Hello to all my Grade 5 students from Cambridge Primary School and whoever else might be reading this post.
I can’t believe it is Week 6
GRADE 4 WEEK 6 REMOTE LEARNING 2020
GRADE 4 WEEK 6 REMOTE LEARNING
Your celestial bodies final artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
You must submit all your artworks (rough draft of four/2 ideas/final celestial bodies artwork) or your report for Semester 1 will state NEEDS ATTENTION in the Visual Arts section.
Hello to all my Grade 4 students from Cambridge Primary School and whoever else might be reading this post.
I can’t believe it is Week 6
of remote learning already!
We are going to be doing a bit of Visual Arts learning around the topic of CELESTIAL BODIES in ART!
So, in Week 3 you drew a rough draft of four different celestial bodies. If you didn’t do this work go to week 3 here.
And in Week 4 you drew 2 ideas for a celestial bodies artwork. If you didn’t do this work go to week 4 here.
Now, in Week 5 and week 6, I would like you to create your final artwork for this unit of work. I want you to create a celestial bodies final artwork.
This artwork will require some thinking and some organising. So this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
In the past, my grade 3 students have created a celestial bodies artwork using clay like this.
This artwork involved-
-
deciding which of the celestial bodies you were going to create with
-
deciding how the celestial bodies were going to interact if the student was using more than one type of celestial body
-
deciding whether the celestial bodies claywork was going to be 3D and freestanding or flat
-
painting the claywork after it came out of the kiln
But you won’t be making a celestial bodies clay work in the art room.
In this time of remote learning we all have to adapt to creating at home.
How can you produce an artwork that has more than one celestial body in it? How can you put them together? Or perhaps you just want to create one of the celestial bodies? What will you use?
So you have lots of choice with how you create your celestial bodies artwork. However I want you to use more than one sort of material or one way of creating your art work. You have choices to make!
So perhaps you will draw,
or paint, or use oil pastels or chalk or watercolour pencils,
or use lego,
or make salt dough
Salt Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- I cup salt
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 cup hot water
Method
- Add salt and plain flour to a bowl gradually adding hot water. You might not need all the water!
- Mix together until a dough forms. Make sure it isn’t sticky.
- Leave your salt dough creations to air dry overnight. Then put your salt dough creations in the oven at 120 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours.
- When your salt dough creations are cool you can paint them. If you don’t have gloss paint and you want them to look shiny you can paint them with varnish when the paint is dry. If you don’t have any varnish just paint them with PVA glue. This will also make them nice and shiny.
or use cut paper
or torn paper,
or cardboard
or aluminum foil
or use stuff from the kitchen drawers and cupboards
or stuff out of the laundry basket
or other stuff
or all of those things
or something I haven’t even listed!
This moon looks like it has been made using shaving cream!
If you want to look at more celestial bodies artworks go to my Pinterest board.
I am giving you lots and lots and lots of choice 
in how you create your artwork but I am NOT telling you to go out and buy stuff! Use what is already in your home! Don’t forget to ask permission to pull stuff out of cupboards to use or to make salt dough, or things like that.
Email your photos to me when you have finished.
shelley.menhennet@education.vic.gov.au
And, of course, tidy up after you have created!!!
I cannot wait to see your artworks inspired by celestial bodies!
You can send it in earlier but remember this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
Have fun creating!
Mrs Menhennet
Don’t forget to leave a comment! My students love to read your comments!
GRADE 3 WEEK 6 REMOTE LEARNING 2020
GRADE 3 WEEK 6 REMOTE LEARNING 2020
Your sunflowers final artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
You must submit all your artworks (rough draft 4 sunflowers/rough draft vase of sunflowers/final artwork vase of sunflowers) or your report for Semester 1 will state NEEDS ATTENTION in the Visual Arts section.
Hello to all my Grade 3 students from Cambridge Primary School and whoever else might be reading this post.
I can’t believe it is Week 6
of remote learning already!
We are going to be doing a bit of Visual Arts learning around the topic of Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflowers in ART!
So, in Week 3 you drew a rough draft of four different sunflowers.
If you didn’t do this work go to week 3 here.
And in Week 4 you drew a rough draft of a vase of sunflowers. if you didn’t do this work go to Week 4 here.
