My classes

In the mean time I must say that I absolutely love my job. The classes I teach are totally fun, and the kids are really great! Sarah and I are 100% different, but get along very well. She often drags me out with her to go dancing....and I am trying to relax a little! I also attend a Hare Krishna meeting on Saturday evenings downtown...which has been really great for me...as it gave me a chance to meet some westerners who have the same mood as me...and I have begun some nice friendships there....!
I teach 5 different art courses. Our courses last for one month, the students attending once a week. The fourth and final class the students finish their projects for the month, and get to take them home. Last weekend was the final day for November projects. The kids get so excited when the have their projects in their hands...it's pretty funny. I always try to take pictures of them...but sometimes it's hard to get them to stand still they are so excited!
The first course I teach is called Storysmart. It involves reading a storybook for part of the class, and doing an art project that correlates to the story. Last month we read a book about a catipillar that turns into a butterfly, and made a butterfly and cocoon. This month we read a story about a little bunny rabbit who fell down an abandoned well, and we made a well with a small bunny that could fit down the well shaft.
The second course I teach is arts and crafts for 2.5-3.5 years old children. These are pretty simple projects, and some of the children attend with their parents. I have a few kids who cry when their moms leave the room, so they just sit and watch...and the kids do the work themselves. (Sarah teaches two art courses for younger kids where they do the projects with their parent/nanny...as they are not manually able to do the things by themselves.) In october we made a hand puppet in the shape of a hamburger, and this month we made a revolving picture puzzle.
The third course I teach is Arts and crafts for 3.5-5 years old. This is again an art project, but it is a little more challenging, involving the children's skills a bit more.
Last month we made landmark collages. The children painted the background, drew the landmark of their choice, and we glued on a picture of themselves, and other items to complete the picture. This month they did a storybook based on Dr. Seuss' books. It was really amazing to see the drawing ability of some of the students...they really surprised me!

The fourth course I teach is Design and

Technology which is for ages 5-7. This course involves making a project that the kids get to design themselves and execute. For October we made haunted houses. The doors opened to reveal ghoolish things. November we made "animachines" which were bugs designed to look like little machines with all kinds of wires and junk, and a simple mechanism to make the legs or wings move. This was such a super hit...that my "mock up" sample of the project encouraged a few kids to join the class because they wanted to make it! In December we will be designing and making helicopters!

The fifth class I teach is fine arts. This is for 7-12 year olds. (My oldest student is 10.) This is the most complicated and advanced art course we offer. The students learn about particular artists and then we make a project based on that artist. In October we learned about the Fauvism style, and the kids did an animal painting based on that particular style, which involved vivid unrealistic colors, bold strokes, and unusual detail. November we learned about the Austrian artist Claes Oldenberg, who makes immense sculptures of everyday objects. We focused on food, and the kids made big sculptures of their favorite foods.
The classes are a lot of fun. I think because I am teaching art, as opposed to English the kids are so enthusiastic to come...and therefore the whole experience is really enjoyable for all of us.
I want to write about some of the kids specifically, but I will do that next time!