A Rockin' Trip Thru Art History with...Mona Lisa's Masterpieces. This week in the art room, I thought I'd share with you the backdrop seen in many of my What-I-Wore-This-Week posts. Every school year, I create a theme of study. The year I created the Art History Wall, our theme was Rockin' Thru Art History. I wore this wacky apron and the kids created guitars and rocked their way through the history of art. I loved the wall too much at the end of the year to take it down. With the exception of a random piece of art falling off the wall, it's held up well through the years and, more importantly, it's proved to be a valuable educational tool in the art room. Every art room should have a mascot. I am fortunate in that I have a very large art room. Once upon a time, my art room was the school library. So it is very long with plenty of former book shelves turned cabinets and storage. The Wall in total. Narrowing down the history of art to fit my wall was the hardest part. That being said, I have this very large wall space which seemed to be the perfect canvas for a giant display. I began by jotting down the major movements in art history. From there, I rooted through my mountains of visuals: old calendars, postcards, posters -- even cutting up the art history books I'd hoarded since college, to find just the right images. In the Beginning...we had rock art, no paper, no scissors. With my art movements and visuals sorted, I began the writing of the Art History Wall. This proved to be difficult as I had to keep it simple and kid friendly. To add a little three dimensional pop to the wall, I clued a piece of foam to the back of the purple papers as well as some of the visuals. If you are interested in creating your own wall, feel free to borrow from mine as much as you like. The following are the movements and their simple descriptions: Rock Painting: The beginning of art... Ancient Egypt: tombs, pyramids, mummies, OH MY! Ancient Greece: athletic people that believed in many gods... Ancient Rome: expanded Greek art ideas (after conquering them) Middle Ages: Bible stories were told through art Early Renaissance: Artists learned to paint realistically High Renaissance: Michelangleo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and sculpted David; Leonardo da Vinci sketched inventions and painted the Mona Lisa Dutch painting: Dutch artists painted portraits, still lives and genre paintings Romantics and Realists: wanted to show emotion in their art Impressionists: group of artists that wanted to show color and light Famous impressionists were Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt Post Impressionist: artists that created after the Impressionists and expanded their ideas: van Gogh, Seurat, Cezanne Modern Art: In modern art, artists realized that the possibilities are endless! The bulletin board beside the art history wall. What's the point in having a mascot when you don't get to wear a silly costume? I got this idea from one of the most amazing and inspirational art teachers I know, Debi West. You can read more about her and her students here. And there you have it! We put the wall in action when we are learning about an artist or a certain movement in art. I'll ask the kids to follow me to the Art History wall so they can visually grasp important periods in art. Thanks for reading!

Have you seen our paper plate dragons? My preschooler is currently on a dragon kick and we've been reading dragon books, watching dragon movies, and making dragon crafts... of course! If you have a dragon lover at home, then you'll love this craft too. I've even included a template so that you can easily make these paper plate dragons with your little ones too! Let's get making! Make these Colorful and fun paper plate dragons! This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support! In case you've got a dragon lover at home.... here are our current favorite dragon books: 10+ Fun Dragon Picture Books + Easy Reads Tell Me a Dragon Have you Seen my Dragon Julia's House for Lost Creatures Dragon Loves Tacos Dragon Was Terrible A Friend For Dragon Me and My Dragon The Knight and the Dragon Not Your Typical Dragon There's No Such Thing as a Dragon Jane and the Dragon We've also been watching the How to Train Your Dragon movies and series on Netflix. (Looking over the craft now, I think that series inspired the design of these dragons!) Alright, let's make ourselves a paper plate dragon! (Psst- Don't have paper plates? You can still make a cute paper dragon. Find the directions and FREE printable here.) First I folded the plate in half and traced the body. (You can make your own design, or just use my dragon template !) Then, I cut out the head and tail pieces from the excess material. We also folded down our wings. Then, I slid the head and tail pieces between our body pieces and stapled everything together. Then, we went wild and used our favorite paints and Sharpie Markers to decorate our dragons! Here's the one that I made.... and here's the rainbow one that my son painted! More Dragon Crafts.... And if you're looking for more dragon crafts, check out the links below! Dancing Chinese New Year Dragon Puppet Two Chinese New Year Dragon Crafts Make and Ride a Hockey Stick Dragon Toy Let's keep in Contact! You can always find more fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts! (Or subscribe to my email mailing list by filling out the pink bar at the top of the screen. Happy making, friends!

