Author Archives: Suzanne Thomas

If you missed clay this year…

If you missed clay this year…

Here is an easy clay recipe you can make this summer with permission from your adult-in-charge!

Making salt dough is really simple and is a great way to practice your math skills while having fun creating!

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and the salt. Next, slowly add the water while stirring and mixing to create a Play-Doh-like consistency. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding either more flour if the dough is too sticky or more water if it is too dry or crumbly. If you like what you create out of the clay/dough, WITH YOUR ADULTS’ HELP, you can bake it at 200 degrees in the oven. If it is really big, you will need to bake it longer, smaller items for a short time. Watch the dough through the glass on the oven door (with the oven light on) and when it begins to look a little bit golden it is ready to come out! If you have tempera, watercolor or acrylic (best) paint, you can paint your clay/dough after it has been baked!

I will be checking my email each week! You can send me pictures of whatever you make and I will be happy to respond to you!

Happy SUMMER!!!!!

Week of June 1, 2020

Week of June 1, 2020

Let’s get caught up!

Missing art assignments? Haven’t done any art lessons yet? This week and next are your weeks to get caught up! Find the google classroom codes in the above pages according to your grade.

I will be adding more student art to the student gallery in the tab above, so look for your’s, your friends and inspiration!

Friday I will post the video of me drawing names for prizes! Every art lesson you submit by Wednesday at noon will earn one entry into the drawing.

I will also post a recipe in google classroom and in the pages/tabs at the top of the blog page for clay you can make in the kitchen with adult permission and supervision. This is just something fun you can try over the summer since most of you did not get to do clay this school year. It is not a graded lesson. It is just something fun to engage in creativity for the summer! Watch for it later!

Keith Haring Figures!

Keith Haring Figures!

Just a reminder that ALL Dearborn Public Elementary School Students ARE receiving grades in ALL Special Area Classes! These grades are based on how much you PARTICIPATE in our lessons! Please see your email for the district’s grading plan for this card-marking.

This week we are studying the art and life of artist Keith Haring! He is a muralist/painter/drawer!

Check out my new Bitmoji Classroom in the pages above for Upper Elementary and Lower Elementary Challenges as well as in google classroom! The lesson is complete with a story, video and digital Keith Haring game as well as A VIDEO I created to teach you how to do the lesson! WooHoo!!

Week of 5/11

Week of 5/11

Good morning! This week’s art lesson is inspired by the art of sculptor and photographer Andy Goldsworthy! You can either head outside to collect and create with natural items from the earth or you can use traditional art materials to create a radial pattern on paper or other man made surface!

Andy Goldsworthy, radial pattern using leaves.
Andy Goldsworthy creating a radial pattern using sticks on snow!
Artist Jon Foreman using stones on sand.
Mrs. T using flower petals and greens to create a radial pattern
My radial pattern breakfast! Bacon and blueberries! Haha!
Radial pattern with lines and shapes using markers.
Radial pattern with lines and shapes using markers.
Radial pattern from lines using black marker.
The color wheel is a radial pattern of color and shape!

Week of 5/4

Week of 5/4

While families are learning to use BBB with their classroom teachers, we plan to hold off on virtual meetings to give everyone time to get comfortable with it.

This week in art, I have provided two OPTIONS for everyone. This means that you select the one lesson you would like to do best. If you would like to do both lessons you can! You will have it recorded and you will get an extra entry into the drawing for the prize!

Please know that we understand how hard this has been to all families.  We have families ourselves and are juggling many of the same things that you are.  

Our lessons should be a FUN way to engage in school and are not intended to be a further point of stress, but a way to balance yourselves holistically.

Week of April 27, 2020!

Week of April 27, 2020!

2 new art lessons have been posted in google classroom! You can click the pages at the top (Lower El. Challenges) (Upper El. Challenges) to find your google class code to get the assignments! Do 1 or 2 assignments! Your choice!

I posted 2 very fun assignments in google classroom for you to do this week!!!! YAY!!!!!! I only posted 1 last week because many students were still trying to figure out where we put all of our lessons and how to get to them. AND how to sign in to our virtual MEET! You may do 1 or 2 art lessons this week!

I am so very sorry to announce that our scheduled virtual MEETS for this week have been cancelled! The district is no longer allowing google meets and we will hopefully be able to do live meets a different way very soon!

I enjoyed seeing all who attended last week and I loved messaging in google classroom and email with those who posted their artwork!

I responded to most student art work if it was posted before 3:00 pm Friday, April 24. Any assignments posted after 3:30 on Friday I will look at and respond to starting Monday, April 27. Check your email and google art classroom for my response to your art!

Week of April 20

Week of April 20

Introducing!!!! Google Meets with your Specials Teachers all at the same time!

We all miss you and hope to see you there!
The codes are in the pages above by clicking Lower El (K,1,2) or Upper El (3,4,5)

Also, go to google Art Class for your grade level to find this week’s art challenge.

If you would like to create any additional art, there are many ideas in the bookmark to the bottom right.

I hope to see you in our google Meets.

Have fun with this week’s art experience/challenge!

You can upload art to google classroom or email it to me at

thomass@dearbornschools.org

Practice Drawing People!

Practice Drawing People!

Please go to the tabs at the top to select Lower or Upper El. There you will find the google class code for your grade level. If you have not already done so, please sign in to the Howard Google Art Classroom. There you will find the assignment with more details and easy links to follow.

Lower El. Content Objective: I can practice drawing people by combining lines and shapes and adding details.

Vocabulary for Lower El. (K-2)

Shape: A flat enclosed area that is created through lines, such as a square, circle or triangle.

Line: A point that moves in two directions, such as a narrow mark or band.

Upper El. Content Objective: I can create a drawing of a person standing still and practice drawing a person (or people) in action by combining shapes and lines.

Vocabulary for Upper El. (3-5)

Shape: A flat enclosed area that is created through lines, such as a square, circle or triangle.

Line: A flat enclosed area that is created through lines, such as a square, circle or triangle.

Action: The process of doing something.


Upper El., your lesson is more advanced than the Lower El. students, so please go to google classroom and enter the code to join and read the full lesson!

If you are having difficulties with google classroom, here are the basics to the lesson:

Use a piece of paper and practice drawing a person with the steps in the links to the right for Practice Drawing People Part 1 and Part 2 (2 different links)

Add details to your drawing such as shoe laces and fingers, patterns on the clothes, etc. No stick figures, please!

Please photograph and email to me (or upload to the google art classroom if you know how) by Monday, your good quality, best-effort, for my feedback and an opportunity to be entered into the drawing for prizes that will happen in June!

Google Class Codes below……

Kindergarten google art classroom class code: x7742vz

1st grade google art classroom class code: asxnyvj

2nd grade google art classroom class code: 6iqg53g

3rd grade google art classroom class code: jv4xvbo

4th grade google art classroom class code: 6yhajk2

5th grade google art classroom class code: oknozyb

If you have difficulties getting into the google classroom, the link is in the bookmarks below for the drawing portion of the lesson.