Blog #10: Community Arts Project

The word of the week is texture!    
     My group decided for our Community Arts Project to promote a Fun In The Sun Day in the Toronto District Elementary Schools to help raise awareness for skin cancer. We wanted to emphasize the importance of wearing sunscreen and for parents to put on sunscreen themselves. If parents put sunscreen on themselves they are being role models for their children by showing how sunscreen is important. It is especially important for children to begin using sunscreen at a young age and to be informed about being safe in the sun. The Fun In The Sun Day, would be a day filled with outdoor activities and providing information for the children about the importance of wearing sunscreen and being smart in sun. This great day will be filled with activities that will allow them to be outside all day and learn how to be safe in the sun with stations that include a: hydration station, games station, sunscreen station and a relaxation station in the shade. We also researched informational websites that helped us find out more information and so that we could provide information to the parents for other resources. Our main organization that will help our day be successful is the Canadian Cancer Society. Some of the other resources that we are providing to the parents are; The Canadian Dermatology Association, The Ontario Sun Safety Working Group, Environment Canada's UV Index and Health Canada. We also contacted the Toronto District School Board to suggest the idea.

            To help advertise for our 'Big Idea' we made posters that would be put around the school for children to hear about The Fun In The Sun Day that is informing children to be aware of the dangers of the sun so that they use proper protection, beginning at a young age. These posters will catch the children's attention and help them to begin talking about a topic that is not commonly discussed with young children. The pictures in this blog are the different posters that will be displayed around the school. Our project is a Social Justice Issue because Sun Awareness is usually not focused on at a young age. Usually people start to find out once they are older the dangerous amount of sun damage that may be a result from sun exposure over the years. This prolonged exposure may lead to skin cancer.    

             Overall, I believe that our presentation went well explaining our Big Idea about our goal to promote skin cancer awareness and sun safety by having a Fun In The Sun Day in the Toronto District School Board. I feel we presented our idea clearly and enthusiastically. I believe the posters were a major contribution to demonstrate our idea. The use of creativity should draw the children's attention to the posters in the school. We also handed out Sun Cookies so that the spectators that came to hear our Big Idea had cookies as a reminder of the importance of sun safety and awareness. I believe one thing that we could have improved our presentation would have been props. It would have been fun to wear beach clothes, sunglasses, sunscreen on the nose and wear hats. I think this would have added to the presentation of our Big Idea. In general, I believe that we did a great job on our Community Arts Project and our group worked together well with each member equally doing a great job on their part. This allowed the presentation to go smoothly.   

    The word of the week is texture. The poster Be a Fungi Don't Be Burnt demonstrates that texture can be bumpy, dull, coarse and granular and raised and lowered (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p.144). When I look at this picture, I am drawn the the texture of the tree that is behind. If I could touch it I know it would have been rough, coarse and granular. that I mentioned above. I also believe that the other 3 pictures use texture as well. Overall, texture "refers to the surface quality of a work of art" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p.144).     

     This is a great Big Idea that will benefit children's health in the future. Children need to understand how to properly apply sunscreen, wear hats and sunglasses beginning at a young age so that they can keep their skin healthy. It is important that schools provide this information to children. Children can also teach their parents about sun safety. I thoroughly enjoyed creating this project and I believe it will help me in the future with teaching, if I want to start a fundraiser or for presenting information to my class. 

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6

th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Blog #9: Guerilla Art

The word of the week is line! 

      When I first heard about Guerilla Art I was a little confused with the concept. I had to begin thinking about what I was going to create and where to leave my Guerilla Art. At Tim Horton's the contest Roll Up the Rim is happening which is always a huge excitement for many people. This inspired me to create a blog about Roll Up the Rim. There are many temptations that can be challenging when they appear in our life. Personally, I find temptation the hardest when people are not around you watching.

       During the contest I have found myself seeing a Roll Up the Rim cup lying on the ground and have been tempted to see if it’s a winner. I think to myself "what if that was a car and someone forgot to roll the rim. These temptations can happen anywhere and at anytime on a regular basis. I thought it would be interesting to place a Tim Horton's Roll Up the Rim cup in my neighbourhood and see if anyone was tempted by this cup sitting on a bleacher all by itself. I put Play-Doh in the bottom of the cup so it felt as though there was still some coffee left in the cup, which would increase the chance that the person had forgot to roll up the rim. Then I found 3 balloon holders in my house that would stick in the Play-Doh. I put 3 post-it notes on the balloon holders, they said Got Ya, Ha Ha Ha and Just couldn't resist eh! 

