"Bus Contest" 3rd Grade

It's time for the annual Valley Metro Art Contest again. 3rd grade artists can participate by creating an illustration of a bus or the light rail. I have sent home entry forms and paper to students who wished to participate, and have already started to get some back. If you would like me to send you're child's piece, return it me by September 30th. If you would like more information, follow the link to Valley Metro's website. You can also view last year's calendar and see our three winners.
Contest Info and Rules

Welcome Back

We have started a new school year in the art room. This year, we will be focusing on famous artists, and look closely at the work they created. We will take our inspiration from them and explore different mediums to create our projects. Check back for updates on each grade to see what they are making and who they are learning about.

"Creature Creations" 3rd Grade

The 3rd graders are creating sculptures of new animal species. They take the characteristics of two animals and combine them to create their hybrid animal. They make an illustration of their creation and write an article about it in their homeroom class. The articles were collected and each class has its own book. In our class, the students created armatures of their animal. They combined the forms of its body use masking tape and newspaper. They cover their armature with papier mache, which gives it a tough surface and color. They used tempera paints for any additional color and sharpie for the details. From April 25 until May 2, Bookman's will be displaying the stories and sculptures. In addition, they will be having an opening night celebration on Friday, April 29th from 6 to 8 p.m. Bookman's is located at the intersection of 19th avenue and Northern. Everyone is welcome to attend. We will be sending home fliers with more information this week.

"Cityscapes" 2nd Grade

2nd graders have been exploring architecture and designing their own cities. They learned how to draw building that appear 3-dimensional. They added different windows to each building, and created a second row to show depth in their piece. They sketched and outlined, and added color using watercolor pencils. Students who had time created a 3-d flap, and they used it to balance and make their project stand on its own.

District Office Display

Every school in the Madison District displays student's artwork for one month at the District Office. March is the month that Simis artists get to show their hard work. Pieces from each grade level are represented, and are chosen based on creativity and craftsmanship. If you would like to see their work in person, the district office is located at 5601 N. 16th Street and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m till 4:30 p.m.

"Display Case"

There is a new display case showing student artwork right outside the cafeteria. The case is holding several examples of the 4th Grade students "Opposite Views." If you look from different positions the image changes. The artwork will be switched every couple of weeks.

Bus Contest Winners" 3rd Grade

For the second consecutive year, 3 Simis 3rd graders had their pieces selected for the Valley Metro Calendar. The student's created pictures of mass transit, and how we can use the bus or the light rail to go places and help the environment. There was an assembly held in honor of their artwork, and they received their piece framed and a prize pack. Calendars featuring their work were handed out to their homeroom classes, and will be distributed throughout the Valley. You can download the calendar by clicking on the link below.
Valley Metro Calendar

"Exploring Space" Kindergarten

Kindergarteners have been learning about different shapes in the art room. They used triangles, rectangles and squares to create a rocket ship, which they cut out with a scissors. They used circles to draw stars, planets and moons. They colored their solar system using pastel, using their fingers to blend the color until it was smooth. When they finished, they glued their rocket ship into outer space.

"Pastel Foods" 1st Grade

The first graders have been creating patterns out of their favorite food. First, they learned about the artist Wayne Thiebaud. Wayne created paintings where he carefully arranged different types of desserts. The students then chose a food and practiced drawing it on sketch paper. On their final piece, they placed their foods into a pattern that repeats. They used oil pastels to add color, and then blended the pastel using their fingers.