Recycled/Throw away items needed in art room

1. In second grade we are making paper mache puppets and found out we are very low on 'hair'. If you have yarn or string in any 'hair color', please drop them by the art room.

2. In 4th grade we are studying the vessels of the Anasazis and need balloons to make paper mache vessels. I will most likely pick some up this weekend, but if you have any from a part party, I'd love it!

3. In 1st grade students are looking at 17,300 year-old art found in the caves of Lascaux, France. If you have any colored chalk we can use for this unit, please also drop by the art room. We would also need to borrow several mortar and pestles (see image below).

Families, thanks in advance for all your help.

Thank you VERY MUCH to the mystery parent for our HUGE cigar box donation....we will use them all soon!!!

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Urgent recycled item need in the art room: MAGAZINES!! drop them off either in the art room OR the office with a label attached so it makes it to me

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Parent volunteers-all you need to know

I have had many parents approach me about volunteering in the art room. Parents are ALWAYS welcome to volunteer in the art room during times their child comes to art class. If interested in volunteering just e-mail me at Miriam.Cutelis@yahoo.com and let me know you're coming. Normally you can help maintain the class on task, or sit by a child who might need extra support. You can always also sit by your child and do your own art, help wash brushes or help hang, label or photograph art for the blog. Kids love showing off their parents to their friends and it also gives parents a great opportunity to get a feel on the class culture. Look forward to meeting you soon.

Love My Murch Parents!!

I just had to put out a huge thank you to Ms. Lisa (Lilly's mom) and Ms. Galen (Oliver's mom) again for going out and getting me various cans of spray paint for our stenciling class with 5th graders. I also want to send a huge thank you to all the parents who wrote me asking if I still needed spray paint. Wow!! I love my Murch parents. I do not take all your support for granted....not for a minute. Have a wonderful weekend!

Need help building metal shelves

I am seeking help from anyone in the Murch community who might have strong 'IKEA' genes. I have ordered and received three wire metal shelves funded by the HSA (that's you....my awesome parents!!!) and would love some help building them. If you are free the week of April 11th, please contact me at miriam.cutelis@yahoo.com .

MOST needed Recycled "TRASH TO TREASURE" Items for the NEW YEAR

** Newspapers

** Lids of any kind

** Toilet paper tubes

** Paper Towel Tubes

** Magazines

** Empty tape rolls of any kind (masking, clear tape, etc)

** shoe boxes (any kind)

** ribbons

** YARN of any kind (I am all out)

** board books

** old canvases

** fake plants

** broke toy pieces

** yogurt cups

** Meat trays

URGENT REQUEST: Need Oatmeal cannisters (updated November 16th)

We STILL need many, many more oatmeal containers. Both large and smaller size cannisters will do. Even cardboard TANG canisters will serve the purpose.

The 4th Grade classes will be making totem poles and studying paper sculpting. Can you please save and drop off any and all oatmeal containers you may have at home to the art room. Thanks in advance. You can contact me at Miriam.Cutelis@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Recycled items I need for the art room....

Here is an updated list of recycled items I'd love in the art room. Your contribution opens up the yearly allotted art funds to be used on other art supplies and allow your children to explore more sophisticated and higher quality art mediums.

LIST: (items in red are badly needed NOW)

* Buttons

* Magazines

* Cigar boxes......we can;t have enough of these.

* Newspaper (city paper sized preferred, but all accepted)

* Yogurt cups

* Corks (No, I won't judge you for bringing me hundreds....LOL)

* Cardboard (8x11 or larger) for everything

* Cutting board (for garden related art signs)

* Old house paint (any color) to paint old discolored wooden shelves

* Sheets (any color as long as it's solid and not prints. I use this for banners)

* Large old T-shirts (for smocks for kids who have not yet brought one in)

* Thread spools (for everything from stamping, sculpting to construction)

* Used or new canvases on stretchers for permanent art for the school

* Cardboard baby books (any kind)/ (We will repaint and make new books)

* Ribbons -for collage, to construction)

* Old broken toys - for construction projects.

* shoe boxes- all sized for construction

* Calendars- for visual resources

* Plastic/styrofoam egg cartons- for palettes (no cartons please)

* Wire roll (any kind as long as its easily bent

* Small boxes of any kind (soap, gift box, toothpaste box)

* beads/old broken jewelry for sculptures, etc

* old clean towels

Things I don't need ever:

* Cardboard egg cartons

* Milk cartons

* Water bottles

Things I do not need right now:

* Large yogurt containers

Ordered New Shelves for the Art Room

Thanks to our amazingly organized and hardworking HSA, now I will have more floor space in the art room. I just ordered 2 double shelves from Ikea. I need them most to place drying large sculptures and tall gallon paint and glue containers. When they arrive I would love some help putting them together.....in exchange, I'll make you a batch of delicious banana muffins.....

Now you can sign up to volunteer online for the new advisory

JUST CLICK ON THIS BUTTON ABOVE

to

sign up to help out in the art classroom.

Job description: You might be asked to:

1. wash brushes

2. cut paper

3. help individual children

4. walk around and make sure kids are on task

5. help with a special project

6. Take pictures of kids at work

7. write down quotes of what kids say about their work

Volunteers need to be a Murch parent. You don't necessarily need to volunteer in your own child's class.