When the person took the lid off of the cup these 3 notes popped up at them. On the weekend, it was a gorgeous day so I decided that this would be a great day to place the cup on the bleachers and see if anyone was tempted.            

      There is a tree that is behind the bleacher so I decided to sit over on the hill behind the tree to see if anyone walked by. A man with his dog shortly came walking by. He looked at the cup and walked closer, he looked to see if anyone was watching him and then picked the cup up. He looked shocked when he opened the cup, I don’t think he was expecting that at all. He laughed and walked away with his dog. I decided that I would then put the cup sitting on the side of the garbage so that it would tempt more people that came to the park that day. I wish I could have stayed all day to see peoples reactions and how many people actually stopped to look.

    The word of the week is line. When people hear the word line they usually think of a straight line that is found when drawn with a pen. Lines surround us everywhere. Lines can be "straight or curved, zigzag or wiggly" (, p.135). The Tim Horton's Cup is very unique that everyone can distinguish. The Roll Up the Rim cup in particular is very easy to recognize. The use of lines on the cup includes; bent lines that create the arrow to show where to roll the rim. The straight and curved lines used for the letters that are on the cup to create words and the short lines on the lid of the cup. People also stand in a line to get their Tim Horton's coffee. 

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont,    
           CA: Delmar.

Blog #8: Pretend Play and Magical Thinking

The word of the week is mass and volume!    
      Hello there! My name is Brightelda Lampshade. I was born on March 26th and I am 7 years old. My family and I speak English. I live with my mom, dad, sister and brother. We do not always spend time together even though we live in the same house. We have time to be together when those "humans" are not in our house. Don't get me wrong, the humans are great company most of the time. Anyways, I'll tell you a bit more about myself. I love spending quality time with my family, every minute counts. My favourite season is winter. I love being able to wear my white hat with my pink scarf and white mittens. I occasionally change my wardrobe depending on my mood, but this outfit is definitely my favourite. I will tell you a secret, I do not like the darkness at all. I feel very fortunate that I am able to help my fear with my special power that allows me to not be in darkness. My special power is very fun to use all I have to do is wiggle my nose and I am able to glow. One thing that I do not like is when the "humans" decide to watch movies because they do not like to watch movies if I glow. So I get scared but hopefully I can work on my fear. My favourite colour is yellow, the reason I love this colour is because when I use my special power I give off a yellow glow. Over all, I believe I am very happy, caring, intelligent and patient. I am very patient because I am concerned about the "humans" needs first before mine. Although I do not like darkness I allow the "human" to enjoy the movie and keep relaxed. I thoroughly enjoy my life and enjoy every day.

            Creating Brightelda Lampshade, was a lot of fun and it took some serious creative thinking. She displays mass and volume. Brightelda's physical characteristics resemble mass and volume because of her light and delicate structure (Schirrmacher, & Fox, 2009, p.142). She has a larger figure that includes her head, body and legs. She is more successful if she is stationary, she would be more challenging to move, although it is possible. It is important to remember that she needs to be near a plug so that her magical powers work. In general, Brightelda resembles mass and volume because she is "three dimensional art, which has height, length, and width" (Schirrmacher, & Fox, 2009, p.142).

            Teachers need to remember how much fun children have using there imagination. It is important to bring imagination and creativity into the classroom (Schirrmacher, & Fox, 2009, p.39). Teachers can incorporate an activity similar to this into their classroom. They can do this by having the children pick an inanimate object and bring it to life! Children can work on developing stories about their object that they brought to life. This would work on social skills and their creativity.          

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.

