yesterday was our first foray into the sketchbooks. i passed them all out, showed mine, and asked if they needed an in depth explanation or if they just wanted to go for it.
only a handful of kids wanted the explanation. i let the rest get started.
they used mostly scrapbook paper & stickers from the wishlist plus some washi & a few scraps of paper i brought from home.
i sat at the round table with 5 kids who wanted a bit of cut & paste guidance. it may seem straightforward to us, but cut & paste can present challenges for otherwise clever children.
these sketchbooks are fantastic and very sturdy! the last of the watercolor sets arrived yesterday evening. i had selected a prang set of 16 colors for each student. we’ll have plenty of fun drawing our palettes and then exploring with the paint on our pages next week.
i’ve had numerous requests to add more items to the wishlist. in the last week alone i’ve added things and within minutes they’re gone. MINUTES!
this morning i added a final few items (like atlases), but after that i think we’re GOOD. i’ll reevaluate in a few months.
a million hot-air balloon hearts glittering their way towards you across the early autumn sky. inside each one a bunch of little kids blowing you kisses.
with our wishlist class markers you sent a couple of weeks ago we made a paper quilt for our hallway bulletin board.
here is the colored cardstock being put to good use! you cannot begin to imagine how useful all of these things are in a classroom.
unless you’re a teacher.
then you totally get it!
hope you’re having a good saturday somewhere in the world. let me know how you are and what you’re getting up to.
love from california.
What you are doing is brilliant!!! Am a retired teacher, aged 70 and just love all of your tales re your students. I have a new project
What are you using for your sketchbooks? I live in the True North Brave and Free and will be doing some volunteer workshops in a rehab centre in
Mexico in November and need some inexpensive journals for approx. 50 people. Something that will take watercolour. Any suggestions for cheap
paper—we may have to make our own journals—I’ll be taking one extra suitcase, maximum weight 50 lb The people there have nothing so I need to
be very creative with what I bring and purchase there.
i’m using canson, mixed-media 9×12 sketchbooks. they’re huge. won’t be right for your project unless you can have them mailed there in advance. if memory serves me correctly they are relatively inexpensive, but you can probably find sketchbooks that are thinner, have less pages, and will work. might be better to buy some reams of watercolor paper to take in your suitcase along with some basic book- binding supplies. if you prefold/make the signatures i’m betting you can quite easily fit enough paper for 50 people. i’d use a simple pamphlet stitch and a softback cover. i’d have them make the sketchbooks so they have more ownership of the process, unless you’re really keen to sew up 50 sketchbooks. go to blick and find some inexpensive reams of watercolor paper. lots of options to choose from there!
sounds like a fun project!
Oh how I love these journals! And I wouldn’t worry too much about what happens to them, the children will remember the processs and use it for their own projects forever! I would have loved doing this in school!! I have a small drawing class at the library where I work and I’m thinking I will have them start a journal and bring it to draw in each week. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Not only is what you’re doing amazing and fantastic, but also the response. I enjoyed being able to offer something to your class.
A suggestion to those who might want to continue with this idea of supporting our teachers is to check with your local schools. My district is very underfunded and the elementary school right across the street needs everything from basic supplies like pencils and papers to art supplies, poster boards, all sorts of things. I don’t have any kids in school, being well past that age, but I love that I can do something to help out the teachers and the kids in my neighborhood.
You never cease to amaze me with your endless reserve of creative ideas..Bravo. Some how I missed the wish list phase, but I would love to participate.
It was three years to the date that I was in Amsterdam with you!
i was just thinking last night that i wish we would go again. we will!
xoxo
I love the quilt idea. I was just sitting here cutting out of WS Journal monthly magazine things for my art class to use to make a collage. (I’ve learned to quickly cut or my husband will take anything to town to recycle.) Would love to know your process for the quilt idea. I’m teaching a 3,4 &5th grade class for our church’s art program. I have really enjoyed your blog for years just have never written. Good luck and keep up the fun read!!
I’ll try and describe below…
– cut 2 squares 9×9 is what we used
-use a compass and turn one square into a big circle and cut it out (9″ diameter) i didn’t have a compass so i used the old string paperclip trick. i made 6 – 9″ diameter circles from file folders for the kids to use as templates to trace onto 1 of their squares.
-they fold the circle in half then half again then unfold to reveal 4 pieces
-they use black markers (we only had blue) to draw a symmetrical pattern in each of the quarters
-they color with markers – have them select only 5 colors – what they do in one of the quarters they do in all in keeping with the idea of symmetry
-cut the circle into quarters on the fold line
-paste onto the square, putting the corners of the quarters into the corners of the square
-these will form circles when they’re connected as a whole quilt.
HOPE THIS HELPS!
these sketchbooks the kids have made are GOOD! If I had a primary school age child I’d move continent and ensure we were in the catchment area for your school and then I’d find something BAD the headmaster has done, like not returned his library books on time, and blackmail him into putting my little one is in your class. What am I saying? Let’s be honest here – I WANT TO BE IN YOUR CLASS!!!!! I can imagine that even learning maths is fun when you teach it. I looked on your wish list a couple of times but it’s always empty. A nice problem to have! I wish I could have been part of making this happen. Do put more on the wishlist when your supplies run low. Mary Ann, when you look back on your life on your 120th birthday you can say with great conviction – I have made a difference in many many peoples lives – across all the ages and across the world. Not many people can say that!
WOW! I missed most of this and just got in on the last couple of posts! What a great teacher you are — the children in your class are forever changed. This experience will stay with them for the rest of their lives. hugs, Donna
What lucky children! They have great teacher to have lots of fun with
We have arrived in Tasmania today.Its cold and really windy outside and our bed and breakfast is so quiet and cosy ..bliss.
oh how thrilling! i’m sure you were planning to send me a photo. i’ve never been to tasmania and have never known anyone who went!
You AND your students are pure inspiration to the world! xoxo
Wonderful to see, their joy transfers through your pictures! ♥
What fun to see all the sketchbooks of the kids. I’ll be eager for updates as the cut & paste in the journals gets underway. I have oodles of scrap papers, sheet music, postcards, all sorts of stuff. Can you use it in your classroom? I’d be happy to mail it to your school or house if you’ll PM me the address.
mostly we’ll be drawing & painting, using pens & watercolor, with just a bit of collage every now and then. right now i’m good with supplies having received some arty donations from peeps already. appreciate your kind offer SO MUCH, just don’t want to accumulate too much stuff that we don’t use. but i thank you joan 🙂
hi mam
how about 5-20 dollar gift cards. then as you need something presto bango , just order it. You can be pbs for us!
very nice of you to suggest, but i think i’ve got everything i need 🙂
This is so very very touching. Please keep us posted; it brings such joy!
MA–this is wonderful! VaBch is wet and windy but this warms my heart.