VETERANS DAY!

Psalm 18:2 "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me; My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge; 

My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold."

Both Lower and Upper School students used their creativity and skills to make artwork for the Veterans Day program. Many of these pieces were also used to make cards for veterans after the program was over. I am so proud of our students for taking the time to learn new skills and to make these beautiful works of art in honor of our servicemen and women. We prayed for our veterans all week long and it was such a blessing to Mrs. Nichols to listen to the children pray! 

The five branches of the military are: the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard. We owe these men and women of the armed forces a huge debt of gratitude - they risk their lives in order to keep us safe! 

In honor of all the people who have served in the past and are still serving today, we salute you!  

Our youngest artists (K-2) learned to apply a pattern after finding the middle of a shape, making "heart flags" with this skill. They also learned how to draw a poppy flower, adding creative details of their own to the pictures. First, second, and third grade artists learned how to draw the face of an eagle - I love how each of the birds is completely unique, having a character of their own! 4th and 5th grade artists learned how to draw a 3-d flag as well as a standing bald eagle. The skills they practiced were: basic perspective (curves of the flag), some proportion (eagle drawing), overlapping, and adding texture and detail. We used several videos from Art For Kids Hub during these lessons. Mrs. Nichols showed students how to draw the subject, then played the step-by-step video.

[Why does Mrs. Nichols use videos in art class? It is valuable to students for many reasons, mainly that they can see another child their age drawing along with the adult and making "mistakes" (Growth Mindset).

Students can also see that everyone's drawing is different and unique - if their drawing didn't turn out exactly like someone else's that's actually a really good thing! Also, children need to see a variety of role models (both male and female) and the artist on the video is male. 

Finally, due to Covid restrictions we have been using videos more often this year in order to practice "social distancing." We have several students learning from home as well, and sharing these drawing videos with virtual students has been invaluable!]

We viewed these informational videos about Veterans Day: 

Kindergarten

Veterans Day - How it started and why we honor it - KID HISTORY

K-3

Veterans: Heroes In Our Neighborhood

Hero Mom & Hero Dad

4th - 5th

Veterans Day for Kids Cartoon! Learn Fun Facts about Veterans Day for Elementary Students

High school art students collaborated to design this camouflage wall display at the main entrance to the sanctuary. They spent a class period cutting out the various size pieces, then attached them to the wall. Students also spent time designing original "Thank You" cards for veterans. Several students made more than one to give away. This was an activity that promoted great conversations among students. 

Kai made "dog tags" out of aluminum foil as well as a paper pocket to keep them inside the card. His drawing is also fabulous!