I teach middle school at a gifted education center. 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students attend my major unit 1 afternoon per week for 2.5 hours. I’ve taught some really great units in my three and a half years of gifted, including soil science, stop motion animation, fiction film, non-fiction film, gourd art, and printmaking. […]
Mechanical Contraptions Read More »
This semester I taught a non-fiction film unit to my gifted middle schoolers. We met for 2.5 hours per week for 17 weeks. They got a good introductory course on crafting a non-fiction story with film. I was able to craft my skills this semester as well. I used my new Panasonic Lumix G7 to
Adobe Premiere Pro Read More »
Last Sunday I visited the Georgia O’Keeffe Exhibit at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was lovely and oh so inspiring. Georgia made me want to paint flowers and that’s just what I’ve done. I’ve painted 6 watercolors over the past 12 days and it feels so good. As I paint I tell
Playing with Watercolor Read More »
I tested out my new camera’s (Panasonic Lumix G7) video quality by making a little movie of the Ozark Mini-Maker Faire. Even though I covered the audio with music, I notice the audio is much improved from my old Canan point and shoot. I am very satisfied with the video quality and look forward
Ozark Mini-Maker Faire Read More »
My camera fell in the sand on the last big day of our vacation. It’s a blessing really. It’s a Canon A510 that I’ve had for years. It has provided and I appreciate it’s long life, but it was time. As I’ve made more and more movies I am ready to upgrade my footage
New Camera -Panasonic Lumix G7 Read More »
This summer my family of four embraced the opportunity to go on the longest adventure yet. We piled all of our gear into the car and headed west for a 25 day National Park tour. We camped 19 of the 25 days and ate out 5 times. It was glorious. In estimating, it may
An Outwest Adventure Read More »
I recently attended the Spring, 2018 MAEA (Missouri Art Educator Association) Conference in Branson, Missouri. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from other art educators around the state and spend time creating. I will share a few of my take-aways. One session I especially enjoyed was taught by Amber Mintert, Art
I completed my first linoleum reduction print recently and decided to try the technique on a woodblock. I used a photo of my cat Sally and laid it over carbon paper for planning the colors. I used my linoleum Speedball carving tools for this carving and they worked very well. The woodblock is
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My printmaking classes are moving right along. Students have been working on their first linoleum prints and we are discussing our plans for progressing into multi-color prints. We have a few options for this. One option is using multiple blocks, one for each color. Another option is reduction printmaking. In the process of reduction
First Reduction Print Read More »
Paddling Boquillas Canyon Our family recently paddled the Boquillas Canyon portion of the Rio Grande through Big Bend National Park. This is quite an excursion from our home in the Missouri Ozarks. For this 33 mile trip all paddlers must carry their own water, pack a fire pan, and pack out human waste (yep,
Paddling Boquillas Canyon in Big Bend Read More »
A semester long printmaking unit takes a wide variety of equipment and supplies. Also, these materials can be somewhat expensive. I recommend spending time comparing prices and then allowing two weeks for shipping. I purchased the majority of materials through my school district, McClain’s Printmaking Supply Company, and Blick Art Supply. I am
Printmaking Supply List Read More »
This semester I am teaching an Art of Printmaking class to gifted students in grade 6, 7, and 8. Students will attend class one 2.5 hour class per week for 17 weeks. I am hoping to help others by sharing some of the trials and errors I encounter along the way. Let’s start with the
A Semester of Printmaking with Middle School Gifted Students Read More »
I am a mother of two boys. One of my sons enjoys cooking, so we decided to make a cooking show. So far we have filmed four episodes of The Buzz Cooking Show. Filming these shows take much longer than just making a recipe, but it is totally worth it. (I use WeVideo for all
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I teach middle school at the gifted center in my town. Students attend one day per week and choose a unit, in which they attend each afternoon for one semester. I have taught units such as The Science of Soils, Stop Motion Animation, and filmmaking. This last semester I taught a sculpture unit called
Out of the Gourdinary Read More »
The Buffalo River My husband and I both backpacked before we had children, but didn’t think our sons would be ready until they were around 8 and 11. Well, they are 9 and 12 and the time is ripe. We want them to experience success, but also feel a little of that famous backpack
First Family Backpacking Trip Read More »
Our family is planning to paddle the Missouri Break Section of the Missouri River in Montana this coming summer. 150 miles over 8 days from Fort Benton, Montana to Kipp Recreation Area, Montana. This section of the Missouri River is designated Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic Riverway. My understanding is that it is managed
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Pepper jelly is a great way to use lots of end of season peppers from the autumn garden. I love to take it to parties during the holidays served on a bed of cream cheese with crackers. I also like to give it to friends as a little ‘I love you gift’. I make
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I feel things. I get all teary and lemon faced over the simplest of things. One of those is shopping at Aldi. Shopping at Aldi isn’t for the faint. It’s busy and hectic, full of children and long lines. However, there are so many things I love about Aldi. Sure, I love the cheap