           

Blog #7: Grocery Shopping with a Twist

The word of the week is colours!
           I try to go grocery shopping with my mom as much as I can to help her get everything we need. Grocery Shopping can be very time consuming if we need many things. With two people grocery shopping can be quicker and more enjoyable. Sometimes my mom and I will split up in the grocery store, we divide the items we need and both have items that we will get ourselves. Then we will meet in a certain area of the store so that we can get the other items together. I always go to select the fruit, I pick out the fruit that always looks fresh and "in season". I have always loved fruit, but it has to be fresh, great quality and I am very particular about fruit. The fruit that I always look for at the grocery store includes;

-          Strawberries

-          Cherries

-          Apples (Pink Lady& Honey Crisp are my favourite)

-          Oranges (Mandarin Oranges are my favourite)

-          Grapes (Green grapes are my favourite)

-          Pineapple

-          Plums

-          Kiwi

-          Watermelon

-          Bananas

-          Raspberries

-          Peaches

-          Cantaloupe

-          Grapefruit

-          Blueberries

            When looking at all the different fruit in the section of a grocery store the colours attract me. Each fruit has a different tint of colour (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 136). As well, even strawberries, raspberries, plums and watermelon can all be red but each of the fruit has a different characteristic of colour. Colours have always interested me, the colours of fruit catches my attention. The colour of the fruit is based on the amount of light from the sun (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 136). Even when I am deciding which fruit to buy, I pick the fruit that is bright because I think it will taste better. People are affected by colour and are attracted by colours that appeal to them.

            Many children go grocery shopping with their parents. In the classroom, teachers can talk about the colours and different food that they see in the grocery store. Children can even bring an item in from when they were shopping with their parent. This can begin a discussion or an activity in the classroom. They could be learning about the different colour groups and use fruits as a visual display.

            I decided to draw my three favourite fruits from my list above, although it is difficult to pick. Strawberries, apples and oranges are my favourite because it does not matter what season it is, these three fruits can be found and are delicious. Most importantly I love when strawberries are a dark red colour, are juicy and have a great amount of flavour.  

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont,
      CA: Delmar.

Blog #6: 'My World' with Scissors

 The word of week is space! 

       I believe that we need to find happiness, love and peace every single day. The camp that I go to is a safe environment that you can be yourself and it emphasizes; to be true to yourself. Camp is welcoming, fun, lively and everyone is accepted in this small community. Camp to me is like another world, it helps you to escape from the stress, drama and the world we live in every day. From my experience at camp, I try to bring this environment into the real world. It reminds people to look at the world positively and make every day the best that they can. I think it is extremely important to have fun, for everyone to feel they are unique and feel they can make a difference in the world. I believe that sometimes in life there are things that we can not control that affects us negatively. In this situation you have to find something that will take you away for a few minutes to allow you to be happy, feel loved and that there is peace. I can not be at camp all year round, so I ensure that I recognize how to make every day unique and special. I bring music, laughter, creativity, being around people and being active into my regular routine to make happiness, love and peace. I think the world would be a better place if we looked at life positively, because you never know what is around the corner, you have to live each day to the fullest potential.

           I decided to make a world of happiness, love and peace by using a balloon and paper mache to resemble my world. I then used pictures from the camp that I go to because the camp environment has had a large influence on why I am the person I am today.

            I think this collage represents a great use of space. There is no empty space on 'my world'. The collage represents positive space, the world is filled with colour and great detail. (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 143) Some of the pictures are over lapping one another and the pictures are used with a random selection where they are placed but create the 'world' that looks visually appealing. (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 143) I had to ensure when I was creating the collage that I kept in mind where the pictures were placed so that there would not be left over space at the end or not enough room for all the pictures that I selected. When using the aspect of space, there are many considerations to remember (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 136)

            This “My World with Scissors” is a great activity for any age group. My envisioned world would include; everyone to be included and accepted, that each individual has a great time and that everyone cares for one another. Camp is the closest place that all of these qualities are present. I use my camp experience to help others. This would be a great activity to use in a classroom. Children would bring pictures in from home that are special to them and would make their world a better place. The children would use scissors to cut the pictures, so that they would be able to fit the pictures on their world. My theme was happiness; I was more specific and used pictures from a place that resembled happiness. The children could be very creative. The children would make their world with a balloon and paper mache (need to make paper into strips for the paper mache) and then use a collage with their pictures. This would allow them to realize how the world can be a better place to live, by recognizing things that are important to them.   

