Exploring Clay in the Art Room: A Hands-On Adventure

This week, I introduced a brand-new material to my art classes: clay! The excitement in the room was contagious, students were thrilled to experiment and create with their hands. And honestly, it was a huge success! 

We started by learning about the different types of clay commonly used in art: 

• Air-Dry Clay – Hardens naturally when exposed to air. Perfect for simple projects without special equipment. 

• Polymer Clay – Requires baking in an oven to set. Great for small, detailed pieces. 

• Ceramic Clay – The classic clay for pottery, which needs a kiln (a super-hot oven) to fire and harden. 

• Modeling Clay – Our choice for this project! It never dries, making it ideal for practice and experimentation.

After the introduction, I showed them some colorful pieces I made with modeling clay years ago. They loved seeing how bright colors and shapes can come together to create amazing art. 

Then, it was time to get our hands dirty! 

• 2nd and 3rd graders traced simple shapes and lines, learning how to make coils, slabs, and spheres. 

• 4th and 5th graders worked on more complex templates. 

It was interesting to see how some students found tracing challenging, even 5th graders—this activity is excellent for developing fine motor skills and hand coordination. 

After completing their templates, students had the freedom to create anything they wanted. This is where the magic happened! Tiny animals, abstract shapes, colorful designs—each piece reflected their unique imagination. The art room was buzzing with excitement, laughter, and pride as they shared their creations with classmates. We ended the session by taking pictures of all the pieces together. The joy on their faces reminded me why these hands-on experiences are so important. 

Clay allows students to think in three dimensions, experiment fearlessly, and express themselves in ways that pencils and paper simply can’t. 

Why clay matters? Introducing clay isn’t just about making art—it’s about teaching resilience, problem-solving, and creativity. Students learn that mistakes can be reshaped, ideas can evolve, and art is a process, not just a product. This week was a beautiful reminder of how powerful art education can be.

Exploring Creativity with Found Objects: A Workshop Experience

Yesterday, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Visual Arts – New & Early Career Teachers Workshop: Learning the Basics – The Art of Found Objects. This session was all about transforming everyday materials into unique works of art—a concept that truly sparks creativity and sustainability. 

Our first challenge was to create an animal using recycled materials such as plastic water bottles, bottle caps, cardboard, buttons, and more. I chose to make a giraffe, which was both fun and a little tricky! After assembling our sculptures, we covered them with paper mâché or gauze plaster, preparing them for the next step—painting and bringing them to life. 

The room was filled with about 15 other art teachers, and the energy was incredible. We shared ideas, laughed, and enjoyed the process of turning “old stuff” into something new and meaningful. 

For our second assignment, we had complete freedom to create anything using found materials. I decided to make a colorful mask, which allowed me to experiment with vibrant textures and patterns. It was such a rewarding experience! 

Beyond the fun, the most valuable takeaway was learning how to apply these techniques in our classrooms to create engaging, hands-on lessons for students. This approach not only nurtures creativity but also teaches the importance of recycling and resourcefulness. 

A special thank you to the Visual Arts Department at Miami-Dade County Public Schools
for supporting us and helping us grow as educators. Your commitment to fostering creativity makes a real difference!

Wow! What a busy and inspiring week in the art room!

On Monday, we wrapped up our soft pastel unit with the last group of students—and they truly had a blast. They mixed colors beautifully, and the final pieces were an explosion of creativity and bright, joyful tones.

On Tuesday, we took a little break since it was Veteran’s Day and there were no classes.

By Wednesday, it was time for my first graders! We practiced making patterns, and they colored them in with so much focus and enthusiasm. Now they’re all set to finish their activity for our upcoming Thanksgiving Feast.

On Thursday, we were honored to welcome back Ms. Villalba, an art teacher from another school, a Carver mom, and an MDCPS Curriculum Support Specialist. She often visits to collaborate and offer wonderful guidance during our projects. That day, our students created abstract designs using lines and watercolors. They learned how to use and clean brushes properly, explored watercolor techniques, and experimented with lines and shapes to make expressive abstract artwork. Their creativity truly shined!