Now, in Week 5 and Week 6, I would like you to create your final artwork for this unit of work. I want you to create an artwork of a vase of sunflowers.
This artwork will require some thinking and some organising. So this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
In the past, my grade 3 students have created a vase of flowers like this.
This artwork involved-
-
drawing a line across the paper to show the edge of the table
-
painting the background and the table cloth
-
printing flower stems using a piece of scrap cardboard on its side
-
making sure the stems weren’t all perfectly straight
-
painting or printing sunflower heads leaving one stem without a head
-
making sure the sunflowers were not all just facing the front
-
some of the sunflowers might even be dropping their petals onto the tablecloth
-
folding a piece of coloured paper in half and drawing half a vase on one side, cutting out the shape and unfolding it to form a vase
-
gluing the paper vase on top of the stems
-
decorating the vase with buttons, beads, sequins, ribbon, paper and fabric scraps
-
creating the last sunflower head with Model Magic, an air dry clay, gluing it onto the last stem and painting it so one of the flower heads was three dimensional.
This sort of artwork is called mixed media because so many different sorts of materials and ways of creating are used at the same time to create a whole artwork.
But in this time of remote learning we all have to adapt to creating at home.
So you have lots of choice with how you create your vase of sunflowers this week. However I want you to use more than one sort of material or one way of creating your art work.
So perhaps you will draw
or paint
or use oil pastels
or use lego
or make salt dough
Salt Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- I cup salt
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 cup hot water
Method
- Add salt and plain flour to a bowl gradually adding hot water. You might not need all the water!
- Mix together until a dough forms. Make sure it isn’t sticky.
- Leave your salt dough creations to air dry overnight. Then put your salt dough creations in the oven at 120 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours.
- When your salt dough creations are cool you can paint them. If you don’t have gloss paint and you want them to look shiny you can paint them with varnish when the paint is dry. If you don’t have any varnish just paint them with PVA glue. This will also make them nice and shiny.
or use cut paper
or folded paper
or torn paper
or cardboard
use stuff from the kitchen drawers and cupboards
or stuff out of the laundry basket
or other stuff
or all of those things
or something I haven’t even listed!
And if you decide to create other sorts of flowers instead of sunflowers that is also okay.

This cooking artist, Lorraine Elliott from her website Not Quite Nigella has created a focaccia as a vase of sunflowers!
I am giving you lots and lots and lots of choice 
in how you create your artwork but I am NOT telling you to go out and buy stuff! Use what is already in your home! Don’t forget to ask permission to pull stuff out of cupboards to use or to make salt dough, or things like that.
Email your photos to me when you have finished.
shelley.menhennet@education.vic.gov.au
And, of course, tidy up after you have created!!!
I cannot wait to see your artworks inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings!
You can send it in earlier but remember this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
Have fun creating!
Mrs Menhennet
And here they are!
Yes, that is Sunflower bread! You saw it here first!
Don’t forget to leave a comment!
My students love reading your comments!
GRADE 4 WEEK 5 REMOTE LEARNING CELESTIAL BODIES 2020
GRADE 4 WEEK 5 REMOTE LEARNING
Hello to all my Grade 4 students from Cambridge Primary School and whoever else might be reading this post.
I can’t believe it is Week 5
of remote learning already!
We are going to be doing a bit of Visual Arts learning around the topic of CELESTIAL BODIES in ART!
So, in Week 3 you drew a rough draft of four different celestial bodies
And in Week 4 you drew 2 ideas for a celestial bodies artwork
Now, in Week 5, I would like you to create your final artwork for this unit of work. I want you to create a celestial bodies artwork.
This artwork will require some thinking and some organising. So this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
In the past, my grade 3 students have created a celestial bodies artwork using clay like this.
This artwork involved-
-
deciding which of the celestial bodies you were going to create with
-
deciding how the celestial bodies were going to interact if the student was using more than one type of celestial body
-
deciding whether the celestial bodies claywork was going to be 3D and freestanding or flat
-
painting the claywork after it came out of the kiln
But you won’t be making a celestial bodies clay work in the art room.
In this time of remote learning we all have to adapt to creating at home.
