It was a long day of fun, and sometimes we just need a break from all that excitement. Below, some of our boys take a break from art, craziness, and craft to play Stratego. We try to give all parts of the brain equal exercise.
We just had to include this picture, done by a first grader (that's her self portrait...the little one staring adoringly up at Miss Alison. Just in case anyone was confused, Alison comes with an "A" on her stylish dress. That's right. Boyd's very own superhero). It was just too cute. We pinned it up in the room and it makes us smile every time we see it.
Our play space has undergone some recent changes, probably due to our less frequent outdoor time and are increased amount of play time indoors. Our Snack Shack underwent some ownership changes and some expansions. Our Boyd After School program is now the proud owner of a Craft Corner, a bank (that's the Boyd Community Center Bank) and an animal shelter. Sadly, this turnover means we've lost the Paint Place and our Snack Shack has become more like a vending machine, but the businesses are fully staffed and operational. The kids have a blast, and a book store is in the making.
With Halloween behind us, the kids were ready to move on to the next holiday. We had some great Thanksgiving projects, many of which were self-directed and created. Our older girls pulled together a papier mache cornucopia, which was absolutely beautiful. When it had finally dried, they spent several days painting it until it looked just right.
While that was going on, one of our students decided holiday-themed coasters were in order. She painstakingly cut out pieces of felt to create holiday icons. The completed set had four designs and eight coasters. They were assembled using needle and thread. I love the turkey's little face.
We couldn't celebrate the holidays forever, however, and after a while we needed a basic art project we could really sink our teeth into. Using traditional Mexican masks as our inspiration, we spent several weeks drawing out how we wanted our masks to look, making papier mache molds of our faces, and embellishing them until they were the decorative masks you see below.
The children were free to elaborate on their projects as they saw fit. The guidelines they were given included:
*Must combine two or more animals
*Must use good use of color and pattern
The result of their hard work:
While gorgeous, the real fun of the project was the grunt work that went into the original construction. First, we had to convince them that they really wanted to be papier mached. This was harder than you might expect.
The tools of the trade: An Endless Amount of Papier Mache Miss Alison and Ms. Heather Were Forced to Cut into Small Squares Using Child-Safe Scissors
And a Giant Bowl of Water
And Many Manual Laborers
The kids started by choosing a partner. Groups of younger children frequently had an older pair stationed nearby or received help from Miss Alison or Ms. Heather. One student was designated as the model with the understanding that both would have a chance to be papier mached and to papier mache. With old t-shirts protecting their heads and their clothing, we got right to work.
A paper towel was laid over the model's face and spritzed gently (or liberally, depending on who was in charge of the spritzing) to make the removal of the completed mask easier and less painful.
Then the students dipped the squares of papier mache in the water and smoothed them onto their model.
Patience was definitely in order. To make the masks strong, they needed multiple layers of papier mache, and before the mask could be removed it had to dry enough to hold its shape once removed.
Testing for dryness:
The final, inevitable, removal:
The drying finished product:
When all the drying was complete, the students were ready to launch into the creation of their previously drawn mask ideas. We used paper, cardboard, tape, plastic...whatever we could find to give our masks the desired shape and attributes.
The art these guys turn out is amazing! We loved having their masks decorate our room, and hope you enjoy them just as much in your home.
With the masks complete, and MORE holidays just around the corner, we were ready to move on. Move on to something...shiny. The more sparkle the better, in my book. Except for glitter. Because glitter never seems to go away once you introduce it to your environment. This year, in an effort to do all of us who have to vacuum a favor, we stayed away from glitter.
That being said, it turns out that sequins also have a tendency to travel...
