At my one building where I have a room...I'm on a cart, and my way
of doing things on a cart is SO different! So I won't go into all
of that...

Each table is named after an artist, Red Ringolds, Orange
O'Keefes, Yellow Van Goghs, Green Guiseppes, Blue Beardens and
Purple Picassos. Each table has an art master for the month. That
is my helper. If the art master is absent, we use the previous
months art master. So on the supply counter I will say art
masters..go get x supply. Waterbuckets are already sitting out
ready with brushes in them. I tend to do more watercolors than
tempera b/c I don't have a good paper to paint with tempera. But
normally it goes on a plate. Now that I have a room, I'll be able
to have it ready..so like the pp I'll be begging for some egg
cartons, or I ordered some small paint wells..but not sure how
well they will work out.

When it comes time to cleanup. I have my art masters take back
whatever they can. I dismiss one table at a time to take their
project to the designated drying area. I don't have drying racks.
My art masters area also in charge of picking up the wet
papertowels to take back to their table to get the tables washed.

On the first day of a painting project, I don't expect much to get
done. The lesson idea needs introduced..go over proper cleanup
practice. Once the kids get painting...at least in my
classes..there is a huge silence that falls over the room b/c they
are so into what they are doing!

The hard part with the little ones is them putting their fingers
in the paint before it is put away. So I always tell them..2 hands
in the air and try and keep them busy that way so they aren't
ruining their project! lol

The trick with cleanup and art..you have to be a step ahead of
what a kid might do, and have a way to keep it from happening! The
worst part of any art teachers day I think is cleanup! lol B/c the
kids love what they are doing and don't want to stop...and never
believe us when we say we'll pick up on it again next week!

i never use smocks 1. b/c I've always been on a cart 2. the least
of my kids worry is stuff on their clothes. I teach some really
poor kids. They get messier using chalk than paint! lol
I also don't bother covering the tables. I find more messes are
created this way..stuff shifts around too much..the kids loose
sight of where the edge of the table is. Just as easily the table
can get washed down with some wet papertowels. This also helps
keep the glue off the tables from previous classes..b/c some class
is always scrubbing them down. Any time I've covered tables..I
have kids upset that stuff got stuck to the newspaper and
dried...ruining their project.

Anyway! hope some of this ramble is helpful!

On 11/04/09, mrs.art wrote:
> I couldn't do anything without helpers. I have #'s on the
> backs of the chairs and a popsicle stick with the # of every
> chair on it. i pull sticks at random to get helpers. no one
> gets their feelings hurt and i don't waste time choosing and
> trying to be fair, etc. while i put newspaper down my helpers
> bring the smocks to everyone else. rule #284: no one gets up
> EVER besides the helpers. by the time we are sttled my
> helpers pass out paper and crayons to each table-they write
> their name & class code & the crayons are taken away
> promptly. use crayons because they won't fuss over the
> sharpest pencil with the newest eraser....now do the
> direction, instruction, etc. they will listen quietly because
> they won't paint if they don't. you can move the unruly ones
> to another table if they won't be patient, or you can give
> each student a dry paintbrush to hold during the lesson but
> if it gets taken away because they are disruptive, you get
> the idea.
> i like to use liquid tempera in egg cartons and the lids of
> the cartons as the palette or mixing tray. i fill the trays
> with paint and my helpers pass them out with the water and
> they begin. i keep each color paint in a plastic squirt
> bottle (a dish soap bottle will work, but i ordered mine from
> sax) and i walk around the room and refill that way.
> i love to use baby wipe containers for water buckets because
> they are so wide at the bottom and easy for the kids to reach
> from around the table.
> if your not careful a great class can go bad fast at clean-up
> time. remind them that helpers are the only ones up and no
> talking. give your helpers specific jobs-don't let them
> wander around. usually i push my drying rack on wheels to
> each table and put the papers on it. sometimes i will call
> table by table to bring me their paintings and then i put hem
> on the rack.
> when all the paintings and supplies are picked up, then the
> helpers throw the newspapers away. they may not take off the
> smocks until after the hands are washed because bubbly soapy
> paint water can splash onto light clothes. i have 4 sinks so
> i am lucky. i send one table at a time to wash, rinse, throw
> away towel, put apron on table and line up. now breathe!!! it
> gets intense but the key is to make sure the non-helpers stay
> seated and the helpers know exactly what their job is.
> make sure you have a special time-out area becuase there will
> always be a disruptor who can throw the whole thing off.
>
>
>
> On 11/04/09, Neens wrote:
>> Are you tired of seeing my name yet? I'm sure you are and I
>> want to apologize first. As mentioned, I am a first year
>> art teacher (3rd year teacher) and my student teaching
>> experience was not in an art classroom...This causes major
>> complications for me as to be expected. I have no mentor or
>> support, so you guys are my lifeline and I couldn't live
>> without you! HAHA! It's true.
>>
>> If I may ask yet another question...this time we are
>> talking paint.
>>
>> I am having a REALLY hard time giving a lesson, getting out
>> painting supplies, having them paint and clean up in such a
>> short amount of time (K- 2).
>>
>> HOW do you do painting in your room? I mean the simplest of
>> things such as how do you disperse your painting supplies,
>> smocks, water containers, etc. What is your cleanup routine
>> for this? How do you cover the tables? (plastic covers and
>> newspaper are not my friend!:) ) How do you a lot your time
>> (10 minutes for lesson? 15 minutes for painting? etc.)?
>>
>> I will take all of you ideas and gratefully grovel at your
>> awesomeness! :)

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one