Prang Product Review

Another fabulous company that has asked for my review is Dixon Ticonderoga which produces Prang art materials. Today I dived into these materials and the results are obvious... Prang supplies are really awesome!

Prang sent me 2 watercolor sets, a Prang set and a Rose Art set. The Rose Art set as seen on the left, must have started to melt during the shipping because the paper/ cardboard inside the case got stuck to the paint and ripped when I tried to pull it out! Rose Art is not the best quality :(

Below you can see the differences between the brown and the purple watercolors as tested on paper. The Prang is definitely bolder and brighter when tested up against the Rose Art colors.

 

I also tested the Prang purple marker up against my trusted crayola marker. The Prang is much brighter, however honestly, for the price I am sticking with crayola. If I was fortunate to have an unset budget I could order them then, however, Crayola is more economical.

 

The colored pencils that they sent me are pretty amazing. I really love the size of these colored pencils! Twice the size of the crayola, which will last longer, and easier to handle for little ones with their triangular shape! Nice work Prang! You have some very nice products!

Smilemakers incentives

Behavior management is always an issue in the classroom. If a teacher does not have a plan in place, then they can count on the students running the show. One of the tricks that I have picked up on in my nearly 6 years of teaching is that positive behavior reinforcement is the more affective than negative attention. 

This summer, smilemakers approached me about my blog and wanted me to test out one of their products. 

I thought that this was a great opportunity to snag some incentives for this coming school year. I picked the 

Star student sampler bucket that can be found here http://www.smilemakers.com/shop-by-product/education/encouragement/star-student/prizes/TCHS.html

So far the kiddos are loving the little incentives I have been handing out to them. As far as what is in the bucket there are some items that the kids love, and a few that they give me the "what is that?" Look. 

Here is a photo of some things the kids really like. A funny pencil topper, eraser top, pencil sharpener, and a note pad. These are practical and fun. 

The kiddos are not so hot on these, they are little buttons. One says happy birthday, and the other welcome to school. The students do not understand what they are for, nor do I entirely. 

Finally there are these included in the bucket as well... Little plastic rulers with animal heads. 

I'm indifferent on these. Some kiddos think they are cool, others give me the "what is this" look. 

All and all I would recommend buying one of their sample bins for your reward system, treasure box, whatever you have in your classroom. The bucket seems to be bottomless, and the kids are enjoying their prizes!

Summer camp Glazed Pieces!

Have I mentioned how much I loved teaching at Cheekwood's summer camp?! Well I did and my kiddos created some awesome stuff! Here are some of their pieces glazed! 

Japanese pagoda

Bird Houses

Face jug 

Fairy house

Explorations in Encaustics!

Last Saturday, I gathered with several other art teachers at the renaissance center in Dickson, TN for the middle TN art educators conference. I love attending my state conferences because the focus really is placed on art making for the day. This particular workshop I learned about encaustic painting. I am in love! Following the workshop I immediately went out and purchased a pancake griddle, a heat gun, and some encaustic wax to get me started! 

Photo transfers! 

My work! 

Cheekwood Clay Creations!

So this week I'm teaching at Cheekwood in Nashville, Botanical gardens and art museum. They have a fabulous clay studio, which is where I've been playing with kiddos! Here are a few of their creations... 

Incorporating Thinking Maps into Your Art Lesson

Recently our faculty went through a training on thinking maps. I wasn't present for the training itself, (I was in Fort Worth at NAEA), but my colleagues brought me up to speed. Here is an example of how I used a tree map once third graders were finished with their color wheels!

Mayors Art Show

First off, I have to apologize for being a bad blogger this year! I started graduate school online through Boston University, and bought a house, so things have been pretty busy for me this year. I did want to post a few photos from Cane Ridge Elementary's debut at this years Mayors Art Show at the Frist Center. Congrats to those kiddos whose art was selected and many thanks to those who came with their families!