Every time I think I have exhausted my ability to find a new artist I surprise myself with a novel discovery! Lynne Feldman of Rochester NY was an oil painter but the proximity of her studio to a Fabric Store inspired her to dabble in Fabric Collage. Thank goodness for LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!! Lynne describes her process: I begin each piece as I would an oil painting by stretching canvas over wooden stretchers strips. The entire composition for the work is then drawn onto the canvas in charcoal. Fabric is then cut and pieced to fit into the shapes of the drawing as well as painted with acrylic paints. I layer the work back and forth with fabric and paints until the surface of it is thick and rich in color, pattern and texture. When the collage is completed, it is removed from the stretchers and sewn onto a colorful fabric backing. Tabs (much like those on curtains) are sewn onto the top and the piece is suspended from a brass rod. The finished piece can be suspended from a ceiling or loosely from a wall. The effect of this kind of display is a gentle undulation in the fabric as in more conventional tapestries. And for your Sukkot reading pleasure buzz on over to J. to read a story about Jews, Bears and why the two should never meet in a Sukkah (which reminds me if you have not read Once Upon a Shabbos you really need to do so). And remember: Honey, honey. Sweet as Shabbos!
We have started using a new history curriculum this year, Mystery of History. I have struggled for the last several years on a history program that we like and that is a good fit
Script Practice Worksheets These are all PDF Worksheets to print off and use at home or in your classroom Aleph-Bet Lessons More Hebrew Worksheets [...]Read More... from Hebrew Worksheets
Over a year ago-- we had a Creation Story themed week. We read and talked about the story from Genesis 1 and reinforced the story with some...
Today’s winning party feature goes to this Unicorn RainbowBirthday Party by Juicy Bits! What a fun theme! I have to admit…I was obsessed with unicorns when I was a little girl. So this party has a special place in my heart. Jessica did a wonderful job. Photography by Evan Foster. Yarn balloon tutorial found here! […]
The Bible story of Noah's Ark is a great lesson in obedience for children and adults alike. Noah found the Lord's favor, and did exactly as God desired, building a boat to house his family
Bet Booklet (5 Pages) {Click Here} Have a wonderful week! Always,
Explore Fem Manuals!'s 1479 photos on Flickr!
OK PEOPLE. You asked for it.......... So here it is! There is nothing better in this world then crafting with your kids! Here are (3) Edible craft ideas that are great for little hands to make as well as eat! #1 - Torah Winkies All you have to do is print the labels by clicking here. Cut them out and attach around 2 winkies. So perfect for the kids to pass out to their friends in Shul (Synagogue). #2 - Torah Barakas - Potato Pockets #3 Torah Apple Pie - Pretty Simple. Just cookie cut pie dough int he shape of torahs and lay them on top of your apple mixture. Yum-o! Enjoy! Hope you get inspired to make these delicious kid friendly treats! Please share with me your edible creations, I would love to see how they come out :) Abbey
Is this not THE MOST ADORABLE art project you have EVER seen? (Ok, I get a bit overly excited about rainbows, lol). This was a project I did with my Kinders yesterday. We sorted the paper strips, compared the sizes, ordered them from least to greatest, and used patterning. Whew! Let me say, it did take the entire hour of art class for these creations, but it was worth it! You start with an 18" red strip and decrease the size by 1.5" for each color until you end with the pink strip. Doing this, it causes the paper to bend into that fabulous arc. You should definitely give this project a try!
Maybe it goes without saying that teachers of Hebrew letter formation can borrow the huge bag of tricks devised by teachers of English letter formation, but I’m saying it. A quick online sea…
In our house, we read. We read a lot. My motto is that you can never have too many great books. Our friends know how much we value reading, ...
I am in love with this Curriculum. My kids absolutely love doing it. If you do not have an early childhood Alef Beis Curriculum...
Hanukkah is right around the corner. We are very excited about this in our house. Recently, I came across a stack of Gigi’s old paintings and thought the colors were so pretty, it might be fun to make something out of them. We have piles and piles of art so I didn’t feel bad cutting […]
Here's a great book to go along with this weeks Parshah, all about how kind Rivkah was at the well: Keeping my 2 year old busy while we wor...
