Pinwheels for Peace Continued

This was published in our local paper today. 

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_759998.html

Mummy Cupcakes

My cupcake obsession continues....it is an art form in itself. 

I have been experimenting with new materials, mainly fondant.  Since I have never used fondant I thought I would try these simple little mummy cupcakes. 

Travel to Ireland with Go Ahead Tours

A good friend of mine is organizing a trip to Ireland this summer with Go Ahead Tours.  Go Ahead is an amazing tour company -professional, reliable, reasonable.  If you are interested in traveling the trip is for adults (age 16 or older if accompanied by an adult). 

I traveled to Italy this past summer with Go Ahead.  It was a fantastic tour.  A bit different from EF Tours because it is for adults, so there are some perks (of course the price reflects this but it is well worth it!).  Please visit the link for additional information:

http://dianepenzeragroup.grouptoursite.com/groups/dianepenzeragroup.aspx

What is included:
Round trip airfare
Hotel stays with private baths
Breakfast daily, 2 dinners
Transportation to and from the airport
Guided excursions- see the itinerary for more information on which ones
Services of a full time tour guide
Luxury motor coach


What is not included:
tips for your guide and driver
lunch
some dinners
optional excursions

Cupcake Art -Part 2

Continuing with my new obsession, I have created these delectable little flowers.  Again, the book entitled What's New, Cupcake? is my inspiration.  I am having so much fun with these designs.  If you haven't seen this book or the original Hello Cupcake, please check it out.  They have their own web page and blog which is amazing!

http://www.hellocupcakebook.com/

Cupcake Art

Recently inspired by a book entitled What's New, Cupcake?, I have been making some fancy little cupcakes! 

This book is so clever and makes it easy to turn any little cupcake into a fancy work of art.  Although a bit time consuming, I find the end result to be well worth the effort.  I made these cupcakes for family and friends to enjoy. 

Chocolate Owl  Cupcakes made with Oreo, Junior Mints and Runts

Chocolate Fish Cupcakes made with Circus Peanuts, Fruit Loops and M&M's

Pinwheels for Peace-Part 2

Our Pinwheels for Peace display was a huge success.  We were so lucky to have a beautiful day!

All of our students in grades 2-6 had an opportunity to come outside and plant a pinwheel in the school yard.  They were so excited to see their pinwheel outside as they left the building for the day.  My hope was that they remembered and shared the symbolism of the pinwheel also.

By the end of the day we had over 600 pinwheels spinning in front of the school.  I hope to make this a yearly event at school to remind our students to be kind and be a friend to all.

Halloween Art Contest at the Local Art Center

LAC is hosing a coloring contest and a drawing contest.  Please visit the link for more information.  I will be sharing this information in class also. 

http://www.latrobeartcenter.org/Contests.html#

Pinwheels for Peace- Part 1

Every year I read about Pinwheels for Peace and want to participate.  www.pinwheelsforpeace.com
In the past it has been a struggle because of the 6 day rotation.  This year I was determined to make it work!  So all of my students are participating in this amazing international project.

I invited our guidance counselor to join me in this lesson because she is always talking with the students about being a 'bucket filler',  having good manners and how to handle your emotions.  http://www.bucketfillers101.com/ 


Pinwheels for Peace started seven years ago in Florida and has since grown to be an international project with millions of participants. It is a fantastic way of promoting peace within our schools and is a good way to start the year.

The idea is rather simple: take a square piece of paper and create a design on one side.  We asked our students to write their thoughts and ideas on how they can promote peace or be a bucket filler on the back of their pinwheel.  Then I put them together.

On International Peace Day we will go outside into our school yard and 'plant' our pinwheels (weather permitting). This is our public statement about peace and bucket filling.  We hope the spinning pinwheels will be a reminder of what it means to be a bucket filler and promote a peaceful and safe environment within our school and community.

Educational Travel -Costa Rica 2011

Visiting Poas Volcano.  An active volcano in Costa Rica.

This past summer I traveled with 3 students to Costa Rica with EF Tours.  We spent 8 full days traveling around the country, experiencing the culture and customs and practicing our language skills.

We had many opportunities to enjoy the amazing environment of the country while learning about the flora and fauna. We also went zip lining, hiking, white water rafting, kayaking & horseback riding.

We also visited a local school in the town of Las Nubes. The students of Las Nubes performed some traditional dances for our EF group. In exchange our students brought gifts to the 23 students. Two of our students even preformed for the kids; singing the National Anthem.  It was such an enriching experience for the students.  They left with a greater appreciation for their own educational opportunities.

