Coffee Cozy for Father's Day

Wow, 3 posts in 3 days...in the midst of the Father's Day rush!

Here is the Father's Day project Grade 4 completed.  An embroidered coffee cozy.

Pretty straight forward.  I went to a local coffee shop and grabbed a cardboard cozy for my pattern.   I made a pattern out of posterboard.  I then traced out the pattern onto wool felt in a selection of colors...(I was going for masculine colors).       For tracing I used either a pencil on light colored felt or a white pencil crayon.

I gave each student a tapestry needle....tapestry needles have a blunt edge and although it's a bit harder to push thru the felt we did not have any needle sticks.                                                           I asked each student to trace out the word DAD in the center of their felt...the top of the pattern is the arc type curve.  Then using embroidery thread straight from the pkg. we pulled our thread thru the needle and knotted both ends together giving us a double strand of full thread.  This prevented the kids having to worry about pulling their end out of the eye.  We used a back stitch to embroider DAD and then they could add other designs.

One class decided to blanket stich their long sides while the other class focused on decorations.  Because it's wool felt you can finish it either way and it won't fray over time.  I then just stitched the ends together on the machine in minutes.                                    For presentation we slid each cosy over a recycled cup with a packet of gourmet instant coffee inside as well as a Father's Day poem.

That's it.  It was a quick and easy Father's Day project. 

Windsocks for Father's Day

Grade 1 completed Koinobori Windsocks for their Father's Day project this year.

I have posted the instructions for this project before here but I wanted to give you a few hints when working with a larger # of kids.

Before doing our glue batik I had each student to a practice version on paper.  We folded it in half and practiced keeping our heads at one end and tails at the other.

We also made sure if we were writing in words that that they were not upside down once the fish was folded over on the center line.           The fabric has a layer of wax paper underneath and then is placed on an art board.  This year I was fortunate to find a nylon sportswear fabric on sale so these windsocks should hold up quite well in the Canadian weather.( Incidently the one my son made 2 years ago still looks as good as the day he brought it home lasting thru all kinds of weather) 

I drew a line down the center of the fabric to keep the kids on track.         Once they completed the side closest to them I flipped the art board around and they worked on the other side. 

When they had finished applying the gel glue we put them to the side to dry overnight.

The next day we painted them with acrylic paint which was thinned out with a litlle water.     I asked them to cover the entire area so no white was showing.

Set these aside to dry.

I then soaked all 44 windocks in a wash tub of hot water for an hour or so.  I scrub each windsock a little bit  with a nail brush to make sure the glue has released and to take off any excess paint the kids layered on.  Place in the dryer to dry.            This year instead of using wire in the casing to form the opening of the windsock I used large plastic ties.  Don't know why I didn't think of this before!

With the help of a trusty parent volunteer (thanks Ruth!) we strung the socks on natural bamboo plant stakes (extra long ones) from the garden store.  We used a little duct tape to ensure the sock will stay tied on to the pole.   That's it....great job Grade 1!...every person walking down the hall had to stop and admire these windsocks and I'm sure all the Dads will be thrilled.

Clay Trays for Father's Day

I thought I would show you the clay project Grade 5 and 6 have completed for Father's Day. These trays are to hold every Dad's assortment of coins, keys, phones, etc.

Now I know it's too late for you to do this for this Father's Day but it's something you can keep in mind for next year or you can do a variation of this project anytime.

We completed this project as a class.  Sometimes I set up clay out on tables in our large pod hallways but for this one we did it in the classroom.

I give each student a piece of heavy cotton material to work on.  As well they each get a small cup of water and a wooden skewer as well as tools for imprinting.

For this project they were asked to come up with their own unique design. 

After each tray was completed I set them out of the way on a drying shelf.  I let the trays dry out for a good 2 weeks.   This is always the hard part with clay...planning ahead for sufficient drying time.

I then bisque fire them (cone 4) in the kiln.   In preparation for glazing I brush on a wax emulsion on the bottom of each piece.  This stops the glaze for dripping onto the bottom and eliminates me having to stilt each piece.   You can also use wax emulsion to create interesting resist patterns when glazing.

Before the students start glazing I set out paper towels to work on.  The glazes are placed into paint trays that I use only for glazing with the color written beside....the color you see in the liquid glaze is not always the color you end up with.   I also set out a selection of brushes and water to clean them with.

I then let the students glaze asking them to do 2 - 3 heavy coats.

Depending on how much time I have I may also add a coat of clear glaze after each piece has dried.

I then fire it at a cone 6.  I have another set in the kiln tonight with glazing set for tomorrow...another fire tomorrow night and we'll have made it in time for Father's Day! Whew!

Father's Day Frames

Here is the Father's Day present Kindergarten made this year. It went with the Father's Day Saw card I posted earlier here. I found the idea at Kaboose.




These were a big hit and fairly easy.






You need a wood frame. I bought ours at Michael's for $1.50.




You then need to paint it with black acrylic paint. I had the kids paint the back first....then after it had dried I turned it over and they painted the front. For the most part they did awesome... I did do a little quality control just to make sure they had it fully painted.


We stamped on the word DAD with some large 2 inch stamps (Walmart $6.00 for the alphabet) and silver paint. We applied the paint to the stamp with a brush rather than loading from a plate. This ensured we had an even coat with no drips.

I found some assorted washer sets ....500 pieces for $5.00 at Walmart. For 37 kids we used 4 sets. We glued them on with tacky glue.

I then applied one coat of mod podge to the front. Keep the cardboard insert from the packaging and use it for the backing for the picture you place in the frame.




The Grade 3's attended a field trip at Home Depot and made their picture frames for Father's Day. It was terrific!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day and we will see you next time.

gail

Father's Day Card

Here is a Father's Day card I couldn't resist putting on the blog. Brought to my attention by one of the Kindergarten Moms (thanks Larissa!) this will be the card Kindergarten will be making.

Materials Required:

template, you can use mine here

cardstock or posterboard around 8"x14"

sharpie marker

tempera paint

scissors

glue stick

foil

Using the template trace out your saw shape onto your posterboard. Outline with sharpie.

Find a window....trace the outline onto the other side in pencil. Take off of window and retrace your lines with the sharpie.

Paint the handle for the inside of the card. PLEASE NOTE: for some strange reason I did this backwards for these photos...for a proper card the handle should be on the left side.

When dry turn over and paint the handle and saw part...REMEMBER it's backward on this picture..handle should be on the right. Here I'm painting it all brown put you can paint the saw part grey or blue if you want.

Tear off a piece of foil that is as long as the saw part of the card.

Using the glue stick coat the inside saw with glue...go past the serrated ends to make sure your foil will be fully glued down before you start cutting......(remember picture is backwards..handle should be on left)

Place foil shiny side up onto the the glue and smooth...turn over and start cutting. You will have to trim the foil where the handle meets the metal part of the saw on the inside of the card.

Cut out the inside part of the handle.

Using the sharpie write on your message

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY on the front of the card

TO THE GREATEST DAD I EVER SAW! on the inside.....the sharpie works great on the foil.

That's it

Sorry I haven't posted much this past week but I have been trying to get my garden planted. Here in Calgary we are FINALLY safe to plant...we've had a very cold spring.

see you next time

gail