we will be artists

I volunteer with our school's Meet the Masters program. We brought the program to the school to help the students learn about famous artists and actually practice art techniques. It is also providing time for our teachers to collaborate with each other to improve math instruction and intervention. It is completely volunteer-driven and we have over 100 volunteers helping in the classrooms.

I signed on early to help coordinate the program because I want my kids exposed to art and develop an appreciation for it. I guess I am creative, but I am not artistic--even my stick figures are pathetic. I have always wished I were better at drawing and painting. A fun part of the program is that I get to try all of the techniques before teaching them.

We did Monet and most recently, Van Gogh. I taught the assemblies for Van Gogh and helped in my kids' classrooms.

Right before we started in 2nd grade, the kids came in from recess. Christian got hit in the head somehow while playing soccer. He did the art activity with an ice pack on his head.

I got a picture of Drew doing his project. We used oil pastels.

The inspiration for the projects was "Starry Night."

I didn't think about snapping pictures of the girls in class. Jessi's teacher hung them all up, but Bev brought hers home. This is Bev's Starry Night.

We are now the proud owners of some oil pastels, and the kids are excited to do some more Van Gogh artwork.

My mom shared this clip with us. We used this song in our assembly. Vincent had a sad life, and trying to explain it to children was a little tough. (Christian, of course, keeps talking about him cutting off his ear.) But, his art is truly a gift.