How can you produce an artwork that has more than one celestial body in it? How can you put them together? Or perhaps you just want to create one of the celestial bodies? What will you use?
So you have lots of choice with how you create your celestial bodies artwork. However I want you to use more than one sort of material or one way of creating your art work.
So perhaps you will draw
or paint
or use oil pastels or chalk or watercolour pencils
or use lego
or make salt dough
Salt Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- I cup salt
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 cup hot water
Method
- Add salt and plain flour to a bowl gradually adding hot water. You might not need all the water!
- Mix together until a dough forms. Make sure it isn’t sticky.
- Leave your salt dough creations to air dry overnight. Then put your salt dough creations in the oven at 120 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours.
- When your salt dough creations are cool you can paint them. If you don’t have gloss paint and you want them to look shiny you can paint them with varnish when the paint is dry. If you don’t have any varnish just paint them with PVA glue. This will also make them nice and shiny.
or use cut paper
or torn paper
or cardboard
or aluminum foil
use stuff from the kitchen drawers and cupboards
or stuff out of the laundry basket
or other stuff
or all of those things
or something I haven’t even listed!
This moon looks like it has been made using shaving cream!
If you want to look at more celestial bodies artworks go to my Pinterest board.
I am giving you lots and lots and lots of choice 
in how you create your artwork but I am NOT telling you to go out and buy stuff! Use what is already in your home! Don’t forget to ask permission to pull stuff out of cupboards to use or to make salt dough, or things like that.
Email your photos to me when you have finished.
shelley.menhennet@education.vic.gov.au
And, of course, tidy up after you have created!!!
I cannot wait to see your artworks inspired by celestial bodies!
You can send it in earlier but remember this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
Have fun creating!
Mrs Menhennet
GRADE 3 WEEK 5 REMOTE LEARNING SUNFLOWERS 2020
Hello to all my Grade 3 students from Cambridge Primary School and whoever else might be reading this post.
I can’t believe it is Week 5
of remote learning already!
We are going to be doing a bit of Visual Arts learning around the topic of SUNFLOWERS AND VINCENT VAN GOGH!
So, in Week 3 you drew a rough draft of four different sunflowers.
And in Week 4 you drew a rough draft of a vase of sunflowers.
Now, in Week 5, I would like you to create your final artwork for this unit of work. I want you to create an artwork of a vase of sunflowers.
This artwork will require some thinking and some organising. So this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
In the past, my grade 3 students have created a vase of flowers like this.
This artwork involved-
-
drawing a line across the paper to show the edge of the table
-
painting the background and the table cloth
-
printing flower stems using a piece of scrap cardboard on its side
-
making sure the stems weren’t all perfectly straight
-
painting or printing sunflower heads leaving one stem without a head
-
making sure the sunflowers were not all just facing the front
-
some of the sunflowers might even be dropping their petals onto the tablecloth
-
folding a piece of coloured paper in half and drawing half a vase on one side, cutting out the shape and unfolding it to form a vase
-
gluing the paper vase on top of the stems
-
decorating the vase with buttons, beads, sequins, ribbon, paper and fabric scraps
-
creating the last sunflower head with Model Magic, an air dry clay, gluing it onto the last stem and painting it so one of the flower heads was three dimensional.
This sort of artwork is called mixed media because so many different sorts of materials and ways of creating are used at the same time to create a whole artwork.
But in this time of remote learning we all have to adapt to creating at home.
So you have lots of choice with how you create your vase of sunflowers this week. However I want you to use more than one sort of material or one way of creating your art work.
So perhaps you will draw
or paint
or use oil pastels
or use lego
or make salt dough
Salt Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- I cup salt
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 cup hot water
Method
- Add salt and plain flour to a bowl gradually adding hot water. You might not need all the water!
- Mix together until a dough forms. Make sure it isn’t sticky.
- Leave your salt dough creations to air dry overnight. Then put your salt dough creations in the oven at 120 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours.
- When your salt dough creations are cool you can paint them. If you don’t have gloss paint and you want them to look shiny you can paint them with varnish when the paint is dry. If you don’t have any varnish just paint them with PVA glue. This will also make them nice and shiny.
or use cut paper
or folded paper
or torn paper
or cardboard
use stuff from the kitchen drawers and cupboards
or stuff out of the laundry basket
or other stuff
or all of those things
or something I haven’t even listed!
