Team Building

Yesterday the 6th grade headed to the gym to do team building activities in advisory. There were six different stations at which the kids had to work as a team to do a physical challenge- I think they had a great time!

First Faculty Art Class!

A few weeks ago, Mrs. Williams sat down next to me at lunch and said, "Have you ever thought of teaching a class for Calvert adults??" Well, the answer was yes, but I had just not taken the time to think it through... I constantly hear other teachers say "I could never do that, I am so bad at art" when they look at the kids' work on the walls, and I tell them that if I can teach an 11 year old to do it, I could teach them too! I thought it would be a great way to challenge myself by offering a class to adults (an age group I have never taught before!), as well as a great way for the adults in the Calvert community to get together and enjoy each others' company while relaxing and trying something new.

After I announced the 6-week drawing workshop (we'll meet afterschool every Tuesday from now until Winter Break), I had 18 eager students signed up within a few days! Our first meeting was yesterday when I had them draw from observation pre-instruction, as well as do an activity that my 6th graders do to "fool their brains"... Here are some shots of the faculty getting in touch with their creative sides! They're a lot better than they led me to believe... let's hope I can teach them something!!

Real Food Farm fieldtrip

Yesterday, the mt 6th grade advisory participated in an Outreach field trip that is a whole-school collaboration with Real Food Farm. "Real Food Farm is Civic Works' innovative urban agricultural enterprise engaged in growing fresh produce on six acres of land in Clifton Park in northeast Baltimore." You can learn more about it by visiting there website (click here).

Lower School students recently spent three sessions planting seeds in their classrooms. The second phase of the project involves the 5th and 6th grade girls going to Clifton Park to plant the seedlings, which we did yesterday, and hopefully they will also participate in the harvesting phase about six weeks after planting. My advisory, together with Mrs. Babb's 5th grade class, visited RFF yesterday. After an informative introduction, the girls got a tour of the "hoop houses" (plastic greenhouses) and grounds, and then they helped thin out seedlings, plant them and mix compost. We're excited to see the fruits of our labor in a few weeks! Here are some shots from our trip:

Gargoyles and Grotesques

Sixth grade artists worked for their last four classes of the quarter creating small beastly creatures inspired by gargoyles of the Middle Ages. Did you know that gargoyles are actually elaborate downspouts? Usually taking the form of elongated fantastic animals, these decorated gutters are architectural necessities turned into ornament and they can be found peering down from the churches and cathedrals, houses and town halls of Western Europe. Grotesques look a lot like gargoyles but these sculptures are only decorative and do not function as waterspouts...


Students used the pinch method of clay handbuilding to create their creatures by first making a hallow pinch pot body and carefully adding small details and features. Dr. Martire visited our last class yesterday while we wrapped the project up- you can read about his visit on his blog by clicking here. The fired sculptures were painted (rather than glazed) with acrylic paint mixed with pearl medium to give them the look of stone.

Teacups in Bloom

Fifth graders created clay teacups as their last project of the quarter. They used the slab method of clay handbuilding (rolling sheets of clay with a rolling pin and wooden slats as guides for thickness) to create both the main cup and the handle. To decorate their cups, the girls added flower petals, leaves and, in some cases, insects to create these blooming beauties! The pieces were glazed with vibrant colors and fired again- check them out:

Metamorphosis

My 8th graders worked for the entire first quarter on this sculpture project, which is a bit longer than I would have liked!, but the reactions I've seen as observers look into the glass display case make it worth it. The students were challenged to create a series of small sculptures that morphed one object into another. They're difficult to photograph, so I am including just a few here... And, due to blogger difficuties, I can't seem to get the photos to be in separate sections, so they're all blobbed together. Sorry! Below you'll see a a series of five sculptures morphing an elephant into a peanut, six sculptures of a cow into a hamburger (ew!), five scultpures of a gorilla turning into a banana, and four showing a can of Old Bay turning into a crab: