Craftivity?

I finally just have to say it. I'm not a fan of the word "craftivity." If you're an elementary teacher, you probably know of what I speak. Somewhere along the line, a very creative and lovely teacher invented this word. It stuck. It spread. I'd like to point out some reasons why it hasn't done so with me.

1. It seems like "fake" art to me. Finished pieces basically look the same.

2. I've noticed that craftivities are often loosely integrated with language arts, and I understand the good intentions. Yet with the limited time we have, language arts doesn't need to be cutesy. Activities and crafts muddy the waters and steal precious time away from authentic reading and writing.

3. One of the advantages to art is that it demands a growth mindset. It's two for the price of one. Making the 3D cats in the picture below was a perfect opportunity to practice optimism, persistence, flexibility, and resilience. I don't see any of that taking place when students are asked to glue pre-cut pieces together.

I realize that craftivities are not ruining our students or their education, and my opinion is simply just that - an opinion. Yet there's always room to ask "Why?" 

Right?

Kitty Cat Growth Mindset

We made these cute black cats today. They weren't that difficult to make, but it did take a certain amount of growth mindset. We practiced both optimism and persistence. All in all, well worth our time.

Go here to find the directions from Art Projects for Kids. She's got great ideas to share! 

O Christmas Tree

I tried a new Christmas project today that did not disappoint. It was easy to prepare.
It helped kids use their brain growers: optimism, flexibility, resilience, and persistence.
Not a single project looked exactly like another.
Score!

Here's the original source.

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Christmas Candles

This year I found myself a new Christmas gift for parents. It was very easy, not too awfully expensive (thanks to the Dollar Tree), and turned out so well. I think parents will love them for many years to come. 

I found the idea here.

Click on the graphic to find directions.

Lines, Shapes, and Patterns

I don't peruse Pinterest much these days, but when I couldn't get to sleep last night, I hopped on and found this picture meant for coloring purposes.  (Click on the picture to visit the Pinterest link.)

I had a moment of creativity.  What if my artists could draw something similar.  I figured we could make it a lesson about lines, shapes, and patterns, which sounds fairly artistic to me.    By the way, I never showed them the picture above.  Here's what they come up with.

Art For Sale

My school has a small but wonderful PTA who organized a fun Art Night for us this evening.  Each classroom displayed art projects, and we invited parents to drop by and buy their child's art for a donation to the PTA.  Here are just a few pictures of some of the displayed art.  My mustached kids are first. 

The PTA also invited staff members to donate their own artsy or creative creations for a silent auction.  I made these three pieces.

The final numbers aren't in, but it looks like we raised over $1,200.00.  :)

Mustached Self-Portraits

Today my artists drew Salvador Dali-inspired self-portraits.  I found the idea from There's a Dragon in my Art Room.  

(The artwork above is from There's a Dragon in my Art Room.)

I switched it up by having my kids draw themselves instead of Dali.  I really love how they turned out.

In Summer!

Even though it's only just now officially spring and I'm just starting my spring break, I'm honestly thinking a lot about summer.  (It's just been one of those years.)  So today we drew Olaf in honor of summer.  Isn't he just the cutest snowman ever?  Watch this if you're unsure.

We watched the video below, straight from Disney, of how to draw Olaf.  The artist makes some artistic moves that are a bit too complicated for first graders, so I simplified my directions. It was still very interesting for them to watch though.

Here's how Olaf turned out.

In summer!