            I thoroughly enjoyed making 'My World' because I feel passionate that peace, happiness and love can be found in many situations. I have always loved pictures because they help remember memories.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont,
          CA: Delmar.

Blog #5: Eternal Sunshine Movie Discussion

The word of the week is balance!

Erikka: This weekend I watched the movie called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it was really cool.

Melissa: Yeah I watched the movie this weekend as well, it was very interesting.

Erikka: At first, I was really confused about what was going on.

Melissa: Yeah, after I talked to you I really took note of Clementine’s hair colour and it helped make more sense, especially because it was a very detailed movie.

Erikka: I thought that it was really clever how at the beginning of the movie when they met on the train, Clementine said you may not recognize me because my hair colour changes a lot. During the movie it turned out that they had known each other at two different times. Her hair was blue during one encounter and red in the other encounter.

Melissa: I agree, I think it was very creative of the writer of the movie to think of that concept. I found as the story continued that I had to keep an open mind and allow myself to think creatively throughout the movie.

Erikka: Yeah, I agree that we had to keep an open mind. When Joel got the note saying Clementine had brainwashed him out of her life I was completely confused. Since they incorporated brainwashing into this movie I was just shocked since it is something that does not actually exist.  But as I continued watching the process of the brainwashing when Joel got it done, I thought that it added a great touch of creativity to the movie as we had to follow them through past and previous encounters and made the viewer have to be that much more attentive.

Melissa: Brainwashing definitely was a surprise in this movie. I thought it added uniqueness to the movie by creating a concept that is not real. I really think that this movie displays a great deal of creativity. I liked how Joel could hear the two lab technicians while his mind was being erased. This created an extra dramatic effect.

Erikka: Yes, I agree as well.

Melissa: Something that I wanted to mention was how the movie showed that memories can be erased but people’s feelings toward each other can never change. Even though Clementine and Joel’s memories were erased, when they saw each other their feelings stayed the same. This showed how memories are so powerful and impact you either negatively or positively.

Erikka: Yeah, after the fact of both Clementine and Joel being brainwashed, they were still able to find a connection between the two of them. During Joel’s procedure, he was able to stay true to his feelings for Clementine and they were able to change his memories to prevent her from being erased.

Melissa: That is a great point Erikka. I really think this discussion proved how creative this movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is.

Erikka: Yeah, it was kind of confusing at first, but once I caught on to the twist of the movie I really enjoyed it.

      As for myself, I thought the overall movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was exceptionally creative and reminded me how creativity can be incorporated in everything that we do on a regular basis. Although this movie would be too complex for children it reinforces the importance of showing movies in the classroom. I remember when I was younger when a teacher announced that we were going to watch a movie how excited everyone became. It was a treat for us as students when teachers put a movie on. It is important to remember how movies can inspire people and let children use their creativity and imagination. Movies can be found on many topics and subjects that we discuss in the classroom at any age. After watching a movie in the classroom, I believe it is essential that there is a class discussion or small group discussions about the movie. This allows children to show how they interpreted the movie, their favourite parts and for teacher’s to explain the importance of the movie. Movies are extremely enjoyable and who wouldn’t want to sit back and watch a movie that inspires us and helps us look at different perspectives in life. The movie demonstrates asymmetrical balance because the characters have common feelings but are not balanced when their memories are erased. “With this type of balance, the objects are not evenly or equally balanced from a point” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 144).

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, 
              CA: Delmar.

Blog #4: Spot the Pattern

The word of the week is pattern!      
        Patterns are really everywhere, once you begin looking. They can be “fence posts, steps, rungs of a ladder, railroad tracks and spokes on a wheel suggest a repetitive pattern” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). On a regular basis I don’t look at the scenery around me for patterns. I really find you notice things once something has been mentioned to you. As I began to observe patterns this week in Downtown Toronto and as I commuted back to my house I had difficulty narrowing down which picture I would pick to talk about. The picture I decided to use was a building that I see when I walk to my car everyday from the Go Train. When I first looked at the building I recognized the repetition of the balconies. There was a distinct pattern repeating itself over and over again. The placing of the balconies and the distance between them creates a “plain and simple” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142) pattern.

