Happy summer...

It was such a joy watching you grow and learn this year. I'm proud of each and every one of you. Thank you for making me smile and laugh, teaching me new things and making my work such a joy. Enjoy your summer holidays. Be brave and adventurous. Wonder, question and be curious. Explore and try new things. I can't wait to see you and hear about your adventures when we meet again this fall.

Much love,
Mrs. Russo

                                                                            

Father's Day

Shrinky dink keychains! Brilliant.

Ten Little Caterpillars

Lois Ehlert's book, Ten Little Caterpillars, was the springboard for this fun project. We wanted to create our own hungry caterpillars munching on a juicy leaf just like the cover. To make the leaves we squirted paint on tag board and covered it with plastic wrap. Then the fun began. Squishing the paint around and scrunching the plastic wrap on top to create peaks and texture. Then, patience. We let it dry overnight before pulling off the wrap and revealing our textured paper. Finally, with sharp scissors, leaves were cut out and munching ensued...hole punchers (with some muscle)! Caterpillars were drawn and coloured with bright sharpies and added around the leaves.

Lifecycle of a Butterfly

Caterpillars!!! We created a temporary habitat for a dozen caterpillars and were fortunate enough to watch them grow and change through each stages of their lifecycle. Then we got to release them!

Pupa

careful observers

butterflies

Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt

Adore this book! First fell in love with, Over and Under the Snow, and now this gem! Kate Messner takes the reader on a journey through wonders that lie between hidden stalks and under the shady leaves in the garden and then underground through the hidden world of burrowing animals and busy earthworms. The artwork by Christopher Silas Neal is stunning and inspires this project!

Papers were folded to create a crease to designate the above ground and below ground space. Chalk pastels were blended and smudged to define up in the garden. Paint and textured rollers, toothpicks and plastic forks got messy down in the dirt. Once dry, oil pastels, pom poms, tissue paper, modelling clay, baking cups, popsicle sticks and other crafting supplies were rummaged through to create and complete these most stunning gardenscapes. Love the insects and root vegetables that emerged.

Mother's Day

This special day deserved a very special, top secret, project. Every student in the entire school made a beautiful tote bag for their mother, grandmother, aunty or other special woman in their life. The theme was printmaking, and each class had a different idea. There were butterflies, hearts, leaves, geometric patterns and apples! Our class used apples, cut in half, to create the prints. We found that painting the apple with a brush was the best way to apply the paint evenly. Leaves were stamped on with a paint dipped sponge. We also added a cool growing pattern for added interest. Once the paint was dry, the apples were embellished with fabric paint - stems and seeds finished the look. Love them!

Me on the Map

As part of our Social Studies unit on Canada, we created these awesome flip books showing where we live in the world. Steve Jenkins book, Looking Down, inspired our exploration. We began BIG, by looking at our planet, then zoomed in bit by bit until we finally arrived in our city, and school. We learned the symbols of our province and country along the way as well as some cool facts. Check out the great learning.

Rain Rain Go Away

A perfect spring project. With April showers upon us we had some fun creating rainy day art. Tracers were used to create the umbrella shape. Then, patterns and vibrant colours emerged to make many unique umbrellas! We used colourful fabric to cut out rain jackets and boots. The final step was the main event...splatter painting raindrops. We covered the umbrella and person with paper so they would stay dry. They turned out fabulous!