I can not express enough the importance of educational travel for students.  It is a life changing experience.  Many of the students who have the opportunity to travel abroad go on to study languages in depth and work internationally.

Our local newspaper wrote a very nice article about the experience we had in Costa Rica:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_755299.html

Please visit EF Tours for more information. www.eftours.com

VSA & CVS Caremark All Kids Can Create Exhibit

The CVS Caremark & VSA -All Kids Can Create exhibit will open on June 15th.  I am sad that I will not be able to attend.  My student Bailey will have art work on display.  I am so proud of her!

CVS and VSA issued a press release and I have included the link here.
http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/32397-VSA-and-CVS-Caremark-Announce-2011-All-Kids-Can-CREATE-Student-Artists-and-Unveil-National-Exhibition-in-Washington-D-C-

If anyone makes it to the exhibit please send me photos! 

Last Day of School & Summertime

 
It is so hard to believe that school is coming to a close already.  The students are both excited and a little bit sad (the young ones anyway;) because as much as they love summer they will miss their teachers and friends.  And as much as I need a break to rejuvenate and refresh for next year, I too, will miss those smiling faces.

As every year comes to a close I like to reflect on the things that I have done with the students and what I want to change or do better next year.  I always try to improve upon what I do and provide new and exciting projects and ideas for my students. 

This summer I will be traveling a good bit with friends, family and students.  I love to experience new cultures, meet new people and bring home new ideas that I can incorporate into my classroom.  There is no better experience than traveling to truly educate oneself about the culture, people, customs and  language.  You can study these things in books but it is not until you truly experience them do you really understand or appreciate what you have learned.  To stand below the Sistine Chapel and see the amazing work; to know that Michelangelo stood in the same spot I will be standing in; to smell the incense that is burning in the chapel-no one can know what that feels like until you yourself are there to experience it firsthand.  The first time I stood below the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel it brought tears to my eyes.  I know that is cheesy and my students think I am ridiculous but it is awe inspiring!  This summer I will have another opportunity to stand below that amazing ceiling....and I can't wait!!!

Venice 2006

 I will also have an opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with a few students on an EF Tour.  We will spend 10 days hiking, kayaking, zip lining, touring, visiting local schools and taking in the culture.  I am looking forward to seeing the country as well as practicing my language skills.

I am anxious to visit local artists in both Italy and Costa Rica and discover what I can bring back to share with my students.

Happy Summer!

What is Chin Colle?

Many people have been asking me what is Chin Colle? 

Chin Colle is a printmaking technique in which one piece of paper (the print) is adhered to another piece of paper, usually a heavier piece of paper.  It is fairly simple to do but many people think it is a tedious process.  I used it often when I did printmaking in college because I did many prints based upon old fabrics.  I thought it was appropriate to cut my prints out using pinking shears and then use Chin Colle to finish them.  The end result was lovely!

EF Tours-Global Education Ambassador Conference

I was thrilled to have been invited to an EF conference in Boston this past weekend. The conference was for teachers who have a strong interest in educational travel and would be willing to help new group leaders as they plan their trip. I am officially a Global Education Ambassador for EF! 

I had an opportunity to share my experiences with other group leaders & discuss and learn about my role as GEA while learning more about EF. I am always excited when I have a chance to help someone expose their students to international travel because it always changes their lives.

I have been traveling internationally since I was 13.  My first international travel experience took me to Yugoslavia (at this time the country had not split).  I traveled without my parents but with a local church group.  At a young age this was very eye opening.  To experience new languages, cultures, airports, customs, etc. is quite an experience when you are 13.  It opened my eyes to the world and instilled in me a love of cultures, new people and travel! 

Since that time, I have been traveling as often as possible.  As a high school sophomore I traveled to Spain for the first time.  I lived with a local family in Lugo for three weeks, sharing a home with a host brother (who spoke very good English) and host parents (who spoke no English).  Living with a family forced me to practice speaking the language.  As a senior in high school, I traveled for a second time to Spain.  This time to Mallorca. I spent another three weeks in Mallorca taking in the culture, language and life style.  All of these experiences fostered a desire to learn about other cultures and to better understand them.

After high school I longed to travel more but didn't have a chance until after college.  When I began teaching I had an opportunity to travel as a chaperon with the French teacher. We toured the Loire Valley.

