Photos copyright Tattered Edge 2007So yesterday I spent the entire day at Banting Middle School teaching a workshop to Ms. Knowles' grade 6/7 class on mixed media bracelets. (This is the same great group of kids I did the Altered Mirror workshop for in December.)
There were 31 kids in the class and I worked with groups of 6 at a time, while the others worked on altering envelopes that they will put their bracelets in, along with a poem for their mums for Mother's Day.
The kids worked really hard on their bracelets. Some of them had never worked with hand tools before and for some kids, the fine motor skills were a challenge, but no one complained or gave up. With lots of encouragement, they just kept plugging away and got the job done! I wish you could have seen the looks of concentration on their faces.
There were 31 kids in the class and I worked with groups of 6 at a time, while the others worked on altering envelopes that they will put their bracelets in, along with a poem for their mums for Mother's Day.
The kids worked really hard on their bracelets. Some of them had never worked with hand tools before and for some kids, the fine motor skills were a challenge, but no one complained or gave up. With lots of encouragement, they just kept plugging away and got the job done! I wish you could have seen the looks of concentration on their faces.
Once the bracelets were completed, we worked on the charms in the afternoon. The kids have each made a bottle cap charm with Diamond Glaze in it, which are not shown here-they had to sit on the sill overnight to set before they could add them on. Some of them brought a photo of themselves or their family to use in the charm, others wrote a message to their mums or put their mum's initial inside.
At one point, the vice principal came in and introduced herself to me. Apparently, some of the boys were out in the hall, wearing their bracelets and showing them off so she had to come in and see what we were doing and what all the excitement was about.
At one point, the vice principal came in and introduced herself to me. Apparently, some of the boys were out in the hall, wearing their bracelets and showing them off so she had to come in and see what we were doing and what all the excitement was about.
The end result was that everyone made a wonderful piece of art jewellery and I told the kids they could be very proud of what they had accomplished. I think they surprised themselves with what they could do. It was so great to see how happy they were with their work and how excited they are to be able to give these gifts to their mums. I can't wait to hear what happens after Mother's Day!
They made envelopes they made to hold their bracelets and poetry. Next week, I go back to teach the Mrs. Geissler's class the same workshop. I am looking forward to seeing the work from that class. The thing I enjoy most about teaching art to kids is seeing how empowered they feel. I think kids are so hungry for ways to explore their creativity. I was thinking about it yesterday after the workshop: how many times is a kid going to get the opportunity to make a piece of handmade jewellery for their mother like this? I am so glad their teachers see the value of providing them with these experiences and grateful that I get to be the one to share in it with them. It's a blessing.
Note: There was a problem with Blogger so I have uploaded the photos to Flickr. You can see the kids' work by clicking here.
2 comments:
Oh bummer, the images aren't showing up for this post! I'd really love to see those bracelets, I'll bet it was a blast to work with the kids!
Crystal
Oh that is just awesome - love what they made! The cards are adorable as well.
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