I came across this idea here, while looking for some pretend latkes to make. It’s a cardboard latke attached to a cardboard frying pan. Finally, mess-free frying! You will need: – sma…
A great art lesson for Kinders for learning tracing, cutting, pasting, primary & secondary colors, adding value and composition. Create bright red apple art
The whimsy of this Noah's Ark inspired rug will inspire multiple levels of learning in your classroom. Made of recyclable nylon fiber. Skid-resistant backing (contains latex) Carpet stain protection Machine washable: cold water with mild detergent, gentle cycle, line dry, no bleach Passes CPSC FF1-70, Standard for the Surface Flammability of Carpets and Rugs Measures 3' x 4'6" 1-year warranty Made in North America
The countdown to the Olympics is well underway now. If you’re searching for some sweets to serve, check out these Olympic torch cupcake cones HERE at Sweetology. Hosting a party? Need Olympic…
Challah is a bread that is as much a pleasure to look at as it is to eat.
I was asked to explain in greater detail what I mean by inquiry spaces with documentation. The photos that I have attached to this post are from different inquiry spaces within our room and they have a few things in common: ~materials specific for each inquiry are intentionally organized to provoke the students and made available to them for their exploration/investigation ~documentation binders are accessible that hold: students' working theories through dialogues with them, their graphic representations (drawings, paintings, etc.), and photos of their process to make visible our work together ~photos enlarged of key learning moments for students to revisit ~some of their graphic representations of key learning moments are displayed with transcriptions of their thoughts ~clipboards for educators to take anecdotal notes of conversations and observations ~print resources and technology (laptop, iPads) for the children to research further about the inquiry topic ~technology used for documentation (camera, laptop, audio recorder, SMARTboard, iPad, etc.) ~FDELK program document and teacher professional resources to support the directions of the inquiry This is an example of our "Sky Inquiry" space, which included many of our students. It is one of our largest inquiry spaces within the room. Our "Science and Discovery Inquiry" space had multiple inquiries ("A Home for Snails" and "Growth") and used a variety of surfaces. Our "Tree Contest" turned into an inquiry space that investigated the possibility of creating a life-sized forest. Our "Flower Inquiry" space allowed children to observe the life-cycle of fresh bouquets of flowers and how they change. Our "Castle Inquiry" space was sparked by a students' visit to Slovenia and her photos of real castles. I hope that this clarifies what I mean by inquiry spaces! Please let me know if you have any further questions, and I would be happy to answer them! :)
We've made one significant change to this classic fall art activity that makes it so much easier for toddlers!
Report Cards, Data Notebooks, Student Work...Oh my! Anyone else out there gearing up for fall parent-teacher conferences? I am out in full panic mode force trying to get everything ready. I like to be overly prepared for parent-teacher conferences. Let's face it...none of us want to be caught off guard by a question or feel not prepared. My first step in preparing for conferences is working on data notebooks with my students. Each student has a data notebook to keep track of test scores, reflection and student work examples. I use this tool to drive my conferences. I'm not going to lie...it is a lot of work. But let me tell you, it is WORTH every minute of it! You can read more about my data notebooks here. I feel like conferences are so rushed, when it is over I ALWAYS remember something that I wanted to point out. I prepare a 3 STARS & A WISH for each child. This forces me to point out 3 positive things for each child, while also allowing me to talk about an area they need to improve on. You can grab 3 STARS & A WISH here. Although they can be stressful, conferences are a great time to build a relationship with all of the people who love our kiddos. Each year I always dread all of the extra work and time that goes into it...but I always come out of it feeling excited to work and love on all of my kiddos. Now, it's time for a Starbucks...unless your pregnant and craving fries and cheese from Wendy's. :)
Hanukkah begins this week and while we are not Jewish, our friends’ kids who I watch during the week are. So, today, we made a few little crafts in honor of Hanukkah.I printed off some of these coloring pages (found here):Also, I decided we should do some painting activities. Something very simple is just cutting some […]
