Writing computer code in the art room?

Last week, I had two of my first grade classes participate in The Hour Of Code (http://csedweek.org/). I have to admit I only did it because they were offering free storage space on Drop Box which can totally come in handy.
But as the kids were working, I saw some other benefits. They were really problem solving. The conversations were great. I had them partner up and work at laptops and those kids were discussing different ways they could program the bird to get the pig. they were really great thinking conversations.

 

Art is all about thinking and solving problems and so I thought, what a great connection! So after they were done, we had a little conversation about how being an artist doesn't mean you have to paint or draw. Being an artist means being creative. We talked about how they were creative when they were trying to come up with unique ways to solve their programming problems.
We came to the conclusion in the end that no matter what you end up doing when you grow up, if you are thinking creatively then you are using your artistic skills.

So even though I did Hour of Code for selfish reasons, it ended up being a great lesson for my kids!

Clay!

I missed a week of posting! Last week was crazy! I was out for a couple of days because I am participating in a professional learning cohort on 21st Century Learners and Education. Hopefully as that research develops I will be posting more about it. But for now, suffice it to say that it kept me busy last week and I wasn't able to post.

Maybe it's insane of me but the 4th grade classes are doing pinch pot bowls and spoons out of clay before Christmas break! We are attempting to have them all done by then so that they can dry out and I can fire them before the students get back in January. Then students can take their time glazing their pieces. I wanted to do these classes early to also have time to do clay with other grades depending on the supplies we have left.

 

So last week we had a day where we talked about the basic terms involved in making things with clay. Firing, Leather Hard, Bone Dry, Coil, Pinch, Slab etc... click here for an awesome worksheet to hand out to students. We learned about the tools of a ceramicist: loop tool, clay knife, wire tool, rib etc... and also we looked at some non-traditional tools that could be used such as a comb or a fork or material. We also took a mini tour of the kiln so that everyone knew what it looks like and what it does. Then students spent the second half of class simply experiencing the medium. The excitement in the room was inspiring! I don't have to work very hard to get everyone pumped up about making things out of clay.

This week students are going to be making the spoons. And then next week they will make bowls. Their only guidelines are it has to be in a pinch pot style and they must use texture of some kind and the bowl and the spoon have to obviously belong together. They can make that connection however they want; similar style, texture or coloring.

On a side note, I was asked to hang some of our fabulous student artwork up in the administration building. It looks great! Here some of the photos: