Gaga for Gaga
1/29/2019
Have you heard your kids talking about GaGa ball yet? I'm sure most of you have heard wind of the GaGa epidemic and I'm here to tell you about it. Every once in a while a new game comes along that takes PNA by storm. A few years ago it was 4-square and dodgeball, then badminton and now GaGa ball. It's very interesting how most of the kids pour their focus into one specific game, but it's also pretty cool. The games I've listed have one major thing in common...hand-eye coordination. I always take note of the progression of these new obsessions and the increase in the students hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness is amazing. They are moving their feet, jumping out of the way, communicating their next moves, aiming at a target and hitting a ball in different directions. We played in the snow the other day (which highly resembles ice) and the kids were able to stay on their feet without falling. Now we are talking about balance and finding that center of gravity. It's a gym teachers dream!
GaGa ball is basically a bunch of people in a pit with a rubber ball. The objective is to hit the ball towards other people in the pit to get them out. The ball can be blocked, but if it hits your legs then you are out. The final contestant in the ring is the champion. It's exciting. The kids have completely morphed the game into some sort of epic final showdown. I, of course, taught them the official GaGa rules, but they've morphed it into something they can call their own. Our New Year in Visual Art 2019
1/13/2019
This week we complete our Martin Luther King, Jr. images for the Annual Assembly honoring the concepts of Equality, Peace, and Community among all Peoples that Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for.
In every village, town, city, county, borough, state, country--whatever ever name you call the locale you live in, there are leaders who help us to form the direction we go in to make the world work for all of us. All Grades worked on imagery. This show has been an annual event since the first year of PNA. We start in August/September to start our drawings, paintings, and sculptures. The EK worked with the Latin word for Peace, and made prints of "PAX" to symbolize the focus of Martin Luther King, Jr. and those who worked in the world to create a better life for all. The children revisited their use of the brayers and rolling matts. They worked in their new location in the front lobby, where their classes are being held now. The 6th/7th made wire mobiles that contained words, images, abstractions, or non-objective designs. These will be hung around the gym for the Assembly. The 8th Grade made cardboard life-size figures. The Beginners worked with drawing. One of the EK classes practiced their tearing and watercolor techniques when making Martin Luther King's images. Many classes from 1st-5th, made several images to arrive at his or her best one. The foundations of art are brought into the lessons learned, along with Art History in the context of the lesson. This week graphic art was addressed in the form of Manga drawing. The styles of drawing were compared and contrasted, as we talked about How classical drawing is approached, and how graphic art, particularly manga is made. We will be visiting some other artists, such as David Levine of the New York Review of Books, to see how different styles are done. All of these artists, however, had a solid foundation in classical training--learning the elements and principles of design, and the techniques and skills of art. We will soon start on our pieces for the Annual Spring Show in late April or May, which will consist of canvases that will be hung in the Art Room, and in the halls on cork strips on the Third Floor hallway by the 3,4,5 classrooms. There will be a reception from 3:15-4:15pm on that day. See you then! |
Specialist & Enrichment Teachers Archives
February 2021
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