I’m delighted to share an incredible group of women who I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the past few years. These are women who care deeply about helping children reach their fullest potential through creativity and art. They’re bloggers, artists, authors, product designers, and moms. And they (we!) all happen to be part […]

Painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner

Nestled amongst one of our cedar trees is a beautiful robin's nest. We noticed the brightly colored eggs from across the yard, and have been watching it closely for the past week. We haven't told the children where the nest is, however have been sharing pictures daily. It's been truly amazing to be able to get an up close look at the transition from egg to chick. The pictures bring many questions from the children from why doesn't the baby have feathers to where the mommy is. Here are some of the pictures I've captured over the last week: As you can see from the picture above there was originally 4 eggs. Looking at the next picture, 2 eggs are missing from the nest. Immediately one child said, "There is 2 eggs gone!! What happened?!" I asked the children what they thought happened to the missing eggs, and they had lots of ideas: "Maybe they fell." "They grew up and left the nest." "Dinosaur took 'em." "Wolf stole them." This led into the discussion that some animals eat eggs such as squirrels, crows, snakes, and even blue jays! We also read that not every egg has a baby inside it, and the mothers will get rid of those eggs. Because the children seemed so interested in the nest, I decided to set up an invitation for the children to try! Some of the children stayed at the table for about an hour trying to make their nest. After they were finished, the children used the brown string as worms, and were making the birds fly to their nest to eat a delicious snack. - Leslie Dionne

Rocks, man, rocks! How much fun does teaching about rocks sound? About as much fun as teaching about soil ! Thanks to Reading A-Z, an Aims ...

Looking for origami projects that are unique, cute, and easy-to-fold? Or, do you feel the need to grab a pair of scissors and cut some beautiful kirigami designs? If you're on the hunt for kid-friendly paper folding projects for spring, summer, fall, and winter, then I've got the ultimate post for you. Here's a growing list of over 50 super cute origami and kirigami ideas for kids! 50+ Easy and Kid-Friendly Origami and Kirigami Projects This post contains affiliate links. This means I make a tiny bit of grocery money from each purchase made. Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure policy, click here. Whoa... why do we do so many Origami and Kirigami Projects? Origami and Kirigami projects are super affordable. All you need is paper (preferably origami paper), scissors, and markers. Origami projects are varied and span levels of difficulty from easy to hard! Origami projects can be super cute. (I do love me some cute crafts!) It's supremely satisfying to follow instructions and watch a flat sheet of paper transformed into something interesting and 3D. It's a practical and artistic way to explore math concepts. I'm a big proponent of engaging in playful mathematics activities with kids. I also believe that STEM education goes hand in hand with art. When kids fold origami, they do something artistic while also exploring so many mathematical concepts ranging from simple ideas of shapes and symmetry to more complex ideas like geometry. Some scientists and mathematicians nowadays are also influenced by origami as well. (You can read about how origami is being used to influence science here.) And that's why we've shared over 50 origami projects here on the blog over the years! (And we'll continue sharing many, many more!) How to Fold Origami Imaginary Creatures and Characters Origami Mermaids Origami Unicorns Origami Trolls Origami Pikachu (If you love Origami + Pokemon, we recommend this book.) Origami Totoro Origami Yoda (If you love Origami + Sart Wars, we recommend this series.) Origami Captain Underpants How to Fold Origami Animals and Nature Origami Snails Origami Mushroom Wreath Giant Painted Origami Butterflies Origami Ladybugs Origami Owls Accordion Origami Butterflies Kirigami Flowers How to Fold Origami Christmas Ideas Origami Stars Origami Christmas Wreaths Snowflakes (Fold and Cut) Pokemon Snowflakes Narwhal Snowflakes Lego Snowflakes Jolly Reindeer Snowflakes Unicorn Snowflakes Llama Snowflakes Giant Painted Snowflakes Pusheen Snowflakes Gingerbread Snowflakes Dancer Snowflakes Christmas Nativity Snowflakes Heart Valentine's Day Snowflakes Rainbow Snowflakes Snowman Snowflakes Star Snowflakes People Snowflakes How to Fold Origami People Funky Origami Faces Origami Sumo Wrestlers 3 Step Origami Faces Kawaii Origami Paper Dolls How to Fold Origami Transportation Origami School Bus How to Fold Origami Toys Origami Face Changers Balancing Origami Toys Paper Slinkies (Not quite Origami, but it is paper folding!) How to Fold Halloween Origami Origami Vampires Origami Robots Origami Frankenstein Faces Origami Paper Claws Origami Jack-o-Lantern Origami Vampire Lips Origami Black Cat Origami Witch Claws Halloween Kirigami How to Fold Geometric/ Mathematical Origami Origami Paper Quilts Origami Shape Color Art Awesome Paper Chains Origami Rings How to Fold Origami Food Origami Ice Cream Origami Conversation Heart Bookmarks Happy folding, friends!

