially when wet.

-any information about your child’s temperament or experience that may affect his/her comfort or ability to accept limits in an outdoor space

-punctual drop off and pick up

*Very useful all weather gear

-rain pants or suits- REI, Lands End, Splashy Suits

-wool or fleece socks

-comfortable rain boots

-fleece top layers under a wind or rain jacket.

Tentative Schedule: This is my research round. Once I see the level of interest I will send out the final schedule and the contact information forms I will need for you

Take a look at this and send me an email.

-Your child’s name, date of birth

-parent’s name

-your class preference AND your possible availability in case the class fills

-if you would prefer a mixed age class because of the age of your children (this is what I usually offer but due to excursions I thought I would narrow the age gap-however age categories are not written in stone)

Fall Art

All classes 3:30-5pm 

Tuesday K-Gr 2 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17

Tuesday Gr 3-6  10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 11/24

Thursday K-Gr 2  Class A  10/1,10/15, 10/29, 11/12

Thursday  K-G 2  Class B  10/8, 10/22, 11/5, 11/19

Fees: $100 for the 4 class session, 10% sibling discount

Pick up and Drop off  

Ann’s cell 781 366 5955

TBD for excursions, most likely Robbins Farm Park or Menotomy Rocks Park

Most classes are close to being full, let me know if you are interested ASAP

August Art! Fall Art 2020!

Hello All! I sent these emails on the weekend and am almost full for the 4 weeks of hour long play and art in August. Hurrah for outside ART! You can check in with me for cancellations or to take one of the remaining spots. Thanks so much. 

email sent 8/1/20

Hi Everyone- I hope you are enjoying this summer and that your challenges are manageable these days!

It has been a very different summer in my studio. My sewing machine is out surrounded by fabric as I figure out how to make masks. My own art projects are strewn across tables waiting fo me to complete them. Materials for cards to send to my Canadian family in lieu of a real visit sit in piles.There is a little less clutter and a few newly painted walls. The biggest difference is there is no children’s art on the drying racks or hanging from the clothesline.

I miss all of you!

I had the good fortune of spending two weeks at the Cape in my tent, the beach and on my bicycle. I got back in town 2 weeks ago looking for that horizon that makes space for your soul! Since then I have been glued to my computer attending 2 online conferences which were so inspiring at this time of flux. It’s great tp have some guiding principles! Play First Summit and Natural Start. Both are were calls to educators to use this time to reflect and keep what is valuable in your teaching practice and get rid of the rest! The first was an Early Education forum gathering 75,000 educators around the globe with the focus of defending childhood and advocating for developmentally appropriate practice. We have so much to learn from the rest of the world! The second was an annual gathering of the North American Association of Environmental Educators. All teachers need the wisdom of these educators who practice the art of being with children outside. This fall our best bet in reducing risk is being outdoors!

Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro

So What happens to my studio and art with children? None of us really know what to do! How do we weigh the social risk of staying apart with the physical risk of being together?

Here are my thoughts.

1 August: Outside Play and Art

I could offer a few afternoon play and art sessions in my backyard. I would run it like an outdoor Open Studios and set up activities like summer art camp.
-bubbles, building, painting, water play (with soap)
-small groups and short duration (to avoid bathroom use other than emergencies)
-mask wearing if possible. I would keep mine on.
-drop in fee $5, $10 max per family
-if you have a neighborhood ‘pod’ that is ongoing -that would be great group to come on the same afternoon
-entirely outside

My questions to you
-is an hour or so worth it?
-do you need something like this at this point in the summer?
-are you comfortable with these variables or need more restrictions?

Let me know if you are interested at all and we can work out logistics.


2 Fall Art- Outdoor Art

If you have talked to any teachers lately you know plans for the fall are still in flux as we watch the behaviour of the virus. I think the best idea is to move outside.

I am planning to move all classes outside this Fall. My usual fall session spans October to early December. This would mean we would use my backyard, Robbins Park and Menotomy Rocks and would change the focus on projects that lend themselves to these environments. It would also require students to be dressed for the weather and sometimes have drop off and pick up at the location we will be working/playing. I will most likely hire an assistant to help with logistics.

I have been lucky to have worked with groups of children outside in my years of teaching, at Habitat Belmont, at the Mabin School in Toronto and with some of the Arlington Public Schools. There are challenges and great benefits! The classes would be more physical, what we actually do greatly influenced by the weather and the specific environment we are in.

I would love to hear your initial thoughts/questions about this. Obviously I am just at the beginning of the planning process!

Thanks for reading this,
Ann

email sent 8/3/20
I propose Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday afternoons in August at 3pm. for an hour or so. The short time is really to avoid the need of a bathroom (emergencies are exceptions). I’ll set up the backyard as a play space with art materials available. Hopefully children can choose what they need and be as autonomous as possible. I will keep the groups to 8 or less.

My goal is to be calm! I will not police kids about the following precautions but try with their help to get the systems in place to stay safe.

My Covid Precautions
-I will wear a mask
-all water play will have some soap in it
-I bought paper towels! (put away my old cloth ones for now) These will go in the compost
-we will stay outside
-we will use the whole space and have hand washing stations
-if your child is used to wearing a mask that’s fine. I will encourage use when close together
-paint brushes and drawing tools will have used bins. After a child uses them, they’ll get washed and then reused
-there will be loose parts that the group will have there hands on and will not be constantly washed
-small groups

Drop off can be the same as summer camp. Meet on the driveway or backyard. 115 Robbins Rd
Fee: $5, $10 max per family

Here are the days: I know next week there is some rain/thunder predicted but I have lost confidence in these. I think I will have to call it the day of! (we are all so good at handling cancellations after 4 months right?)