Once I zoomed in on my picture that I had taken, I was overwhelmed by the different patterns that I recognized. Some of the different patterns that I noticed included; the window sizes, window shapes, the colours of the windows, the use of space and brick placement around the windows. There is also the use of alternating materials of glass and bricks. The use of glass and bricks is sequenced in a pattern of windows, pillars, balcony, which is repeated over and over. When you look closer you see more patterns within the patterns. Patterns can be largely included into the classroom to benefit the children’s learning. If teachers show children different patterns around the classroom or outside in the school yard, children are going to begin looking for patterns everywhere they go (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). This can help children develop in many different curriculum components such as math, science, art or reading. Children need to learn how to observe patterns and will help them develop in the classroom (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). Once children can identify patterns around them they are able to apply the knowledge to patterning tasks and activities in their classroom.  

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, 

            CA: Delmar.

Blog #3: Interpreting a Work of Art

The word of the week is composition!
On Tuesday, January 25^th when we attended the Art Gallery of Ontario the art that I chose to interpret was an oil painting. The piece was called Interesting Story by Laura Muntz Lyall.

What is going on in the art work?

Immediately, I really liked this artwork. The artwork made me feel comfortable, warm and safe. This picture reminded me of when my sister and I were young. My sister has always loved to read and I always enjoy listening to stories. In this picture the older girl is reading and the younger girl is looking and listening to the story intently. This reminded me of how my older sister would read me stories and I would listen and love spending time with her. The girls in the artwork look comfortable, warm and they were thoroughly enjoying the book and the time spent together.

When I look at the artwork I recognize two symbols. The first symbol is love. I see love demonstrated through this artwork because it looks like it is two sisters together. They are spending time together because they love each other’s company. The older sister is showing her love for the younger sister by reading to her before bedtime. The younger sister is demonstrating her love by listening and sitting close to her older sister. The other symbol that I feel the artwork portrays is peacefulness. When looking at the artwork it looks as though the sisters feel safe beside each other. They look as though they are happy at home in a quiet, warm and loving home. Love and peace definitely are main themes in our day to day lives. Love is a word that is commonly used everyday. Love can be demonstrated verbally, through body language and thought. People can love one another, love their job or love sports. Art is not the only way to show love, I feel that the way I act on a daily basis as happy, friendly and kind demonstrates how I love enjoying life. Peace is a large theme in the world because where there is hope there will be peace. Each day people hope there will be no war, no murders, no car accidents and that the world will be safe. Peace is portrayed in this house because it looks like the girls feel safe in their home, that they are comfortable and they are involved in the book they are reading. Many people try to ensure their home is a peaceful place to live. My family creates a safe, loving and peaceful environment to live in.

What do you see that makes you say that?

This painting was made with oil on canvas. I have always found paintings to be fascinating. The main reason that I have been interested in paintings is because my Nanny is a very talented artist. I love looking at her paintings that are in her house and my house. Paintings have always interested me and I find them beautiful. She does watercolour and oil paintings. I do know a little about oil painting because I like comparing the differences between her watercolour pictures and oil pictures. I find that when I look at oil paintings, they are beautiful; I love the detail. I find the original oil pictures have more texture and have a rougher look to them. Paintings are very fascinating because everyone could have a different interpretation about the picture. People may see different symbols and different meanings toward the artwork that is personal to them. I believe that the attraction to the observer is often the different colours and textures that can be used in oil paintings.  

The picture, Interesting Story really made my senses open up. When looking at the picture I could really see the different colours that were used. Once you look closely at the picture you can see that there are many lines of one colour. I find the effect of lines and clumps of one colour actually causes the picture to look less realistic. When I first saw the picture I thought it looked realistic but once I examined it more I feel it looks less realistic. The detail of the picture is well done; the girls faces, the detail on the pillows and the buildings outside the window. This detail made my senses react more. If I was able to touch the oil painting it would feel rough, thick and hard. If there was a smell to the artwork I would smell the inside of the house. I think the picture would smell like burning firewood and freshly baked cookies. To me the home has a country style which makes me think of a fireplace and a mother making cookies for her children before bedtime. I also imagine that the house where the two girls are reading is quiet. The picture has a darker tinge which allows me to feel that it is evening. This artwork demonstrated the use of composition because "line, shape, color, texture, and form blend together as a unified whole" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). The focal point of the picture is the two girls reading a book together. Attention is drawn toward the focal point, which allows the admirer of the painting to remember this piece and want to view the piece again because of its peaceful and inspiring message that is displayed (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). Design and composition was successfully displayed in this artwork since it has "a sense of overall order, coherence, equilibrium, and organization" because of the use of colour, detail and the ability for people to relate to the scene in the artwork (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142).  

