Technology can be such a blessing! This week, technology has been a challenge for me. I've experienced trouble getting my art activities to upload to my webpage, I've had trouble with internet connections at my home, and so on. I'm doing my best to stay flexible and be calm while working through it, and I've had some wonderful helpers (thank you, Pasco Technology HelpDesk folks!). 

It's great when we have support from our friends and neighbors, too. This week, I decided to post an art activity I've seen other folks do in their neighborhoods. My neighborhood has had a painted rock "scavenger hunt" going on for a while now, and it's lots of fun to find all the creatively painted and decorated rocks people hide in their yards and gardens. I tried using paint and Sharpie markers on mine, and hid some in my garden for people to discover on their walks. Just something to cheer people up. And me, too, while I was tinkering and troubling with technology!

I'm writing this on Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day. Growing up with my dad in the Army, a veteran of the war in Viet Nam, I learned to recognize and honor the sacrifice our soldiers make for us. Memorial Day was always a serious holiday for my family, knowing people who gave the ultimate sacrifice - their lives - for our country. We would spend some time remembering those folks who'd stepped up in this way.

This week's activity is a wonderful one for honoring and remembering those heroes. While weaving, it's a lovely remembrance to think of or pray for someone while weaving threads together. Woven items can be left as tokens of remembrance at a grave. Weaving is also a relaxing, calming activity that relieves stress. If you are feeling strong emotions about someone who died or someone you miss, weaving can help you calm and relax while you remember that person and all the good and wonderful things about them and your time together.

Each day seems like such a contrast between the same and the new and different. I stay at home and work at my computer, play with my dog, clean my house, and so on. Then I think of how to create art with supplies from around my house, how to make something fun and interesting that my students at McGee wil enjoy learning and doing...now that involves all kinds of new and different! I'm having such a great time figuring out how to create art from common items around my home. And I'm exploring some wonderful websites and learning about some great artists online. This contrast keeps me engaged and coming back each day to try something new again. I hope you are learning some new and different things, too! We may be at home, but our imaginations can be free and our hands and hearts can be creative. Go Mustangs ---

It's teacher appreciation week, and I see a wonderful McGee Mustangs sign in my front yard. It's says, "Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Thank You for ALL You Do!" I can see the sign through the window in my office where I work, preparing art activities and making art, writing, and using my computer to attend Zoom meetings and classes. The sign cheers me up each time I see it.

That's wonderful because I miss all of you, my students, and I can only see you over the computer right now. When I look at the sign, I remember all of you, and I appreciate all of YOU. You are why I love coming to McGee and making art with you. Appreciation is a very good thing. It's when we think of people and the things we have in our lives and we remember how thankful we are for them. 

I plan to make some art this week that includes my attitude of appreciation. I think I will draw in my art jurnal, and I will make something for a friend who I am thankful for in my life. Consider how you appreciate other people and the things in your life. How can you show them you appreciate them? Maybe make a card for them or bake them some brownies? Play a game with them or sing them a song? Brush your dog's fur or clean your room? All of these are signs of appreciation for the people and things you have in your life. Think about how you will show your appreciation this week, and share it. You'll make yourself happier, and you may brighten someone else's day, too!

This week was a challenge for me to find art supplies. I'm used to painting or drawing or working with paper when I make art at home, but I wanted to try something different. And I knew I needed to make do with what I had on hand around my house. I started looking online for artists who've created 3D sculpture using materials from the outdoors, from recycled materials, and then finally...FOOD! I thought of my 6th grade class which has a special code word: FOOD! They are a fun group, and they figured out this word would be their code word for lining up for class. I mean, who doesn't want to get together and get motivated for FOOD, right? Ah, the perfect art supplies. As I searched, I discovered so many artists who've drawn, painted, or sculpted art about food, and also artists who've made art actually from FOOD. Check out Andy Warhol, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Joost Eiffers, and Wayne Thiebaud, to name just a few. 

Now I knew what I needed. I set out for the kitchen, hunting art supplies. Opening my cabinets and refrigerator, I thought about what I could build. Bumpy vegetable aliens? Funny sandwich faces? Train cars with cookie wheels? I love animals, especially my favorite dog...that's it! I would create a pancake puppy! This was going to be fun. It was easy finding materials for eyes and a nose, but how could I create her mouth? I searched and searched, but could not figure out what to use. I finally settled on a bag of chocolate chips, figuring I would line them up to make her silly doggy grin. 

As I began assembling my funny Fiona, I discovered a wonderful pancake accident. One of my pancakes had a burned edge, a lovely dark brown. This solved my problem! I cut it into a curvy mouth for my doggy portrait, and it worked beautifully. A final sprinkle of shredded coconut sprinkles for curly fur, and it was done! I was a FOOD artist! Time for a picture. You can find my handiwork in the Art Activities tab. Click on the "Food Sculpture Activity" and see how it all turned out.

I had a great time, and felt successful finding and using kitchen supplies for making art. Hmm, I wonder what adventure I'll think of for next week's art challenge?

Feeling "Spring-y"

Hello, everyone! It's so nice to see the trees leafing out and the flowers blooming outside my window as I write this. Even though we are practicing our "social distancing," we can still celebrate the change of seasons and the wonderful weather we are enjoying outdoors. If springtime makes you feel more energy, you may want to get outside and dance or run around, play with a family pet, or enjoy a picnic lunch. This is a great time for making art outdoors, too. If you have chalk, bring it outside and draw on the porch or sidewalk. Or just bring pencil and paper outside and draw things you see outside, like the blooming flowers or maybe a neighbor's cool truck nearby. One of my fun ideas is to bring a stuffed animal outside and place it in settings, then draw and color it. For example, I propped my stuffed porcupine outside, then made some art. It was fun, figuring out places for him to have a little adventure! If you try something like this -- or some other art you'd like to share -- take a photo and email it to me at lhendrickson@psd1.org. Please tell me your name and grade, and a little something about your art (maybe your favorite part, or the materials your used, or what inspired you). I need your parents to give permission for me to display your art if you'd like me to share it on this webpage. Then look for it on the photo gallery! You can see one of our student's art work already on display; click on the lettr "i" for information about her and her work. I hope to hear from lots of you and see what you are up to...I miss you!