Yesterday was day #2 of my 3D art elective class.  Since many students in the class had not taken art for a year, I wanted to do a quick project to get them back into a creative mindset.  This soda can art project was something I had seen on Pinterest and it ended up being the perfect one day intro activity! 
The vocab word of the day was "transformation."  We talked about how a sculptor must transform materials into something new each time they create a three dimensional peice of work.  For example, a mound of clay is transformed into a mug.  Then I had each student pick out a clean soda can.  I asked them to transform the can into a new piece of art by changing the form as well as embellishing it with acrylic paints, Sharpie makers and duct tape.
It was great to see the surprised look on the kids faces when I asked them to stomp on their cans. They had so much fun with this activity! And while this project is actually much harder than I imagined it would be, the results were fantastic! I was very impressed with their creativity and ability to come up with unique ideas.

It's always hard to believe how quickly the summer goes by!  Hopefully everyone has had time to relax, reflect and recharge their batteries. With every ending, comes new beginnings. As we start up this new school year, it's exciting to think ahead to all the amazing possibilities the year has to offer.  New connections to students, new project ideas and the use of even more technology are all things I am looking forward to in the months ahead.

I spent a lot of time on Pinterest this summer getting ideas for the art room.  I can't say enough how much I am in love with this site! It is my number one resource for everything school related.  I thought I'd share some of the art room makeover that took place of the last few weeks.  

Tables are now named different colors.  I hot glued fabric inside buckets and then hung them from the ceiling with fishing line so that it gives the illusion that paint is spilling out of them.  I can assign each table a clean-up job and simply call them by color name now to get things rolling. (I can't find my source for this! I saw it on someone's blog or Pinterest. If it was you please let me know so I can give you credit.)

I thought these tissue paper poms were really fun! This idea came from the Clutter-Free Classroom Blog. She has wonderful ideas.  I'm hoping to have students help me make more of these throughout the year when they are finished early with a project.  I'd like to have them going all around the top of this wall.  I also saw the time flies idea around the clock on Pinterest.

Another idea that I give Pinterest credit to. The kids reaction on the first day was "Whoa! That's cool!" It was fun to paint chalkboard paint on my storage room doors! I will probably leave this up for a few weeks.  My grand plan is to let students draw on it.  I also ran across this physical Facebook wall which was a second part of this idea inspiration.

This was a great classroom management idea that I found on Pinterest.  If students get too loud, I will simply turn over the letter "A" letting them know it's too loud. If I have to turn the "R" over it is the last warning.  If the "T" is turned over then students loose the privilege of talking the remainder of class.  I like this idea because there is a visual reminder to students and a specific consequence if it has to be said three times. 

I've had these posters up for a few years now.  I like the constant reminder that the skills they are learning in art class prepare them for hundreds of different jobs. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the Coolidge Art room.  Good luck to everyone starting up a new school year! I hope it is filled with amazing adventures and possibilities.