Harlem Shake
JuliaKapa’a Middle School’s Art students take on the latest viral trend. They aren’t the tamest bunch of little monsters, but they sure know how to have fun!
Be sure to check out Mr. Sanderl’s version too… CLICK HERE!
Pinch Pot Critters
The first batch of Critters is out of the kiln! These little pinch pots have definitely got BIG personality! I also included the names and descriptions that students invented for their critters.
“Crackers,” the small brown owl, secretly lives in the cupboard and eats all types of snack food. He plays practical jokes at night and naps during the day. “Peri Piranha,” the ferocious fighting fish loves to eat sushi. He is camouflaged in the aqua-marine colored water so that he can sneak attack other fish.
“Bob,” the party penguin lives in Los Vegas and loves to eat eat junk food including chips, pizza, Oreos, and cookies. He behaves like a penguin unless he is threatened, in which case he will shoot lasers out of his eyes.
“Shadow,” is a rare creature called an Eclipse Dixit. Dixits are known to travel the world looking for cocoa beans. Every lunar eclipse flocks of Dixits sing a beautiful song.
“Chubbs”, the spotted monster, lives in the pantry and likes to eat Cheerios. He is famous for his pro-tennis career and he likes to give out hugs.
“George”, the baby elephant, lives in the garden and eats blueberries. He likes cloud-watching, smelling flowers, and swimming with his gnome friends. “Ella,” the pink elephant will do tricks for peanuts- her favorite treat! She can spray water with her trunk, and juggle up to four things at once!
“Kitty,” the Luna Shark loves to eat java chip ice cream while watching his favorite shows- Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries. “Roger,” the giraffe likes to eat apple bananas and watch Sponge Bob.
“Mud,” the green spike-tailed Croop, lives in swamps, marshes, and wet muddy areas. Croops will eat anything that fits in their large mouths and like to hunt prey by hiding in the mud. When threatened, Croops can dig in to the ground leaving only a spiked tail above ground acting as a primitive but effective form of protection.
“Chompers,” the gaming dinosaur loves to eat tacos. He lives under the bed, sleeps all day, and plays PS3 all night. “Mr. Buttercup,” the spoiled fat cat, spends his days in bed at a royal palace. His favorite things to do are take naps and eat cookies.
“Spike,” the spiky blob, lives in an underwater cave and eats noodles. You know he’s happy when he turns pink, and he puffs up when he gets mad. His favorite thing to do is ride on the backs of narwals. “Trig,” the pig-troll sleeps under a bridge and eats anything he can find. Although Trig looks scary, he is actually very kind. He will only attack with his razor-sharp tusks if he gets scared.
Art Analysis
Not only do Kapa’a Middle School Art students learn how to make different types of Art, they learn how to analyze and interpret too! Learning how to process and make sense of a variety of different cultural artworks and styles begins with the right vocabulary and a system for identifying the various parts of a whole. Students worked in pairs to create poster-sized charts that describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of Art.
Understanding a work of Art involves peeling away layers to reveal meaning. The process is multifaceted, involving the artist’s intention, the context in which the art was created, and also the personal experience and values of the viewer. Through the process students learned a strategy for approaching artwork (especially works that are unfamiliar or confusing) and also a little more about themselves.
Happy Valentines!
Valentines day at Kapaa Middle School is a whirlwind of excited kids, pink carnations, little stuffed animals, and LOTS of SUGAR! For me, the highlight was a surprise delivery from Mr. Sanderl… a red-tipped white carnation with the note “Let’s flip a coin- Heads, your mine. Tails, I’m yours.” Sounds like a win-win situation to me! The paper-cut heart is my Valentine for him (and a possible future lesson idea!).