Art Exhibition - Nursery PreK, Kinder and Grade 1, May 9-23, 2011

Nursery and Pre K Things That Go - Shapes in Shapes
are riding along on the cityscape made by Grade 2 for
play El Gato.


Self Portraits K and Grade 1

Lines Make Shapes Paintings by Kinder

Make Way for Ducks Grade 1

Compositions from the Scrap Box by Kinder

It was wonderful to see so many parents and students enjoying the 2011 Discovery Art Exhibit. People, places and pets lined the walls of the library, art room and computer lab. Our youngest students raced ahead of parents eager to point out their work. While older students stood proudly but more quietly next to their work. The high school students and Advanced/AP students appreciated the comments and questions of those who looked closely and thoughtfully at their work.

From the “fresh fish” and murals-in-progress in the coral reef, to pet portraits and floral watercolors, to the Chuck Close painting by first and second graders the library was a feast for the eyes.

Parts of the exhibit will remain on the walls for the next week, while some works will travel for display at the American Embassy. If you were not able to visit the exhibit last week, please feel free to stop by anytime Monday through Wednesday this week to take a look.

Thank you to all of you “viewers” who helped us complete our work.

Our young students are still creating, cutting, pasting, squishing and squeezing, drawing and designing. Soon we will be sending the student portfolios home so that you can enjoy the art work your child has created this year.

Nursery PreK, Kinder and Grade 1, May 3-6, 2011

“The last step in art making is exhibition. A work of art is not truly finished until it is viewed and responded to by another.”

Students are making their final selections of work to exhibit. We are busy mounting and labeling our work. Wednesday morning we will begin transforming the Library, Art Room and Computer Lab into an art gallery. The Art Exhibit will officially open Thursday May 5th at 4:30. The Art Exhibit will be open until 6:00 pm when the General Assembly meeting will begin with a performance by the Discovery Choir.

All grades are participating in the exhibit from Nursery through the Grade 11/12 Advanced and AP classes. This is a great opportunity to share your student’s pride in their creative growth and development in the visual arts. Please help us complete our work by viewing and responding!

The exhibit will remain open on Friday May 6 from 8:00 am until 3:30 pm.

Nursery PreK, Kinder and Grade 1, April 27-29, 2011

Peace by Lisandro Arita

Discovery School Visual Arts Exhibit 2011

May 5, 4:30 - 6:00


Students are putting the finishing touches on their work and preparing work for display.

Please join us before the General Assembly meeting to celebrate the creative achievements of our students.

Discovery Visual Arts Spring Exhibit

Students are busy putting finishing touches on their projects and selecting works to be displayed at the 2011 Discovery School Spring Visual Arts Exhibit. Mark your calendars now. The General Assembly meeting and the Arts Exhibit are on the same evening Thursday May 5. Come and see what we have been up to all year.

We Have Been Busy

The Spring Art Exhibit is coming in May. Finally you will get a chance to see what our students have been working on. The exhibit will be open before the General Assembly Meeting. Mark you calendars.

Kinder and Grade 1 March 28-April 1, 2011

Sumi-e All of our Discovery School art classes have been practicing the art of Sumi-e painting. This unique Japanese art uses only four brush strokes to express all of the shapes and forms in the universe. It was built on the knowledge ancient Japanese scholars brought back from China. They developed an art form that reflects Japanese culture and philosophy. This art requires complete control of mind and brush. Because of this it is often used as a way for the artist to enter a peaceful, meditative or prayerful state. Our classes are practicing this art as a way of showing their respect and concern for the Japanese people. Works from each student will be put together in a scroll to be sent to the Japanese Embassy. This week Kindergarteners and Grade 1 students will learn the first brushstroke – Bamboo Leaf. They will learn the variations of the leaf and make bamboo stalks, lizards, butterflies and spiders. Parents are invited to observe and participate in this activity. Kinder A - March 30, ___ will meet in the art room next to the computer lab Kinder B - March 31, _____ will meet in Miss Vivian’s Preschool room. Grade 1 A Grade 1 B

Nursery PreK - March 28 - April 3, 2011

Last week we had fun using BIG brushes and buckets of water to make BIG lines and shapes on our sidewalks. Just for fun we used straws and bubble solution to make lots of “mini” bubbles. Don’t tell them it was really a way to study the shape of the sphere. They thought it was just for fun. Cars and Trucks – Seeing Shapes in Shapes. This week preschoolers will be creating a busy street scene. They will take squares and rectangles and turn them into trucks, buses and cars. They will learn and easy way to cut a circle to make all the wheels they will need. Then they will use markers to add details to the vehicles and draw a background behind them.

Grade One - March 7-11, 2011

Grade one students will add the finishing touches to their Vase-Face still life compositions. If there is time they will enjoy expressing themselves with some "free drawing".