When thinking of how the artist thought to draw two girls on a couch reading a book together I believe she had a connection from her personal experience. I feel that maybe she had two girls and she was drawing them or it could be her and her sister together when they were younger. I think this picture had meaning to the artist and that is how she came up with the idea for the painting. The artist wanted the girls to look focused on the book they were reading. She had them close together on the couch which reflected her childhood or feelings of comfort that she experienced at some point of her life. This artwork is crafted by hand and is very detailed. This very time consuming piece of work must have taken hours and months to create this beautiful painting.

What more can we find?

The painting, Interesting Story was created by Laura Muntz Lyall, she was born in Radford, England in 1860. She died in Toronto, Ontario in 1930. Interesting Story is an oil on canvas painting created in 1898. At this time, in 1898 women were responsible for the home and taking care of their children. The children did not have many toys so reading a book was a special time. Siblings would share time together reading. The older daughter probably was responsible for caring for the younger child while their mother finished her chores and household tasks in the early evening. Even in current time society is encouraging families and children to spend time reading together. Although today electronics have replaced books, it is still felt that reading is an important part of leisure time and family life.

When looking at all the artwork that was at the AGO, in the same room as the painting, Interesting Story. I feel the major theme of all the artwork was children, home and nature. All the art that was in this room was oil on canvas and was created by Canadian artists. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the different artwork because my favourite artwork is nature, children, family and home scenes.

My initial reaction to this painting has not changed. When I first saw the painting I really like the painting. Even after taking a closer look at the details and reading into the meaning of the picture I still feel the same about the painting.

When I discussed the artwork with my other classmates, they had similar feelings when looking at the painting. They agreed with my interpretation that it was probably a picture of two sisters together reading a book. They also felt comfort and warmth when looking at the picture. Many of my friends chose other art from the same room. This shows that we were all getting similar feelings from the collection of artwork. This artwork has a personal meaning to me because I loved having my sister read stories to me. Since my sister and I are older now and are both attending university this causes me to remember many memories of our childhood together.

Teaching Component 
I think that professional artwork should be used as a tool for teaching children. Whether teachers bring artwork into the classroom or go on a field trip to the AGO, interpreting a piece of artwork can be fascinating. Children can learn, be creative and explore new surroundings that they have never had the chance to discover. Artwork can be observed in different ways by each individual. Children can be inspired when seeing professional art and recognize how art can be displayed in a variety of different areas. Art also helps the child develop and will benefit them in the future with knowledge on history, techniques and famous pieces of artwork.   



Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont,           
          CA: Delmar.

Blog #2: Instant Sculpture, Stanley Sculpture

The word of the week is shape!

When the assignment was described to use anything around your house to build something I sat down at first and was thinking what I could do. I have always loved being in the kitchen since I was very little. I would do anything from helping my dad make pancakes to helping my mom cook a meal. I then thought, I love being creative in the kitchen so I am going to begin forming a sculpture there. I began looking around the kitchen and saw the top of the pineapple. I thought immediately that would be hilarious hair! That’s when the idea struck me to create a creature and a new friend. The next thing I began to think about was the body of the creature. I thought a potato would work well but it didn’t look right. My mom had an extra sponge and she was about to throw it in the garbage and I realized that the sponge would be a perfect body. I thought it would be easy to use tooth picks to hold everything in place if I used the sponge. With all of the materials I chose, I used many toothpicks to keep everything secure. I began looking in the fridge and used broccoli as legs and cauliflower as arms. Then I found pieces of green pepper and thought that would be a cute smiling face. There were strawberries in the fridge so I wanted to use strawberries as a body part. I cut the end of the strawberry so that it would be a point, for the nose. I really began to get on a role and kept thinking of ideas. Now I had the hair, arms, legs, mouth and nose. I then went to the cupboard and looked to see if I could find material for the eyes and eye brows. I used marshmallows for the eyes and melted chocolate chips to make pupils for the eyes. Then, for the eyebrows, I heated macaroni noodles to make them soft so the toothpicks would go through. This is the combination of different materials that I used to create my unique creature. Finally, after describing all about my creature and his features I would like to introduce you to the one and only.......Stanley Sculpture!!!!! 

