Welcome to an artful 2012/2013 school year !  In the art room Orchard Hill’s little artists are introduced to a variety of materials and techniques as they regularly get to engage in the creative process. In a supportive and encouraging environment, the children learn about and use the Elements of Art (line, shape, color, value, form, texture and space) and some of the Principles of Design (pattern, movement, and contrast) Much of what the children learn and create correlates with their classroom curriculum and connects with their lives and the world around them.

        The first and second grade classes started the new school year with the PTA annual Kids Art Fundraiser. This year's theme was "family".  The Pre K and Kindergarten classes will do their fundraiser art in the spring.

        Pre K classes have been studying different colors. They learned about red and blue and colored in an American flag. They about learned about the color orange and made pumpkin pictures. The little artists also listened to the book “To Bathe a Boa” and colored pattern snakes with dot paints.

        Kindergarteners listened to the books “The Dot” and “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” as part of their introduction to the art element, line. I hope that you got to see the very original line necklaces they made in the art room. Next they learned about the Primary Colors and they are now creating primary color line designs.

        First grade artists started with a review of warm and cool colors. They are currently working on “Cool Hands, Warm Heart” art creations using warm and cool color oil pastels and watercolor washes.

        Second grade artists are reviewing the warm and cool colors. Currently they are creating “Warm Leaves, Cool Skies” pictures. They are using oil pastels, watercolor washes and the crayon resist technique.