Samantha on the Prairie

For a fun activity, I guided my kindergarten class on the basics of drawing a clown using different shapes. They used Sharpie markers to create the clown outline and then added their own details. This one reminds me of Matisse's Woman with a Hat : When done, I let them use watercolors to paint their clowns however they'd like. This was definitely one of the more fun projects we've worked on. The students enjoyed seeing how they each created something different from the same basic concept. Visit my Facebook page for more examples of this, and other kindergarten art projects.

Last October, I accepted a job teaching art to kindergarteners once a week in a nearby town. While the transition from working 2-5 kids at a time to 20-24 kids has been most challenging, the benefit is that I get to work with such a variety of abilities, interests, and help a great group of kids appreciate art through their first year of elementary school. The staff at school have been so welcoming and very helpful in understanding kindergarten standards, student abilities, and classroom management. One of the first projects I introduced to my kindergarten class was a mixed-media heart collage using tissue paper, construction paper, glue, scissors, crayons, and Sharpie. This allowed me to assess the students ability to use a variety of materials so I could plan out future projects to help them learn new skills or reinforce existing knowledge. Miss Pen helped demo the project, which makes for a great class slideshow. The students love to see how another child makes a project even mo...

Penny had a very busy day today, but she took a midday break to play with a friend and make puppets from recycled paper bags. In honor of Penny's latest Jump Rope for Heart! donor, grandma Sharon, Penny dedicates this cute puppet: This week, Penny and I will explore how the heart works and talk about different exercises to keep her healthy and strong. After a day like today, during which she really gave her all at gymnastics, I think she's starting to understand what the heart does. The more Penny helps to raise, the more the American Heart Association will be able to help children afflicted with heart conditions. If you haven't already, please consider a small donation through  Penny's fundraising page ! For each donation of $10 or more, Penny and I will create a piece of art and post it on this blog.

Penny received her two Jump Rope for Heart! donations yesterday.  Tonight, we're posting two paintings in appreciation. Penny wanted me to tell you she thinks it's cool that people are helping her reach her goal of $100 in donations. The more she helps to raise, the more the American Heart Association will be able to help children afflicted with heart conditions. If you haven't already, please consider a small donation through Penny's fundraising page . Using gold metallic paint on corrugated paper Using purple acrylic on yellow paper 3 hearts for grandma's donation 6 hearts for an anonymous donation

This year, Penny is participating in her school's Jump Rope for Heart! From now through February, she will learn about how the heart works, how to take care of her heart, ways to stay active, and will celebrate fitness and jumping rope. Please help Penny raise money for heart health by making a donation to the American Heart Association through her Jump Rope for Heart! fundraising site: http://jumphoops2015mwa.kintera.org For each donation over $10 she receives through her fundraising site, Penny and mommy (me) will create a special piece of art in honor of the donor to post it on this blog. Please consider a small gift to help Penny see that she can do something to help children with heart conditions. She promises to "jump a lot" this month and believes that staying active (i.e. running around, going to the playground, and doing gymnastics) is really important for kids and grownups. Just for a little encouragement, Penny has a message for you:

I received a complementary bottle of Dr Song Organic Rosehip Oil to try in exchange for a product review. Truly, I've used rosehip oil very little, while reviewing another product several months ago. Oils are mostly my husband's territory as he uses them during and after shaving, so I let him try this one out. I've come to the conclusion I really don't have a need for rosehip oil, but I'm not going to ding a product just because I don't see much personal value in it. What I noticed was that Dr Song oil doesn't smell bad (I've tried some stinky rosehip oils), it's definitely moisturizing, and my skin doesn't react badly, so no irritation, which is nice. If you're looking specifically for rosehip, of the few I've tried, Dr. Song would be my preference based on my skin after using it and the smell. This oil is really potent. Basically, a tiny amount goes a long way. I had a hard time not applying too much because even a drop f...

I've been trying a lot of vitamin C serums lately. This one was offered to me by Morea Naturals to try out for free in exchange for a product review. I immediately noticed it's a larger amount of serum than I get from comparably priced serums and it's in a totally opaque bottle, which I honestly don't often find. The serum itself is a bit thicker than the ones I've tried in dropper bottles and it feels like I don't need nearly as much to get the same benefits. Therefore, I get more product and I use less of it. That's enough to convince me to buy it when I run out. The opaque bottle that Morea Naturals uses makes me happy because skincare ingredients can break down when exposed to light and the pump style makes me more confident that I'm not getting bacteria in the bottle every time I use it, which is kind of how I feel when I use a dropper style product. It honestly can take a while to see any real benefits from using a vitamin C serum, so I...