8/4, 8/5, 8/6
8/11, 8/12, 8/13
8/18, 8/19, 8/20
8/25, 8/26, 8/27

Sign Up
I will talk to the families that have Pods formed in their neighborhoods and reserve days for them. Otherwise send me an email about which days you would like your child to come and we’ll see how it goes. I don’t know if the afternoons will fill up but as always if you want flexibility let me know ASAP.


Thanks so much, Ann

Spring Art

Hello to All! It is almost the beginning of summer. May we make the most of it despite the constraints!
I have missed painting with my spring students. My plan was to do the following:
-shadow painting (I made a post about this at the beginning of the shutdown)
-monochromatic painting
-landscape inspired by Wolf Khan
-water color resist
-extreme painting

Now that Playtime is open if you don't have paint at home and are keen to do some outdoor painting that's the place to go.

Here's the extreme painting tradition in the spring at A Room for Art.

Marble Painting
What you will need:
- a shallow box or deep tray. I use the plexiglass from those box frames
-tempera paint
-marbles

Line your box with paper to fit. Start small, go slow. Squeeze quarter size globs of paint, 1or 2 to start. Place one marble anywhere in the box. Tilt and watch the marble do the painting! Add another color or two. Stop when you like what is happening on the page and before that page is so soggy you can't get it out of the box.

Splatter Painting
What you will need:
-tempera paint in an open container (I use tofu boxes) diluted a bit to thin it
-big sturdy paper or cardstock (poster board size)
-mid size paint brushes

Get low! Squatting is good. Make your paint fly onto the page by flicking, rotating, loading the brush and letting the paint drip. Paint where it is ok if some paint gets on the ground. staying low contains it.

Body Painting
What you will need:
-tempera paint (maybe with a  tiny squirt of dish soap for easier cleaning)
-a variety of small brushes
-a bathing suit or shorts
-a hose
-space for cleanup where paint laden water can be
-warm weather

Become another color temporarily. Some painters use brushes, others their fingers. Painters paint each other sometimes. Being another color can inspire a dance, or taking on a character. We take pictures and then the fun chilly part! Wash up with the hose, a few buckets and sponges!

Next time: watercolor resist

An Art Show from Clemence!

Thank you for sharing your projects Clemence! I love the variety of materials you used.
I am sure many of you are making art. I am so glad. If you would like to share it here, let me know, Thanks, Ann

Blossoms and Birds

Hi Everybody- I am writing this on the day AFTER the snow! What a crazy sequence- Spring-Winter-Spring in 3 days. The snow really made me think about how precious this time in the season of spring is. Bare branches, blossoms and birds! The birds are more visible because the leaves haven't grown yet but the blossoms promise the near explosion of green!

So let's have an online exhibit called Blossoms and Birds! Draw, paint, build either subject and send a photo and I will post it on my blog. It can be a community show- all family members welcome!

Here are some pieces from my art class/camp archive. You may recognize them!

Drawing Prompts

Arlington Community Education sent out a great list of drawing prompts this week for those of us who sometimes need a kick start! http://www.arlingtoncommunityed.org/

One of them reminded me of a few of my journal pages. Basically what I do is make my own coloring page and then have fun selecting colors. I do this with colored pencils but you could use paint or markers too. I repeat a shape in different sizes and arrangements with a pen and then see how adding color changes how the shapes fit together. It's the kind of drawing that is calming gan you can leave and come back to.

I actually stated this one with glued paper square and strips and then drew the line out form them

Here's one I haven't finished-all triangles

Another all triangle one. I think this one ended up looking like trees or birds

Paper Doll Chain

Make an accordion strip as shown below (a few posts ago.) Cut out form the square or rectangular folded stack. Make sure you leave some portion of the folded edge intact. Play around with your cutout to get the shapes you want in your figure or other shape chain.

Drawing with Cristoph Niemann!

We get  BIG paper on Sunday that lasts the whole week! Amidst the serious news there is always an artist that brings hope via another perspective, a new way of combining media or simply a view of beauty. Cristoph Niemann is a german designer whose work I first saw in a documentary series called Abstract (on netflicks) He draws with the wit of a cartoonist and the eye of a designer. Last week's magazine March 29, has a great article that maps out his visit to the Balkans (before the shutdown). He superimposes his drawings on photographs of the places he visits.

So here's the idea. Can we use this piece as an inspiration to have fun with magazine images? Grab them before they are recycled. Find some photographs to draw into. I recommend a black marker or felt tip pen but you could try others. (pencils won't work on the slippery paper) Have fun!

From Yearning to be Boring: A Visit to Estonia

A Pop Up Card

Here's a simple way to make a card that has a 3D form when you open it up.(a cube) It will use the technique of reverse the fold like in the accordion book instructions. Once you make one it will be easy. Then you get to do the fun part, figuring out how you can use the cube indifferent ways. Once you see how the card opens and closes you can play with adding cut paper figures or shapes.

Take a look:

81/2x11 cardstock page folded in half, regular weight paper 1/2 size folded in half

cut 2 slices as shown above

open up the page and reverse the fold of the center cut part

fold and open the card

attach smaller paper to cardstock with glue stick

use card vertically- the cubes (I simply cut 2 on this card) this way looked like balconies to me

use card horizontally- the cube looked like a chair so I put a child reading a book

How Many Greens?

Today between my house and Menotomy Rocks Park I saw so many shades of green in people's gardens and yards. Here is a small sample. How would we make these colors in paint or marker or crayons? Give it a try.

Make a set of greens: 

Start with the 2 primary colors that make green (I bet you know! yellow and blue)

Vary the amounts of blue and yellow

Add white and black

How many different greens can you make? You can give them names like the paint store!