The Body Book in Action
Wake Up! Wake up! Today’s the day, my body wants to move and play! As an elementary PE teacher, this sentence accurately describes my working environment. Often my biggest struggles center around corralling the students long enough to give directions in order to get them moving with some purpose. They simply enter the gym and […]
Where do Ideas Come From?
When it comes to trying to develop creative ideas or solutions, we often wish that we could flip to the back of the book and consult the answer key. There is no answer key, but there are practices that you can bring into your life that will increase your ability to find ideas. Ideas are […]
Are You Using Learning as Punishment?
Art history, research, reading, and writing should not be a punishment. I get it. It’s REALLY hard and frustrating when students aren’t taking care of art materials. But when the punishment is to take away materials and hand them information about artists, that sends the wrong message. Art history can and should be fun and […]
The Joys of Paper Weaving
I first learned how to weave on a floor loom, while studying art education in college, and while I enjoyed the process, outside of the weaving studio, I didn’t have access to a floor loom, so once the class ended, so did my weaving. That is until several years later when a used loom listed […]
The Weaving Book
Do you LOVE fiber arts, textiles, and making things? My grandmother was the first to introduce me to the wonderful world of textiles. She was an avid knitter and spent a lot of time adding detailed embroidery to pillowcases and table clothes. These practices caught my attention early and continued to grow as I entered […]
How to Develop a Story Idea
Completing something a few times tends to instill a bit of confidence and belief. Before The Body Book, I had successfully published three children’s books. My confidence grew with each one. In addition to those completed books, I also have several drafts waiting for their turn in the spotlight. Trial and error had been replaced […]
Developed a Sustained Investigation
How to Help Students Develop Their Sustained Investigation Topic Helping students develop a sustained investigation topic of AP Studio Art that exits them and guides their work, isn’t always easy. Students are often used to being told what to create, or coming up with an idea, creating a piece and moving on. Exploring an idea […]
I Can……
I can statements have been used in education, mainly elementary, for many years. The statements correspond to what the students are learning in class and are often a way to take standards and learning objectives and translate them into student-friendly language. I can statements help students take responsibility for their learning and growth and can […]
6 Tips to Writing and Illustrating a Book
Have you ever said, I want to write a book, but just don’t know how to get started? Or, I wonder how writers and artists come up with ideas? I’ve written a lot on these topics over the last few months and wanted to pull everything together in one place to make it easy for […]
The inspiration behind the image
Analog to Digital How do the images end up in the book? Each time that we do a book reading, this question emerges, usually first from a child, but, if you glance around the room, you’ll see the adult’s heads nodding as well. There is a general understanding that the images don’t just end up […]