Short Week, Long on Creativity

This was a short week, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t creative at all! On Monday, there was no school due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so we jumped right back into things on Tuesday.

I originally had a different lesson planned, but during a workshop on Friday, I learned about an exciting art contest related to Earth Day. Of course, I immediately wanted my students to participate. Unfortunately, due to timing, I was only able to do the project with my Tuesday and Thursday classes, since Friday classes needed to finish their logo project.

The “Art for Earth” contest is organized by Barry University and offers several awards and prizes. Students can choose from four categories, each represented by a color:

• Blue focuses on the oceans and keeping them clean

• Green represents recycling and reusing

• Red highlights endangered species

• Yellow symbolizes hope and optimism for the environment and our planet

Once I explained the project, the students were instantly excited to participate. As always, they created amazing designs! Each student chose a different category and got right to work. We only had one day to complete the artwork because I then had the big task of photographing each piece, labeling them, and submitting everything to Barry University.

Selected artwork will be printed and placed on recycled water bottles and featured in a special exhibition at the Barry University Library. This is a creative opportunity to promote environmental awareness through students' art. Fingers crossed that our students’ talent is recognized!

On Friday, our last classes finished the logo project, and the results were wonderful. Everyone wanted their logo displayed on the bulletin board, but unfortunately, I could only choose a few due to limited space. I really wish I had a giant bulletin board to showcase them all!

Next week, we’ll be starting a new Artist of the Month in honor of Black History Month. Who is it? Awww… you’ll have to wait and see! 

Exploring Design, Cubism, and STEM Through Art

Wow, wow, wow! What a week!

We have been very busy refining our logos, and the results were truly amazing. My students were incredibly creative and took their role as graphic designers very seriously. The variety of logos they produced was impressive, honestly, many could rival professional designs! They did a wonderful job understanding the concept and requirements of the design process, and they combined colors thoughtfully and wisely. Most importantly, they had so much fun working on this project.

On Wednesday, I also spent time with my 1st graders, where we explored Cubism and learned about Pablo Picasso. We played a game called “Roll a Picasso with Ms. Ibert.” The students rolled dice and drew different facial features based on the number they rolled, which eventually came together to create a Picasso-inspired masterpiece. When they saw their final drawings, they burst into laughter.

“Ms. Ibert, this looks weird!” they said, until they realized that Cubism shows objects from multiple angles at once, so it’s meant to look different and funny. What a great learning moment!

Later that day, we had Art Club, and the excitement was contagious. Using real branches, we created a “cotton tree.” Students added color to the cotton leaves using food coloring and water, and the results were beautiful. They were very careful and intentional with their color choices, creating truly wonderful masterpieces.

On Thursday, we hosted STEM Night at our school. I was assigned a colorful spinner balloon activity, and it was amazing to see the kids’ excitement as they watched shapes and colors appear when the balloon spun. It was a perfect example of how art, math, and science can come together in a fun and meaningful way.

Finally, on Friday, I attended a workshop where we learned how to create botanical cameraless photography using sunlight and chemicals. The afternoon session focused on collage and weaving. I learn so much every time I attend these workshops, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to grow, learn, and be inspired by my colleagues and fellow educators.

What a full, creative, and inspiring week! 

A Day in the Life of a Graphic Designer

We are back from winter break with a very exciting and creative project! 

Many of you may not know this, but my college major was Graphic Design, and design is something I am truly passionate about. Because of that, I decided to create a hands-on project where students could become graphic designers for a day and gain a better understanding of the complexity, creativity, and decision-making involved in this profession.

Logos designed by Ms. Ibert

We discussed how designers thoughtfully combine shapes, lines, colors, and typography to communicate ideas and messages. I explained that graphic design goes far beyond creating logos; it also includes designing flyers, business cards, restaurant menus, posters, advertisements, and more. I showed the students a variety of logo examples, some very simple and others more detailed and complex, and we analyzed what made each one effective.

I also reminded them that designers often use complementary or analogous color schemes because they work well together and make designs more visually appealing. We then talked about the fascinating history of the Nike “swoosh” logo, including how the designer was paid only $35 at the time, something that truly surprised the students.

After that, I shared some of my own work, including logos I have designed for different clients and a restaurant menu I created. Their reactions were priceless: “Wow, Ms. Ibert! You made that? Is it real?”

To make the lesson even more engaging, we played a fun game where students had to look at an image and guess which company the logo belonged to. They had a great time with this activity, and almost everyone guessed the brand correctly, which showed just how recognizable good design can be.

Then came the main challenge: 
I introduced three fictional companies. I acted as the client, and the students became the designers. They had to choose one of the following products and create three different logo sketches, each with a unique idea and concept:

• A video game company called “Woki”
• A strawberry-flavored popsicle company called “Deliberry”
• A sports footwear company called “Fitzas”

Sketches designed by the students

Everyone immediately got to work, brainstorming ideas and putting their creativity on paper. The final objective is for students to choose the most creative and brand-appropriate design. Next week, they will redraw their selected logo on a larger scale and refine it by adding details, using complementary colors, and applying their imagination to make the logo visually attractive and suitable for the company.

This lesson has been incredibly fun, engaging, and inspiring, and I can’t wait to see the final designs come to life!