October was all about symmetry, still lifes, and glow in the dark calaveras! Frida Kahlo was the artist of the month for October, and we had a great time exploring her surrealist style. Frida is a great artist to discuss in October because not only is her work famous for its spooky imagery, but October is also Hispanic Heritage Month. Both lower elementary and kindergarten students learned all about her life and her art and created two different projects to honor her life and work.
In addition to learning about Frida herself, kindergarteners also learned about symmetry. They used symmetry to create calaveras- calaveras are colorful, decorative skulls used as a symbol of remembrance for family and friends who have passed away during Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Each student chose a stencil to trace half of a skull, and added flowers at the top just like Frida Kahlo did in her self portraits. Then, they painted over what they drew, and while the paint was still wet, they folded their paper so the image would transfer to the other side to make their skull symmetrical. Once they created their whole image, they used glow in the dark paint to complete their calaveras!
The lower elementary students made their own Frida Kahlo inspired still life paintings. We talked about what a still life is, and how artists used different objects in their work to symbolize the feelings of their art. An assortment of fruit was laid out in the middle of the table. Everyone had to draw the fruit exactly how they saw it from their point of view. Then, the students then used gouache paint to add the color to their paintings, and they were finished!
November will be all about weaving and patterns, so stay tuned!
Parent Ed Workshop: Montessori Positive Discipline with Chip DeLorenzo, M.Ed.
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