When I decided to make Stanley, I wanted to use the artistic element: shape. The different materials I used were hard and soft objects, big and large objects, small and little objects, and most definitely realistic objects. By using vegetables, fruits, marshmallows, toothpicks and a sponge I could let Stanley have a great figure! Stanley's body parts are non-geometrical because they have an irregular shape. They are natural objects that are not standard triangles, circles or squares (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p.140). This allowed Stanley to have a unique appearance.    

I feel this creature represents the unique creativity that I have. I wanted to make something that would make people smile when they looked at the creature. I find it looks silly but very cute. Every part of this creature was thought out carefully and I took my time to build a fun sculpture in the kitchen. I really enjoyed making my sculpture and hope to make another sculpture in the future to experiment with other materials that could create something unique as well. (maybe a friend for Stanley!) 
Children would love creating a creature out of fruits and vegetables. If I had an activity like this in my classroom, I would bring materials for children to use to make a healthy friend. I would probably bring potatoes for the children to use as the body for their creature. When making their creature I would teach them the different components that relate to shape, healthy eating and body parts. Each child would discuss and explain their creature to the class focusing on the appearance of their character and why they used the specific materials selected for the body parts. I think the children would thoroughly enjoy this activity and develop the concept of shape.


Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for
         young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Blog #1: The Mystery of Creativity

The word of the week is creativity! 
There are so many ways that people can look at the definition of creativity. A person is creative if they have a positive attitude, they are flexible, original and love having fun! A creative person is curious so they want to use many different ideas and materials when they are making something that they have not made before. When you have confidence in yourself to be creative while doing all of these things you can remain true to yourself.



 I feel creativity actually makes me the person that I am today. Every situation that I am in I naturally try to make it a happy, positive and beautiful environment. Whatever tools and materials that I have available I use them in a 
creative way. Through every day encounters I enjoy being myself and expressing who I am in a creative manner. I feel that being confident shows who I am and demonstrates my uniqueness. Whenever it comes to problem solving I look for new, fun, positive and silly ways to accomplish the goal. I incorporate my musical talent, theatrical experience, sports and ability to communicate with people into my day to day life. All these factors define who I am and my creativity whether I am working as a summer camp counsellor, lifeguarding, working in a classroom during placement or socializing with my friends.  

 

     

        

Creativity is a large part of my life. The more I look into the definition that I describe about creativity the more I realize that I am a creative person. Many things have inspired me to be creative and allow me to show my creativity. Camp is very important to me, I have been going to a camp for 11 years first as a camper and then as a counselor. It has had a large impact on who I am today. Camp allows me to be in situations that I naturally think of creative ideas that will help the campers to have the best time at camp. This can be playing games, skits, making up songs and making friendship bracelets. One time at camp I altered an entire song to sing to my group of campers. I was able to create a special song using my vocal music talents. I have been studying vocal music for the past 5 years with a vocal coach. I sing a variety of music which includes Country, Pop, Classical, Gospel, and Theatrical pieces. Music inspires me to be creative whether I am at camp, placement or on a daily basis. 
   Another area that I am creative in is sports. I participate in running, swimming, skating, skiing, volleyball and my passion is competitive fastball. This is where I shine in a creative way because I will do almost anything to complete a play in baseball. I play second base and will dive anywhere to catch the ball. When I am at bat I focused and determined to hit the ball. When running the bases I am known for running fast, diving and sliding into home to score the run. 
   As a teacher, it is important to show your creativity in the classroom. I want to ensure that I show my students my abilities that I have to offer because I am confident that I am a creative person. Children need to see the importance in expressing your creativity on a daily basis. Teachers are the role models in the classroom and need to encourage children to show their own creativity. Every single person is creative in their own way. It is essential that each child in the classroom knows how to show and use their creativity. 

                                        Safe at Home Plate!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young       
        children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.