Massachusetts Art Education Association Show 2015

March is Youth Art Month. This year, we participated in the Chelmsford Public Library Show and also the Massachusetts Art Education Association Show. The reception for the show was held at the State Transportation Building in Boston on March 22nd. Five students from Byam Elementatry were chosen for this year's show. It was so nice to see how excited the children and the families were to be a part of the event. Thank you to all who came yesterday and congratulations to the talented young artists!

The show will be up until April 24th so I encourage you to visit if you are in the area!

Kindergarten Magical Castles

This week in the art room, Kindergarteners learned about castles and symmetry. We looked at a few castles that were symmetrical and a few that were asymmetrical. By the end of the lesson, most students were able to tell the difference between the two. We first drew out symmetrical castles in sharpie and then used watercolor crayons on top (so cool!). Next we painted a watercolor background and added salt to create a magical textured effect. Then we glued and assembled our castles. Some students added some magical creatures who may live in their castle. Check it out below!

Grade 1 Claude Monet Landscapes

First Graders learned about the French Impressionist painter Claude Monet. We talked about his brushstrokes, bright colors, and beautiful water scenes. We also learned about his time in Antibes, France. He spent four years there in the late 1880's and painted just about every day. Here is one of his paintings "Cap de Antibes" that inspired our project.

After we finished this painting, we also took a look at his beautiful water garden in Giverny, France and watched people walking through the garden here. Next, we began painting. Students first started with the background and then painted the tree and land in the foreground. Check out some beautiful paintings below!

Principal's Gallery March

Congratulations to the students who were chosen for the March Principal's Gallery!

Kindergarten -  Kaira N.

First Grade - Haarika M.

Second Grade - Aidan D. 

Third Grade - Sayomik S.  

Fourth Grade - Fiona H.

2nd Grade Weaving

For the past few weeks, second graders at Byam have been learning how to weave. We first looked at different weaving techniques and learned about weavers from Ghana in West Africa. After, we created our own loom with straws and began to weave over and under...over and under.... until the weaving was complete! Then, I cut the ends of the straws and tied the brown string underneath together. This was a very difficult project but the students showed dedication and perseverance, and were able to finish their projects. Here are some outstanding examples below!

1st Grade Weaving

First Graders at Byam learned about Native Americans earlier this year. We talked about the different tribes and learned how Native Americans made baskets by weaving pieces of bark and straw together. We used the same techniques they did when weaving to create a beautiful design on paper. Here are the results below!

K-12 Chelmsford Public Library Art Show

Congratulations to all of the students who were selected to participate in the Chelmsford K-12 Public Library Art Show on March 4th! It was so nice to see the collection of artwork. My favorite part about this night was meeting families and talking to students about their artwork. I also enjoyed seeing the beautiful middle and high school student work next to the elementary artwork. District-wide art shows are an excellent way for the community to come together and acknowledge all of the talented artists. Well done everyone! And thank you to the teachers who volunteered to set up the show!

Here are a few pictures below...