Since then I have been arranging travel opportunities for students.  In the past, I have traveled to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Czech Republic, England, Ireland, Wales & Italy with my students.  My favorite part of traveling with students is hearing them talk about it after we return.  They always comment on how they want to study abroad; how they plan to learn a new language; how the experience has changed their perspective and awareness of global issues.  It is how I felt after my experiences in Spain. 

This summer I will travel to Costa Rica with a few students.  I am anxious to practice my language skills again (even though I have been out of practice for so long.  I hope that my memory will not fail me too much!), learn about the people of Costa Rica (Ticos) and their customs.

I know that the students traveling with me are also anxious to practice their language skills, learn about the culture and people of Costa Rica, see a new part of the world and become global learners.  These experiences help to close the gap and create cultural awareness and understanding.  It also gives each student an opportunity to better understand our own culture and appreciate the differences.

I have been working with EF since 2008.  I have worked with other companies but no one compares to EF. If you would like more information regarding educational travel experiences please visit EF's link or email me.  I am always happy to share my experiences.

https://www.eftours.com/student-travel.aspx

Many, many thanks to the EF staff for their dedication, professionalism and work towards making global connections.

My Tour Consultant Janelle and me

Some of Janelle's crew!

The new GEA's and EF staff

Celebrating Art

I am so please to learn today that many of my students have been selected for publication in Celebrating Art.  This was a national art contest open to any student in Grade K-12. 

There are two parts to the contest:
First, selected students will be published in a beautiful hardback coffee table book. 
Second, students will then be selected to win prize money.

The students do not have to purchase the book to be included.  The school will be purchasing a book for the library.  Students selected to win prizes will be announced at the end of the month.  If a student wins a prize he or she will also receive a copy of the book.

For additional information please visit http://www.celebratingart.com/index.php

Congratulations to all of the students!

Handmade Cards for a Cause

A colleague passed this request along to our staff a few weeks ago and I thought I would share in hopes that some of you might be willing to make a card and send it to this young man. 

There is a 12 year old boy in Neola, Iowa who has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Sadly, there is nothing that the doctor's can do for him.  Instead of a Make a Wish request the young boy wants to receive one million cards.  I am sure a get well card is appropriate or it could just be a simple thinking of you card.  Currently, he has 19,000 cards. 

If you would like to help please make or purchase a card and send it to:

"Mighty" Max Low
c/o Greg and Bambi Low
PO Box 111
Neola, Iowa 51559

All Kids Can Create- VSA & CVS Caremark

In February I helped my student Bailey enter a national art contest: All Kids Can Create sponsored by VSA and CVS Caremark.  Bailey's art was entered online through the site Artsonia.

With over 4,700 entries we were both excited to learn that Bailey's beautiful picture "Panda" was a finalist for the state of Pennsylvania.  Her drawing was one of 4 from the state of Pennsylvania to make it to the final contest. 

In April, we were notified that Bailey's drawing was to be included in the national exhibit.  Her drawing and one other had been selected to represent our state in the exhibit at Union Station in Washington D.C. The exhibit opens on June 13, 2011.102 pieces of art total will be on display.

I am so proud of Bailey and her dedication! 

To learn more about VSA, CVS and the contest please visit the following sites:

http://www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/calls/AllKidsCan/HowToApply.html

http://www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/calls/AllKidsCan/MoreInfo.html

Recycled Egg Carton Flowers

This is a variation on my previous post of Recycled Flowers for Mother's Day.  My K students saw the flowers the older kids were making and wanted to make them but I wanted to do something different.  This is also a good project for talking about recycling and Earth Day. 

Materials:
Pipe Cleaners
Beads

Paper egg cartons- torn apart and prepped
Tissue paper of various colors cut to about 5 inches square

How to Make Your Flowers:
1. Prep the egg cartons by tearing them apart and punching a hole through the bottom center.  I use a needle tool to do this but a pencil would work too.

2. Thread the pipe cleaner up through the hole about half way.

3. Take 3-4 pieces of tissue paper and gently punch a hole in the center.  We use the pipe cleaner to do this.

4. Slide a bead onto the pipe cleaner

5. Then fold the pipe cleaner down over the bead.  I allow a good bit to be folded over that way the bead is visible.

6. Gently pull the pipe cleaner down and the center of the flower will be created. 

You could do many variations on this such as use buttons, or no beads or buttons.  You could add glitter by gently dipping the flower edges into glue and then into glitter. 

frontal view

side view