Click here for an updated post on PARAGRAPH WRITING!

Are you looking for ways to teach similes like a Rockstar? You’ve come to the right place! Students will be engaged while they learn about figurative language. It will also help you when you are discussing word choice in writing and author’s craft in reading! Read on to learn

MAKE A MINI DROP SPINDLE FOR KIDS

Every time I see another mention of a well-meaning citizen who took it upon themselves to try to restore a 1,000 year-old piece of art back to its shiny fresh origins, I feel equal parts horrified and giggly. The (re)finished piece is always cartoonishly hilarious, the piece of art becomes famous, and I imagine the […] More

When setting up a classroom or homeschool writing center, there are FIVE things that I found useful for writing success. These items provide your students with the necessary tools to get ready to write effectively throughout the year. Below, I've put together 5 essential things every writing center needs!

A mystery unit is perfect for a classroom of curious kids! There’s excitement in the suspense, significance in every detail…. and spooky thrills to keep students engaged throughout the class’ mystery literature studies. Mystery units can work in amazing ways by integrating problem-solving and close-reading skills in a painless

Clicky-Click for more Funny Album Covers: --> More Funny LP Covers

Language arts is one of the most critical components in any youngster's educational training. It encompasses the various ways that people communicate including speaking, writing, and reading. Although having many different facets, language arts is a holistic way of being able to effectively listen, communicate, and comprehend messages, which

