These monuments tell stories about the histories each of the students' invented countries. After designing a flag and a map, the students created a monument. Click "More" to read about each one.
The 3rd graders have been experimenting with a temperamental medium: ink that is blown with a straw. You can't get precise control over where the ink will flow as you blow. Most of the time you get a random set of splatters. What is fun about random splatters that unexpected images emerge. So after experimenting, we looked closely at our ink splotches and created something new. The ink was inspiration for a scene or a monster. They really are lots of fun.
The 1st graders have been in outer space for a little while in art class. They painted planets, made space ships, and made space suits. They just discovered some alien life forms on the intergalactic travels. They documented their discoveries in these gorgeous oil pastel drawings. 
For
mother's day, we engineered pop-up cards. It really is amazing what can be done
with folded paper and a bit of glue. We had a simple template and lots of instructions. Most of them made two, and it is amazing how much learning happens when you are doing and making mistakes. The second ones were much more sophisticated and confident.
