drawing game

More drawing game this week. Everyone shook dice to determine their tournament roster. Some teams were given home court advantage for the first day of play, while others will have to wait until day two. Team names were determined and students will have the winter break to draw their special, top secret chance cards. The first tournament day will be the Monday after we return from break.



Tournament Schedule: Day 1

The Tramps vs Skeleton Goth Guys

Wooly Sweaters vs International Weird Dudes

Horses Gone Wild vs Laputa

The Shoppers vs Magical Thingymabobs


Day 2

Skeleton Goth Guys vs Horses Gone Wild

International Weird Dudes vs The Shoppers

Laputa vs The Tramps

Magical Thingymabobs vs Wooly Sweaters

drawing game

Laputa is a dreamy team in the clouds with billowing winds and fairy like nymphs and mermaids. Skillfully drawn by the always entertaining Olive Early, this team is one to watch.



The International Weird Dudes is an unlikely mix of adroitly rendered magical creatures and superhuman globetrotters. Sylvia Hecht is an excellent storyteller and strategist and her team proves to hold a great many surprises. I've heard a secret fleet of evil shrimp are yet to be unveiled.



Watch out for the purely evil Skeleton Goth Guys. By far the most prolific drawer of the group, Henry Shotwell's team is as vast as it is grim. They are like the legions of the living dead, kill one ghoul and at least ten more are waiting in the ranks.




My special favorite, this year's come from behind cinderella story, The Tramps. Isak Lund spent most of yesterday drawing whiskey bottles in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors giving me the distinct impression that these hobos are ready to mix it up. They are up against the Skeleton Goth Guys in the first round. How will these rail riding tramps fair against the awesome power of the number one seed? Stay tuned.

drawing game

We continued the drawing game adventure today and I plan on keeping with it for the next few weeks. Imaginative drawing is the favorite artistic activity of the entire group. The drawing game days have been interesting for me to watch as a teacher because there is very little for me to do but listen in amazement to the stories and ideas that pour out of the art club as a whole. There ability to tell stories with pictures is further developed than I would have guessed and as a group they are completely self reliant when they draw from their imaginations. Some of the students didn't even want to take a break when they were drawing because it would waste time.



I have to admit I am very excited about the tramp team (as imagined by Isak). It seems the amazing tramps are going to be cracking heads with whiskey bottles, riding the rails, and eating super powered beans!



There's simply no doubt that Henry's walking dead team is going to be a contender.

craft fair

Our craft sale was a big success. We sold out of cozies, snakes, and cookies. The art club earned about $175 dollars for future supplies. I will ask the kids to vote today on what type of fancy art projects we should do during the rest of the year.

I liked watching the kids sell their crafts and answer questions about their projects. One of my primary goals for this sale, beyond earning money, is teaching the students about what it means to be an artisan and sell your wares. Some of the kids were shy, and others were eager to talk and sell. It is extremely hard for everyone, young and old, to get out there and talk with strangers about what you make, and I hope the students know how extremely beneficial it is to practice with a supportive crowd. I heard that some of the students were asking their parents if they could get out of it, and yet everyone seemed proud of themselves when the day was done.

Thank you to all the parents and kids for participating. This sale is why we can keep the art club fees minimal for the entire year.

candy canes

Yesterday I made candy canes with the art club. This was our second attempt. Last year I vowed to never do this project again. I was finding bits of hard candy on my floor well into February, and the sugar high the kids experienced was pretty ugly. But they talked me into it. I thought a year of maturity and a bit of experience might just get us through, but I was wrong. This year our candy cane making was equally crazed and the day ended with art club students being asked to take their dixie cups of candy cane scraps outside for a little winter fun.

Out of two batches of cane mix (7 cups of sugar and 4 cups of Karo syrup later) I think we made about seven candy canes and the rest was cracked up and snacked on and in bits on the floor. Yikes.

I have always been in favor of a little mess with your art, but next year I swear off the hard candy lesson for good. We all have our limits.

After we lost one whole batch of hard crack candy the students began to cheer with enthusiasm. "Now we can eat all the scraps," they cried with glee.