Kindergarden - March 7-11, 2011

The art of time! Humans have always been trying to find ways to measure time, from hour glasses to Big Ben to Swatch Watches. After they look at a variety of time pieces they will create their own "grandfather clock", complete with moving hands and a mouse to run up and down when it "strikes" the hour.

Nursery PreK - March 7-11, 2011

Now that we have made a variety of "things that go" we will create an environment for them. What do we see at the side of the road? Using chalk and a very long piece of sidewalk students will draw the road and all the things they see when they look out of their car windows. Then they will have fun driving their "vehicles" along the road. Thanks to parents for all the great boxes they donated for this project.

Grade One - February 28 - March 4, 2011

Vase Face Still Life with Flowers – using cut paper, and water colors, tissue paper and a special model, students will create a unique still life.

Kindergarden February 28 - March 4, 2011

Puzzle-Piece Landscapes – students will look at landscape paintings and a real jigsaw puzzle and then imagine what part of the puzzle their piece would look like. They will color their piece with oil pastels and then fit the puzzle together to see their class masterpiece.

Nursery PreK February 28 - March 4, 2011

Things that go! We are looking at transportation this week. Using our imaginations we will be turning shoe boxes and other boxes into things that go!

Grade 1 - February 14-17, 2011

Up Close with Chuck Close – First graders will continue to work on their compositions inspired by the work of Chuck Close by painting 8 abstract mini-paintings in one composition.

Kindergarten - February 14-17, 2011

Kindergarteners enjoyed their visit to the senior art room last week where they painted a large abstract composition that started with members of the line family and evolved into very interesting and unusual shapes. then they filled their shapes with lots of color. This week they will resume their paintings of tropical birds.

Nursery and Pre K - February 14-17, 2011

This week students will find new magazines for collages and some tempera paints to explore. Students will continue working individually, with teacher support, on their bubble wrap and found object printing project.

Grade 1 January 31-February 11, 2011

Grade 1
Grade one students are continuing their unit on portraits. They started by drawing a self portrait looking closely at the shape of their faces, placement of their eyes and hair styles. Next we will take an “up close” look at the artist Chuck Close and his work. Then we will use some of his ideas to inspire our own compositions. Using tempera paint, color and form will take on a new dimension.

Kindergarten January 31 - February 11, 2011

Kindergarteners are visiting the "big" art room to do some painting. They will demonstrate how lines make shapes and interesting lines make interesting shapes. By filling in the spaces and shapes with color and they will make bold nonobjective compositions that are fun to make and fun to look at.

Nursery and Pre-School students are exploring new materials in the arts center. Each day they will find something new to explore. Will it be Ooblick, saving cream floating on water, or fresh scraps for the scrap box? Using the collage papers they created with newspapers, scissors and glue sticks they will explore the concept of the art print using bubble wrap and found objects.

Grade 1 - January 24-28, 2011

First Grade students will take a look in the mirror and create self portraits that are better than a camera portrait. Colors, patterns and lots of fun taking a closer look at how our features are put together.

Kindergarten January 24-28, 2011

This week we will be looking at birds of the rainforest and then creating some fanciful birds of our own. Students will draw familiar shapes combining them to create a new creature. Color what about color. Lots of bright colors and a few surprising finishing touches. Wait and see what happens.

Nursery - PreK January 24-28, 2011

Exercising our cutting muscles. Gripping the scissors in a good way and coordinating the open close of the hand with the tool, positioning the paper just right. Cutting with scissors is a complex fine motor skill. It is one that young people are eager to learn. This week we will have fun practicing this skill. Making little pieces of big pieces students will cut their own way. What kinds of shapes will they make? Each one will be different. We will collect all of our small pieces and next time we will glue them down on paper. Then what will we do with them? Wait and see.

Early Elementary Grade 1 January 18-21, 2011

Make Way for Ducks!
Grade one students have painted papers with lots of colors and are ready to create a collage on them. Reading or rereading the story Make Way for Ducks is always fun. Students will exercise their fine motor skills by pinching and tearing paper. They will create edge textures that will make their ducks look a bit fluffy. They will put the torn shapes together, head, body, wings with glue sticks and add more details, eyes, duck bills and floppy duck feet. These ducks will be ready for fun in the park, in a puddle or on a pond.

Nursery, PreK and Kindergarden January 18-21, 2011

This week students will explore the concept of transparency when they create translucent designs that look like stained glass windows. Little fingers will tear colored tissue paper into interesting shapes and then glue them onto wax paper. Next they will fold and cut a design for their window from colored paper and place the paper frame over their colors. We will put them on the windows for the sun to shine through.

They will be developing their fine motor skills and a greater awareness of touch.

We will look at pictures of stained glass windows like the one at Chartres Cathedral in France and modern windows made by Matisse.