Mr. Mills Blog

First, I wanted to share an article that, once again, supports using the Internet and teaching your child to use it responsibly. Even though we are afraid of Internet predators and the use of MySpace, why not show your child how to use it responsibly instead of immediately disallowing it in your house. I’m a big proponent of not being afraid of this new technology and finding ways to embrace rather than to push it away.

This week, almost all of the classes started new projects. The 6th graders are still working on the embroidered pillows they began before the break. Many of them look excellent. I bought a sewing machine over the break, and a few got to sew their pillow together. It was really exciting to watch them use the machine since many are using it for the first time. Once again, these pillows are due before the quarter ends in two weeks.

The 5th graders began a weaving project. We talked about the meaning of loom, warp, and weft. They are making a very basic weaving, but as I told the students, if they do not pay attention to what they are doing, they will make mistakes. It is alright if they do make a mistake, but I want them to learn how to correct it. This project takes a good amount of patience.

The 4th graders began creating logos using the Windows paint program. We started the project by looking at some famous logos and why they were designed the way they were designed. We talked about how graphic designers are paid to create these logos. They are making a logo that represents themselves using either their initials or their first name. The paint program is not the most powerful drawing program, but it is simple enough that the kids can make some fantastic designs. This is one of my favorite projects all year.

The 3rd graders began a project on movement. I don’t normally do this project with the 3rd grade, but I wanted to see how they could handle it. We learned how you can show movement in a drawing by changing the color, size, and line of your drawing. We just began with sketches this week, but will move on to a larger sheet of paper next week.

Also, check out the new web site I added to my list of links. You can design a person with a simple drawing program and then the site automatically animates it to dance. Very cool!

Enjoy the long weekend, and check out the student artwork on the blog. (Hint: You can get to it from the bar beneath my name.)