long time no post!

In y2 the other day we had a go at painting without drawing in pencil first. We drew elephants last week in our sketchbooks so just made the same marks but with a paintbrush. We added a bit of texture by scratching with a cocktail stick.

A is for ...

Penguins, polar bears and seals! Today in y3 we drew these 'cos it's been snowing and is very cold! They are also, next week, going to be starting a 'topic' all about cold places. We looked online for pictures so we could add more detail.

HUGE pop-up book

In FS2 they've been learning all about Noah and his ark. To help with their retelling of the story I've created a monster pop-up book using their illustrations of pairs of animals. The book opens out to reveal a (very!) long line of creatures filing into the ark. 

At the end the back covers open out to reveal the ark after the storm. A quick bit of 'tucking the front cover away' then allows for the animals to appear as if they are then leaving! 

The whole thing extends to over 10 metres and is still very much a 'rough' at the moment. I'll get the children to help me polish it next week.

drawing

Today in FS2 (4/5 yr olds) we drew animals by starting with their initial letters. First try-out of the contents of my new book.

A is for...

 Today the y2's drew cheetahs. They have been learning all about them in class and did a 'before' picture (top left hand corner). They then followed simple, step by step instructions to enable them to draw more easily recognisable images. We did both standing and running versions. We even detailed the faces. 

Meanwhile, progress on my 'painting' table.

clay

As part of their topic about Victorians y3 recently looked at the work of William Morris. As he was also a collector of ceramic tiles we've begun to create our own - using natural, organic, animal designs. We're making them in semi-relief for added interest. Each child is aiming to make 4 identical tiles.

In ceramics club we glazed our flowers. Here they are, ready for the kiln.

more tigers

Today the y1s finished off their short project - different ways to represent/portray tigers - by creating clay sculptures. We used terracotta, air-drying clay and made them from simple 'balls' and 'sausages'.

Next week, when they've dried, we'll paint them.