Today I'm linkin' up with my buddy Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday. Shh...don't tell her I was up until 12:30 on a school night writin' this post because I was so excited. I'm just goin' to give you a fair warnin'...this post is goin' to be all over the place because I tried all kinds of stuff this week...YIPPEE! #1 Awesomeness: Last year I saw this pin on Pinterest(wouldn't you know after scrollin' through 2,000 pins that I can't find it) and tried it out with my kiddos. It was so colorful that we left it up all year. I HAD a picture of it before, but I had a phone incident and lost all of my pictures. I'm just full of excuses aren't I? Since I have looped with my kiddos, I decided I wanted to do it again to see how different their answers would be for this year. They didn't disappoint. Plus, I have a love relationship with Post-It notes...win, win! Anyways...here's this year's picture... I have 6 different questions hangin' on the door. The students responded to the question with the matchin' Post-it note. Example question: What will Ms. Rose need to do to help make 5th grade successful? Don't you just feel happy lookin' at all those pretty Post-Its? Thought so! #2 Awesomeness: Last week I saw THIS fabulous idea on Teaching in Room 6. I LOVED it so much that I decided I needed to quickly sneak it into my plans. Why is it that I feel this need to get every creative idea I see over the summer shoved all into the first week? For some reason I forget that there are 180 days to try out everything. I imagine I'm not the only one that feels this way! Stephanie's obviously way cooler than I am because she was actually able to locate the pin she found on Pinterest. Stephanie used a circle map with her kiddos. I decided to use this 50 Things I Love Graphic Organizer that Nick from Sweet Rhyme-Pure Reason is offerin' for FREE: The students filled out 50 things that they love and then put them into illustrations on their hands. Here's my class' rendition of the project... I love how bright and colorful they turned out. Everyone's is so very different. The pictures just don't do it justice. It's way more awesome up close and personal. Here are all 22 hands together. The kids think I should have turned the hands upside down, but it's stayin' this way because I like it. It almost feels like they are reachin' for the stars! ROSE'S ROCKSTARS ARE HANDS DOWN A ROCKIN' CLASS #3 Awesomeness: The next idea I tried was from THIS post that Courtney at Polka Dot Lesson Plans posted this summer for a Throwback Thursday. It is all about "Tamin' the Paper Monster". I think Courtney thought I was either jokin' or nuts when I told her that I was immediately goin' to Wally in the middle of the night to get folders for this activity. I'm sure by now those of you that are frequent readers of my lil ol' blog know that I did indeed go in the middle of the night to scoop up 24 folders. It was cheaper to get the pack of 8. I hung the folders up with blue sticky tack(it's the only kind that works as far as I'm concerned). After a week of papers flyin' in and out, they are still on the wall. I'm impressed. I am usin' them for Unfinished Work because I don't send home paper homework. Here's a close up shot. We are workin' on Self-Portraits, so this is an example of an unfinished piece of work in the folder. I used the numbers that Tara from 4th Grade Frolics offered this summer for FREE. #4 Awesomeness: Every year we have a bazillion(okay, maybe I'm exaggeratin' a little)website log-ins and passwords to keep up with. In the past, I have used two different ways to keep track of this. I have used one sheet per student and typed in all of the info, placed it in a plastic sleeve and had the students store it in their binder. The past two years, I have actually cut out each square and used packin' tape to tape them in the front of each child's agenda. If I print the whole sheet, I have to reprint every time we add a new site. If I tape in agendas, I still have to print, cut and tape. I don't know which way is easier, but I do know that it is a LIFE SAVER. This way, if we go to the Technology Lab, the students can either carry their binder or agenda and I don't have to waste time lookin' up their log-ins(chances are I've left my thumb drive in my room with all of MY log-ins and there is no way I can remember one single one of my own without lookin' it up first). Since both items go home each night, the students have easy access to all of their online info. I find that usin' different colored highlighters helps locate the websites easier at a quick glance. It's not necessary, but something that I just do. I made this file several years ago on Publisher. It took me about two minutes to add the boxes and text. I considered droppin' this into a PDF file for anyone that wanted this, but then that would defeat the purpose because you couldn't add text. Then I thought about transferrin' it into a Powerpoint file, but addin' the text boxes would have been a pain, so I ditched that idea. If you don't own a Mac, and would like the Publisher file, I can send it via email. That way you can add which ever sites you use in your classroom. Leave a comment with your email or you can email me at [email protected] with the subject: Website Log-ins and I will send it to you...if it's even something anyone is interested in havin'! #5 Awesomeness: I didn't get to try out Jennifer from Mrs. Laffin's Laughings new linky party A Peek at My Week, but I will be this Sunday and you should too(if you haven't already)! I hope everyone is havin' a great week. You'll all be surprised to know that I only took a ONE hour nap on Monday instead of my normal first week-three hours. Gettin' better!

I know. It's only 'rock n roll.' - Captioned Portraits of Yore

In another installment of What Good Readers Do, today we focused on using context clues to find word meanings. I gathered a collection of resources on using nonsense words to help my students pract…

Call singer-songwriter Mary Lambert a missionary for self-acceptance. When it comes to bipolar disorder, body-image and more, she won’t take shame for an answer.