Thank you parents!

I tell people over and over again about how amazing the parents are at Murch. I have been getting a steady set of 2-3 parents a day coming in to help daily in the art room. I am very grateful to these parents, and grandparents for coming in and rolling up their sleeves and risking getting dirty.....I just hope you all enjoy yourselves as much as I do. Your children too glow when they see you come through the doors and I feel it's most important for them to know that we all are just a big community and enjoy working together.

I also know there are parents out there who tell me they feel guilty not coming in to help mote. I am a working parent too and neither my husband or I have much time to go to see my son's class either. Which is why I think this blog and other forms of social technologies are so important in maintaining this community. It keeps you in the loop and a conversation starter with your child and you can always send in your recyclable contributions, which are just as important.......

Thanks again...my heart is warmed by your support and enthusiasm.

Handmade Cards For Sale NEXT WEEK- Help Haiti

In the art room each child has made a greeting card as a way to make a personal contribution to help Haiti. These beautiful cards will be for sale next week for 3$ each (10 for $20) to raise funds for Haiti Relief. Each card is sold blank with a 5x7" envelope and signed in the back by the artist. Cards come in various mediums, from collage and painting, to drawing and oil pastels on thick 90lb. paper. If you area parent and want to help just send me a note to my e-mail, Miriam.Cutelis@yahoo.com . I will need help with handwrite in the back "created by Murch Student for hait Relief in back" and with hanging them on a rope using clothespin before the sale.

Times and dates for the sale will be:

Tuesday, Feb 2, 2:50-3:30pm in playground

Wednesday, Feb 3, 8:30-8:50am in playground

Thursday, Feb 4th, 8:30-8:50am in the entrance to school

2009 Calendars wanted!!!!

For years I've been collecting visual resources to use in class...these visual resources come into handy when examples of a certain artist or period is needed. Calendars often have amazing images which I use for this purpose....if you have any calendars with large images of people, animals, plants, still life or landscapes.....or anything else (that's appropriate) please drop it by my art room. Thanks!

Watercolor Guest Artist Volunteer needed...

I am looking for a volunteer watercolor artist to come visit my 4th grade classes for 45 minutes total and show their work and talk about their technique. We are working on wet on dry and wet on wet techniques and would love to show them the thinking behind these 2 techniques. You do not need to have been in a gallery, or sell your work....but you need to have at least 4-5 watercolor samples to show. If you know someone who paints in watercolor please send them this post. You and your work and website will be featured in the Murch Art Blog!!

The times I have when you can visit the classes are:
Mondays: 1:45-2:30
Tuesdays or Fridays st: 1:45-2:30
or
Wednesdays at 1:00pm

please contact me at Miriam.Cutelis@yahoo.com if you can come for a visit.

A huge thank you!!!

A huge thank you to all parents who have been coming in to volunteer in the art room. Another huge thank you to Justine (K mom) for donating a huge plant for the art room. And a last thank you to all the parents who religiously bring me goodies throughout the week.......I very much appreciate every one of you!!!

Thank you!!!

I have had an amazing amount of support this past week from parents coming in to volunteer. I've had some classes already set up volunteer sign-up systems and send in parent assistants and it's made a huge difference in the amount of work we're able to do in class and in the quality of work the kids can produce. There is no possible way I could possibly thank each one individually without risking leaving someone out. But, just know I very much appreciate all your support in the art studio. Whether it's helping a child to thread a needle, washing brushes or put out displays, I appreciate every single one of your efforts and time.

I

3rd Grade Sewing Update

So we are inching (literally) along the sewing of our pillows. Most children are done with one side at least. I am still looking for volunteers to help with these classes which are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 10 and 10:45. Please e-mail me at miriam.cutelis@yahoo.com if you want to volunteer for any or all of these days and time. I will be photographing each pillow on a couch and posting them online when all are completed.

In class we have been using the back stitch, for a quick lesson on back stitch, go here.

New Items Needed in the Art Room

Here is my new list of recyclable items I need in the art room:

**different types of paper (textured, gift wrap, decorative)

**paper towel tubes

**cardboard of any kind

**tops of bottles/ toothpaste tubes

**yogurt cups

**corks

**cereal boxes

**any food boxes smaller than a cereal box

**wood pieces

**styrofoam packaging materials

**plastic animals (realistic looking)

**needles

**broken costume jewelry

**keys

**spools

**bread bag tags

**calendars

**old sweaters

**manilla folders

**meat trays, meat trays, meat trays (go through them like water)

Thanks in advance for all your help!! your efforts are what breathes life to this art program....I could not do it without your support!

Parent Volunteers Needed for Sewing Art Classes -Week of October 5th

I will need parent volunteers for the following times. Please call me if you are able to come for one or more of the periods listed below.

Monday from 10-10:45am
Tuesday from 10-10:45am
Thursday from 10-10:45 am
and/or
Friday 10-10:45am

3rd graders will be sewing their DC Landmark pillows. Would love to have some extra hands helping the kids sew their pillows. Your job will be to primarily supervise the sewing and allow kids to discover the wonders of sewing as safely as possible.