And if you decide to create other sorts of flowers instead of sunflowers that is also okay.

This cooking artist, Lorraine Elliott from her website Not Quite Nigella has created a focaccia as a vase of sunflowers!
I am giving you lots and lots and lots of choice 
in how you create your artwork but I am NOT telling you to go out and buy stuff! Use what is already in your home! Don’t forget to ask permission to pull stuff out of cupboards to use or to make salt dough, or things like that.
Email your photos to me when you have finished.
shelley.menhennet@education.vic.gov.au
And, of course, tidy up after you have created!!!
I cannot wait to see your artworks inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings!
You can send it in earlier but remember this artwork is due on Monday 24th May 2020!
Have fun creating!
Mrs Menhennet
GRADE 3 DAVID HOCKNEY STYLE SWIMMING PAINTINGS

UPDATE: I have added a few more photos to this post!!!
I saw this idea on USE YOUR COLOURED PENCILS ages ago and thought it would work well with my grade 3 students.
USE YOUR COLOURED PENCILS is a fantastic primary art teacher blog from Western Australia full of brilliant ideas.
We started off by looking at several David Hockney swimming pool paintings, from the 1960s, on the projector screen. I use MY PINTEREST BOARDS to store and then display images on the projector so I don’t have to clog up my laptop with squillions of art images.
The discussion was loud and vigorous with the students pointing out that it was interesting to choose that splash moment to paint rather than the person on the end of the board or in the middle of the dive, etc.
And in each grade the comment was made that the swimmer in this painting looked like he was wearing a nappy!?! Oh the highs and lows of discussions with Grade 3!!! This painting was excellent for talking about the differences between a swimming/floating body and a standing/walking body. I don’t think that was why he painted it but – Thank you, David Hockney!
So as I have been gradually introducing the students to using an art journal this year they had to start by doing a quick drawing, 5 – 10 minutes only, in pencil, in their journal, of themselves as a floating/swimming body. This was then brought to me for a quick personal discussion during which I write or draw a few prompts/praises on their draft. These are directly related to their drawings, at their ability level, and I ask that they try to incorporate the ideas generated from our short, personal discussion into their ‘good copy’. Yes, folks, DIFFERENTIATION is alive and well in this Visual Arts classroom!!!
The first time I did this in their book was hilarious. They were all horrified that I was writing on top of their drawing but they now all have a much more secure idea of what a rough draft is and don’t feel so precious about every rough drawing any more.
Once the students had started their drawing /painting on A3 cartridge paper I quickly called a halt as most were using grey lead pencil and drawing a teeny tiny swimming version of themselves. What happened to filling the space with their body? So the grey lead pencils were put away as soon as their draft was finished and the students moved bravely, straight onto using the oil pastels, to create their swimmer. Ahhh, much better!
Once their swimmer drawing was finished they tackled the challenge of pool water reflection lines using white oil pastel.
The students then painted on the water using dry block poster paint with the paint magically resisting the oil in the pastels!!! Yes, I know, sometimes the old techniques are the best ones for the job!
POSITIVES:
- Rich, engaging activity
- fantastic discussion
- lots of students came into the art room talking about the David Hockney images they had looked up on Pinterest or Google images after discussing this with their family about what they were doing
- comparing rough drafts with final pieces of work to demonstrate the changes and improvements in their final piece
- all students were very proud of their work, regardless of their ability level
- they make a fantastic display!
NEGATIVES
- I don’t think there were any!!!
You can see more David Hockney style swimmers inspired, like me, by USE YOUR COLOURED PENCILS here in these links
KIDS ARTISTS from the Netherlands
MRS KNIGHTS SMARTEST ARTISTS from Dolvin Elementary School in Georgia, U.S.A
And more from my Grade 3 students below.
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 15
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 18
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 17
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 26
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 19
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 11
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 32
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 36
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 12
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 10
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 22
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 8
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 28
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 28
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 3
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 33
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 26
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 25
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 31
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 6
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 24
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 13
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 21
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 29
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 27
- Grade 3 David Hockney style swimmer painting drawing 34
And I’m sure my Grade 3 children would love it if you left them a comment.