First Grade's Wild Things

After watching a video read-aloud of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" our first grade artists created their own "wild things" with pattern and texture. We will be watercolor painting over the crayon images to finish them up. Stay tuned to see how they turn out!

Kindergarten Bird Nests

These little beauties were made by our kindergarten artists. The nest are made by rolling a ball of clay, making a hole with our thumbs and pinching the clay into the shape we wanted. We used forks to add texture to the nests, giving an illusion of grass or twigs. The eggs were made by rolling balls of clay and forming them into egg-shaped ovals. Blue and brown glazes finish them off with a lovely shine.

5th Grade Functional Coil Pots

Fifth graders are working hard on their clay unit, creating these functional vessels using the coil method of handbuilding. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished pieces, painted or glazed.

Recycled Art Contest At Nelson!

Nelson’s Recycled Art Contest:

To help celebrate Earth Day this year, Nelson will be hosting a Recycled Art Contest for all interested students. The artworks must be created from recyclable goods and materials that would otherwise be considered “trash.” There will be three grade-level categories: K-1st, 2nd -3rd, and 4th-5th. A first, second, and third place prize will be awarded in each of the three grade-level groups.

In order for an artwork to qualify, the following criteria must be met:
1. All artwork should be student-made.
2. All artwork should contain at least one aluminum can.
3. All artwork must be no larger than 36” in any direction.
4. All artwork must be turned in on time and be labeled with student’s name, grade level, and teacher’s name.

We encourage our young artists to be as creative as possible. Our judges will be looking for evidence of originality, good craftsmanship, and creative use of materials.

*** All entries should be turned in to Mrs. Velilla by Monday, April 19th. Winners will be announced on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22nd, during the Nelson Morning Show.

If you have any questions feel free to call Mrs. Velilla at the school or email her at chelsey.velilla@nn.k12.va.us

First Grade Paper Weavings

A great way to reinforce fine motor skills and the use of patterning. Our first grade artists did a wonderful job with these artworks.

5th Grade Silhouettes

There were many elements to this lesson. First we spent a day learning to create tints by mixing various amounts of a chosen paint hue with white. Students worked with a partner to do this, both painting their tints onto their own papers in order from lightest tint to darkest tint, creating a tint scale. During our next session we looked a variety of silhouettes and talked about the contours (outlines) of objects. As students were searching through books and magazines to find inspiration for their silhouettes we were able to discuss what kinds of images would make good silhouettes and which ones would not.

2nd Grade Egyptian Cartouches

Our golden cartouches now bear the hieroglyph initials of the artists who created them, as well as some multicolored "jewels" around the edges.