When I was in fourth grade, we were given scraps of sandpaper, and crayons. We colored the scraps of sandpaper really hard with crayons, and then they were ironed onto a white shirt to take home. We were allowed to use as many pieces as we wanted, and I remember enjoying the texture of the sand paper, and making many designs like tye-dye, swirls, flowers, patches, and smiley faces. If we were only given one scrap of sandpaper, I don't think the experience would have been quite as enjoyable.

One year, for Mother's day, we made decorative bottles. First we filled them with dried flowers, herbs, and what-not. Then we filled them with clear oil, and put a stopper in them. We were allowed to pick the fillers, and decorations for our bottle, so it was very personal. I picked red flowers, because those were my mom's favorite, and a beautiful twine/ purple ribbon to decorate the outside of the bottle. This was used to decorate our kitchen for many years, and it smelled lovely!

Mudworks: As you have read by now, I loved to draw. When I was in fifth grade, I would doodle the alphabet in bubble letters, and practice drawing them in different fonts. I started a fad in making name-plates, and pretty soon, everyone was asking me to draw their name for them.

My brother is an artist...he draws portraits, mostly, but he is artistic all around. He's also 12 years older than me, so he has been an inspiration for me to practice the art of drawing. I remember asking him how to draw birds, clouds, faces, eyes, hands...I would flip through his notebooks, and try to replicate his doodles. To practice, I would rip pictures out of a magazine, and practice replicating the picture over and over again. In class, I would often draw the backs of student's heads, desks, chairs, and doodles of the teachers. Drawing is still a form of stress relief for me, and it's mostly due to my big brother's influence. I would love a copy of Mudworks...thanks!

Mudworks, please. :) One day, we went to my mom's friend's house to visit. She was making a pinata for her son's birthday party, and asked me to help! I was very excited to be a good helper, and diligently ripped and dipped each strip into the flour/water paste to stick onto the balloon. It was the first time I had ever learned about pinatas, and how they were made. Looking back, I feel used. haha...but at the time, I sure had fun!

When I was in 5th grade, we were given a piece of cardboard, aluminum foil, a toothpick, and colored sharpies. We were supposed to follow step-by-step instructions for making a mask. I was so engrossed in the process of wrinkling the aluminum foil and placing it on the cardboard that I missed a step or two. I just started making it up as I went along. When the art teacher walked by my desk, she scolded me, "Aren't you paying attention?" However, because I didn't do it "right," mine was the only unique mask in the bunch. I even got a compliment from a friend who I considered to be the most artistic boy in the class on how "cool" my mask looked. :) Mudworks would be perfect for my classroom! Thank you for this opportunity to get a free book!

Oh (this is getting fun!), I remember using markers to draw a picture/ word on notebook paper, and then squeezing glue over the picture. I would let it dry, and peel off the glue. It turned into a sticker, and we would do this over and over again! Sometime during this process, I would rub glue in between my hands, and pull them apart over and over again. I also liked waiting for the glue to dry, and peel it off my hands. If you did that, you could make an exact replica of your fingerprints! Come to think of it, I think this explains why I'm so big on "sensory" in my classroom! I am in it for Mudworks!

One year, we were given several shades of paint, brushes, and paper. Our guest art teacher taught us how to first dip the brush in one color, and dip the tip in another color to make a duo-color print. I used the new technique to draw a bouquet of beautiful flowers. I have read Preschool Art, and I loved it! Thanks for visiting my blog today (Play-based classroom), and leaving a comment on our painting with flowers experience. I would love a copy of Mudworks, so I can learn how to incorporate more 3D art into our classroom! Love your work!

When I was in 3rd grade, we had a guest visitor come to the classroom--a cartoon artist for the local newspaper. In that half hour, she taught us how to draw three popular cartoons: Bugs Bunny, Garfield and Tasmanian Devil (from Looney Toons). I loved the lesson so much, that I would practice drawing them over and over again. I now use my gift for drawing cartoons in my preschool classroom...especially at Halloween! By the way, I would love a copy of Mudworks!

When I was a in second grade, our teacher had us draw a picture of a friend. I picked my best friend, who also sat right next to me. During circle time, we shared our pictures with the class. After sharing time, she explained that when we draw, we unconsciously draw something similar to our own faces. In my example, I drew long eye-lashes. This stuck with me for a long time, and to this day (I'm 25), I still love to draw faces.