Jack-O-Lantern Jars 2016

It is an MCP tradition for the MWF preK students to make a jack-o-lantern jar.  It brings me great joy when I hear parents tell me they have them set out for the holidays especially when several siblings have already created their jar. 

We create these jars over several class periods.  Need directions for Scouts, Sunday school or a family gathering?

We have found it is easier to apply the glue to the jar and let the children add the tissue.
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/10/boo-tiful-lights.html

Have some fun creating jack-o-lantern jars with your child today!

We Built This CIty

Parents of our program know that we love to work with big giant cardboard boxes.  These creative projects allow the children to work together.  This piece was inspired by a picture I saw in a magazine and clipped and filed.  I would love to credit the magazine but cannot remember which (it has to be REAL SIMPLE,  Rachael Ray or Food Network...that's about all I pick up). 

I will acknowledge the artist, Ali Douglass.  Her Orange Cityscape caught my imagination and we did our own interpretation. 

The MWF students are learning about the city and the country.  How are they alike and how are they different? Our MWF students had a lot of fun building the city.  We are planning on creating a country landscape on the other side of  the cardboard.  Here's what we did...

I painted sky and a road.

I cut a variety of tall buildings.  The children chose a color and filled in the skyline.

Office stickers make great windows!

Smaller buildings and more windows...

 

Planes, (no trains) and automobiles die cut from old cereal boxes are colored and glued.

What's next? The Great Pumpkin!
Thanks to Ali Douglass for the inspiration! Be inspired to do something creative with your child today!

Pumpkin Pudding---yes or no?

We started our Pumpkin unit with our TTh 3 y/o class yesterday and tasted Pumpkin Pudding.
There was no middle ground with this recipe. They either loved it or hated it. I love it! It tastes just like pumpkin pie. You need a Snack Pack vanilla pudding and a can of Pumpkin Pie Mix. Add a small spoonful of pumpkin pie mix to the pudding and stir well.

We also looked at the plant that has been outside the classroom.  It's a pumpkin vine!  A pumpkin that is cut open has lots of seeds.  More pumpkin fun next week.

The Primaries

 We painted on canvas today! We used the primary colors.

We learned it is very important to clean the brush between colors.

 

 

We learned some art vocabulary---canvas, palette and smock. 

We also are able to identify primary and secondary colors.

Our work will be displayed in the MCP Art Gallery outside our room!

Masterpiece Monday-How to Draw a Portrait

 

 We learned how to draw a portrait today.  We drew an oval.  We added two circles for eyes.  Black circles make pupils and the letter L makes a nose!  Add a smile and some hair!

 

Student Work

StudentWork

Sunny Days

Our preschoolers have been exploring some sunflower heads. Thank you, Grandma Rose for thinking of us!

 We can look at the sunflower up close

with magnifying glasses. 

 Sunflowers are BIG!

This week we will harvest the seeds.  We will feed the birds this winter and save some seeds for spring, too.

The MCP Art Institute

We have introduced our Masterpiece Monday program to our MWF classes.  We are learning about primary colors, secondary colors and can identify portraits, landscapes, seascapes and a still life.  We are also learning how to draw.  Now this activity is not just about drawing---the children have to listen, identify colors, think about shapes and spatial relationships. It also provides us an opportunity to observe their fine motor skills. 

They will also discover that every time they draw, they get a little bit better.  We started with landscapes and simple instructions. A green line along the bottom---draw a brown number 11 and add a green circle.  Landscapes have lots of trees and trees are different!  The children began to add details on their own (sun, clouds and apples).

 

On Friday, we drew a still life.  We placed an orange, an apple and a vase with flower on the table (great idea from Mrs. U)   We closed our eyes and then opened them.  Did the fruit or flower move?  No!  They are STILL...

Simple directions---Draw a black line on the bottom (that's the table).  An orange circle looks like an orange when we color it.  What's next to the orange?  An apple!  Don't forget a stem!  The number 11 makes a vase/rectangle when we connect the two numbers with a line.  A small brown circle and the letter V create a sunflower! 

Get out some crayons and draw a landscape and still life with your child today!