Just gorgeous

Observed in today's yr 5 chalky pastel landscape activity.

 

Lovely landscapes.

The children in years 4 and 5 have been learning about how diminishing, one point perspective is used to create a sense of space. 

We thought about a place that our puppets might live in when coming up with ideas.

The year threes in the 3/4 class also did landscapes. They were not required to use one point perspective but many of them found it intriguing and decided to give it a go. The results are pretty stunning!

 

Animation fascination

The year 6 kids are using their puppets made in previous lessons to create some animations.

I selected groups (not the people they would usually choose - just to mix it up a bit ), the children had to select one puppet created by each person in the group and come up with a little story. 

Some kids spent time creating interesting collage backgrounds and props,

Some kids got right into it .... and had to start over,

All of them seemed to enjoy it! 

Next week we'll do some more. ( Then I'll need to figure out how to upload them here! )

 

Lovely Landscapes

Having made our puppets several classes wrote character descriptions about one of them. After describing their physical features, skills or talents and personality the children thought about where their puppet character might live. 

These ideas were realised in the form of wax resist landscapes. 

The pp/1 classes worked from their imaginations. We talked about the foreground and the background of the picture and ways to show textures for grass and leaves. We also recalled how we can use basic shapes to build a drawing.

The yr 2/3 class discussed Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' first, looking at the lines the artist used and how space was shown in the painting. We observed things were high or low on the page, big or small and overlapping. 

I demonstrated how to create a wax resist drawing - keeping firm pressure on the crayon to ensure it covered the paper so that the paint would roll off the coloured section when watery paint is applied with a soft bristle brush.

The settings ranges from tropical islands, seaside shacks to busy cities and magical forests. Great use of imagination and some lovely work.

 

Simple shadow puppets

All the children are making some sort of puppet in response to the puppet incursion last term. 

 

The year threes today worked on making simple shadow puppets. 

 

The year sixes are making more complex shadow puppets. 

The year threes were required to create a puppet with a contour that was easily recognised.

 They had to cut the shape out carefully and attach it to a satay stick or bendy straw. Some children added props, like this rainbow.

They had to make at least one person and one animal.

In contrast the year sixes were required to plan two human like puppets with at least one articulated joint, a clear but complex contour and a textural component. 

The year threes finished their puppets today and did some writing about the character they created. They also thought about where their character might live so that we can create a landscape painting of the setting for their puppet story.

The year sixes will continue to construct their puppets next week.

 

Puppet progress

Our puppets for the junior classes are going well.

Luckily I had a stack of cardboard cones from a sock making factory, they make perfect drying stands for our puppets. 

The puppets will be stacked in a box and shared with Ibu Dee in our Indonesian classes as a fun way to use vocabulary in LOTE.

APlethora of puppets

At the end of last term we had a fabulous incursion of a puppeteer from Indonesia. The children from yr 3 up watched the performance from in front and behind the screen. The play was in two parts with the audience divided in front or behind the screen. At intermission the children swapped sides which meant the whole group got to watch the puppet play as it would ordinarily be seen but also they were able to observe how the puppeteer manipulated the puppets. It was very interesting. It has inspired this terms activities in our art studio. 

Ibu Dee and myself have put our heads together and our programmes will support each other. In art we will be making puppets that will be used for plays using Indonesian language in their LOTE sessions. I will also be using them to develop character traits for the writing I do here in the art room.

               

To make these cute little puppets using long envelopes cut in half the children had to start by looking at the materials available.

Then they made a plan making sure they labled the materials they would be using. PP children were not required to do the labelling but I encouraged them to plan - thinking about the shapes they might use to make ears or eyes and which materials might be best for hair etc.

The older children brainstormed ways they could change a simple piece of paper to be used on their puppet. Here's some ideas they had. 

cut, tear, fold, chop, snip, roll, scrunch, plait, accordion fold, twist, curl

We also though about what type of glue would be best to use. Most of the things could be attached with our glue sticks but some things would require something stronger like PVA or craft glue. We decided to go with PVA because it is strong, clear, good with feathers and pop sticks but it is a little bit supple and things won't snap off when the puppet is being moved about which is what can happen when you use hot glue guns.Each desk has a plate with a little bit of glue and card spreaders within easy reach, these can be topped up as needed but means that it doesn't dry out and get wasted.

Once they had made their plan they collected the materials they needed and production began! Here are some that the yr 2/3 class have made a start on today. The children have used a brown paper bag we have glued in the back of their visual diary to stash any bits and bobs they are using to finish off their puppets next week.