Friday, April 13, 2012

Our 4th graders building canvases




I didn't learn how to build and stretch a canvas until my first year of college.....but I remember the experience exactly because I loved it so much! Building them is still one of my most favorite tasks.

I have been watching my 4th grade class to see if I felt they were "ready" to take a stab at building their own and the race car project that we did recently gave me the indication that indeed they are!

So this week, after I gave them a tutorial and explained wood warping, miter saws and angles (bringing in geometry) they began tackling their own. I have a few very small hammers that we used in jewelry class and those were quite helpful. Some of the kids used the drill and they handled it very well. I was really pleased with how much they helped each other! I told their teacher the other day that I was struck how in class they don't have conversations in small groups...it's one conversation for the entire room, everyone chiming in, everyone included......it's a very special group of students!

Most of the kids got their stretcher bars put together so next week we will start stretching the canvas on and priming them ;).

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