masks & swimmers

Long time no post - it's report writing and end of year assessment time!
A couple of recent projects.
'African' masks with our y2's - simple symmetrical card cutouts.

And automaton swimmers with y4's.

When you blow through a straw along its back, the arms 'flail' around! (the head acts as a turbine).

recent

Our y1's have been studying the Queen - so we created new palaces for her! We made them in the form of a pop-up with the possible idea of posting them off to her!

 Our y6's have been studying the Shang Dynasty (Ancient China) and have carefully, over a number of weeks(!), made full-size replicas of bronze ceremonial vessels out of papier mache over card armatures. We tried to add an authentic patination using pastels. (nb. bronze contains copper and so over time goes a greeny colour).

bears cottage

In FS2 today we continued with our 'G & 3 bears' theme. Using simple origami we made the cottage 3d so that it could stand and have both an 'outside' and an 'inside'!
The idea can be adapted for many traditional tales - 3 little pigs, Handel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood etc. It can even be made to pop-up! 

This is the mock-up I did.

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.

reindeer

Using the same net as for their tiger 'sculptures', the y1's have been creating reindeers. This is my prototype with lollipop stick legs and twig antlers. On the actual ones we've also used small red pompoms for the nose!

busy, busy, busy

Have been rearranging and updating the displays in our entrance foyer today.

Y5 automatons (with a WW2 theme). As you turn the handles the tanks in the foreground piece go round the explosion as do the doves in the back left, whilst the aeroplane goes both around and up and down.

Y1 card sculpture tigers (inspired by the Henri Rousseau work 'Surprise'.)

And the y6 (James Rizzi inspired) clay city blocks.

Noah's ark

In FS2 today we made representations of Noah's Ark. We made them double-sided so that they both rocked AND could show the 40 days/nights of rain and the brightening skies. This is the quick one I mocked up to show the children - the treasury tag stops it from splaying out too much!

leaves & buildings

The y1's followed their paper weaving exploits of last week by stitching some Autumn leaves. The shapes/holes had been pre cut so they could concentrate on the sewing! Wool and big plastic needles were the order of the day.

The y6's have started to paint their bisque-fired, James Rizzi inspired slab, city block containers. They used acrylic paint and we'll probably varnish to further protect and give them a glossy finish.

cameras

Today the y3's rounded off their artistic endeavours based on the theme of light by making small pinhole cameras.

From a 2d net they constructed working models that captured, on a small tracing paper screen (about 5cm sq.), recognisable images. This photo (showing an image of the art room windows - upside down of course) looks remarkably like the first picture taken by Fox-Talbot!

automatons & stories

In y3 we have continued with our lever mechanisms and gone 3d! We've also turned linear motion into rotational movement!
The first pic shows Shrek panicking when he is being chased by the dragon whilst the second is a goalie making a save. The characters rotate clockwise/anticlockwise as the lever is pulled/pushed.  I must try and get videos of them in action.

In FS1 (3/4yr olds) they are looking at 'Goldilocks & the 3 bears'. We made little booklets of the story - including the cottage in the woods and Goldilocks herself.

queen of hearts

Our FS2 children are learning the 'Queen of Hearts...tarts' rhyme this week, so to aid their retelling we made little representational figures. A strip of paper folded and stapled for the body and a square of card slotted in for the head. You could embellish to your hearts (!) content, add arms, feet and also make the knave & king figures should you so wish.

more levers

The y4's made even more complex mechanisms today where levers move in opposite directions.

This example shows that when you pull the leg the duck 'quacks'! Quite understandably in my opinion.

levers

Today the y4's started looking at mechanisms. They created moving pictures by utilising a simple lever.

  

romans

Y4's began their study of Romans this week so we made small 3d figures of legionaries.
They look quite effective en masse, with each figure standing about 15cm tall. Not sure whether to make some barbarians for them to 'fight'. 

even more dino related stuff

Today in y2 we started to papier mache our dinosaurs. We tried to make sure the joins were carefully done, as these are the points that will need to be strongest in order for the pneumatic(!) systems to work effectively.

more dinosaur stuff

In y2 we've begun making dinosaur sculptures that will eventually have mouths that opens and close!
Today we got as far as constructing the armatures - out of boxes, tubes, wood and plenty of Sellotape!

Note: the heads have not yet been attached!

 

growing

In y1 today we created pieces that showed flowers growing. They made a simple pull up the flap mechanism to make a stem, leaves and finally a flower appear, after having been watered and exposed to sunlight. We then progressed on to a 'beanstalk' version where the beanstalk will 'grow' before finally reaching the clouds and the giants castle. The last pic shows the layout of all the pieces on an A4 size piece of card.                         

More puppets

As a follow-on from last week, today, the y1's made puppets from paper plates. After some careful folding, cutting, sticking and colouring they ended up with birds heads that they could make 'speak'.

Next week we'll be making the bodies to go with them.

puppets

Today, as part of their studies about toys, the Y1's created some 'talking' and 'moving' puppets. They used clothes pegs to operate the 'mouths' and utilised paper fasteners to allow the limbs to move.

These are my examples that I used to show the principle features to the children. 

sad face

Although the pottery sold quite well there were no takers for any of my cards! I'm putting it down to the fact that the table was small so they couldn't be displayed or appreciated in all their glory. I'll just have to make more so that I can have a stall of my own!