Paper Making Tools

Miss Jennie and I really wanted to incorporate both of our areas

of expertise in making paper. Art and science are inevitably intertwined
as the materials an
artist uses come from the natural world. This project incorporated

the idea of recycling( we had saved paper scraps all year) and

the artists learning that most paper comes from trees.

We asked them"Does the paper just grow on the tree?" "No!" They

were told about chopping down trees and a bit about the manufacturing

aspect of papermaking.We had a bin full of soggy

 paper that was placed in the blender and

swirled into a "paper smoothy". We then dumped the pulp into a

bin of water that the children could see through the bottom of. We showed them 

screen on a frame that had been made especially for this project. They each got

to "dive" their screen into the pulp-filled water and scoop up pulp to make

a piece of paper. They walked it to our drying area where they could add bits

of flowers or colored tissie paper to it. The weather was bitter for an Atlanta spring.

Monday and Tuesday were very cold , but by Thursday we had de-thawed and were

happy to be working outside with water.

I have found that children love a process. Making paper, printmaking, working

with clay, building with wood. It gives them confindence and creativity all in one.

We even had our youngest artists who have just turned two make paper.

Crafty Crow

Our preschool blog had a nice place on the artsy blog called"Crafty Crow". Check it out and enjoy some wonderful ideas from many creative folks.
/http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/

The listing was the papier mache pieces that our Three Year old artists created.

Art in the Garden: Papermaking

Miss Julie and Miss Jennie combined efforts to assist the

children in making paper from recycled scraps.

The artists were able to help blend the saturated paper with

our blender. They saw the pulp floating in the water and learned

how to dip their screened framed into water and pull up a piece of paper.

After watching it be pressed off of the frame, they added flower petals,

leaves and spots of colored paper. We endured 54 degree weather while doing it!

Mark of the Maker from Ravenswood Media on Vimeo.

Kindergarten Self Portraits

Here are a few of the self portraits that

the Kindergartners worked on. They were

worked on in a few phases. The background was

painted with a couple of layers of color. The face,

body and neck were added. The artists cut fabric for

their bodies. Finally, three dimensional objects were offered

for usage. As you can see, they all chose to use these various

objects in their own way.

Clay Exploration

More pushing, pounding, pinching and rolling.

What is it that keeps these young artists captivated

by the clay? Perhaps the newness of the

material? They love touching it. The clay is

cool, hard and smooth. They can rub a moist sponge

on it and see how the texture changes. Adults don't

have to intervene which causes a long term uninterupted

exploration of the material. Each age group responds

to the clay in a deep and engaged way.

Mortar,Marbles and Magic

Pre-K students worked on a wonderful

project for their promotion from our school.

It was a fast paced and magical day of

using objects from home,collected and donated

items. All were placed in space designed by the

artists. They will be revealed in a few weeks.