Finally, on Friday, we dove into our 6–7 Project. A few weeks ago, I noticed many students writing the numbers 6 and 7 in their artwork. After a little research, I discovered the trend came from a song and also connects to the height of an NBA basketball player who is six foot seven—but for most students, the numbers were simply fun to write and they mean nothing. So, as the saying goes: if you can’t beat them, join them! I turned the idea into an art lesson.

Each student received one quarter of a sheet of paper and had to work in a specific artistic style—abstract, realistic, pop art, or decorative. Students worked in groups of four, and once everyone finished, we combined all the pieces into one large artwork. The results were fantastic: a vibrant blend of styles, colors, and imaginative interpretations of “6” and “7.”

Every activity this week was a total success. I can’t wait to see what creative adventures come next in our art class! 

Soft Pastels and Holiday Cheer in the Art Room!

Last week in art class, we started exploring a brand-new material — soft pastels! I told the students that soft pastels are kind of like colorful chalk sticks — they’re super bright, soft to the touch, and can blend together beautifully. We practiced how to mix colors using our fingers or a tissue, how to layer different shades, and how to use them on different surfaces like cardstock and cardboard.

Before we got started, we talked about how pastels can get a little messy, and how important it is not to blow the dust into the air. Instead, everyone learned to gently tap off the extra dust into the trash can — and they did an awesome job keeping things neat and safe!

This week, our 2nd and 3rd graders created the cutest snowman Holiday Cards for the Superintendent Holiday Card Competition, which is due November 13th. Each student cut out a snowman shape, glued it down, and used soft pastels to make a colorful outline all around it. Then came the fun part — blending the colors with their fingers! When we removed the snowman shape, it left behind a beautiful glowing outline, almost like the snowman was shining in the snow. After that, everyone decorated the inside however they wanted. I could only choose two cards to submit from the whole school, and I’ve already sent them in. Now we’re all keeping our fingers crossed! 

Our 4th and 5th graders took on a more advanced project — a Holiday Card with a window view. We used blue tape to create the shape of a window, then filled in the sky with soft pastels in lots of bright and dreamy colors. Once the colors were blended together, they peeled off the tape and revealed a beautiful “window” scene looking out into the night sky. It was a little tricky for some and a fun challenge for others, but they all worked so hard and created amazing results.

I’m so proud of how creative, focused, and enthusiastic everyone was this week. The art room is full of color, laughter, and holiday spirit — and I can’t wait to see what we create next! 

P.S. We’re running a little low on glue sticks — if possible, please send more with your child for art class. Thank you so much! 💕

Exploring Color and Contrast Through Seasonal Art

This Halloween week, we did some fun and creative projects!

For our youngest artists, we made little monsters using complementary colors. Before starting, I reviewed what complementary colors are and showed them examples on the color wheel. Then, we set out to design our own monsters using two complementary colors. Some students got adventurous and used two pairs of complementary colors, while others came up with their own imaginative designs. A few of the monsters turned out way too cute to be scary—but they looked absolutely fantastic!

With my older students, our project was to create a spooky house using oil pastels. Since our lesson focused on contrast and value, I explained those concepts before we began. Each student used black and yellow oil pastels for their house to explore strong contrasts, and they could choose any colors they wanted for the background.

Some students mentioned they don’t celebrate Halloween, so I gave them the option to draw a regular house—but with the same artistic challenge: make sure to show contrast! Whether spooky or not, the results were amazing. A few houses were truly eerie, while others captured a mysterious nighttime atmosphere beautifully.

By the end of the week, our classes were filled with colorful monsters and hauntingly creative houses. The students really embraced the themes of color, contrast, and creativity, and I couldn’t be prouder of their work.