4 POINTS about the Pencil + It's National Pencil Day!

Today is National Pencil Day, so I thought I would share some PENCIL INFO! I am sure many of you go through pencils practically like water, just like me. At some point last year I read a blog describing these GRIP Pencils from Faber-Castell, they are jumbo size, painted grey with black dots (they are also very expensive, about $10.00+ for 12) - which was noted in this blog post! Anyway, I decided to give them a try and I have to say...THEY ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY! Did I mention they are also triangular shaped? No more rolling off the table, HOORAY! So, I did an experiment. I put them out on February 1, 2013...Guess what? I still have every single one I put out, all 24 pencils!  I think they may even last through April (3 months), that is a record!   So, if you decide to use these pencils you will also need to purchase some high quality, hand-held pencil sharpeners, I happen to like the Lyra Pencil Sharpeners with 2 holes. For right now the sharpeners stay on my desk and I have been sharpening the pencils for my students. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but in reality the pencils stay sharp pretty long.  So, I am only sharpening them 3-4 times in a week. Ok, on to my 3rd POINT about pencils...the Faber Castell pencils have no eraser anyway, so you will need some erasers too. Even before this I have always purchased erasers and put them out on each table. My favorite are MAGIC RUB, by Prismacolor (I cut them in 3 pieces, that way they last longer)! Finally, for my 4th POINT, I would like to share one of my student's favorite books, The Pencil - by Allan Ahlberg! It's full of adventure!  Thanks for reading and Happy Pencil Day!  

Do you have a favorite pencil in your art room?

This post is my personal opinion, I was not asked by any of the companies above to write it nor was I given any products to write it!

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Mount Spring Art Exhibit 2013

Each Spring we hang the Mount Prospect Spring Art Exhibit in the hallways of the school, this exhibit goes along with our Spring Conferences.  A perfect time to showcase everything the students have accomplished, in Art this year.  One piece of artwork is included for each child in our school, the artwork is displayed by class, with tags identifying each piece and a description of the experience.  The slide show below includes all the work included in the exhibit, they are in order from Kindergarten through 5th grade...ENJOY.  Thanks for stopping by!


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Help Mount Prospect Reach 500,000 view to our Artsonia Gallery!

 

We are just 465 views away! 
Click Here and view all the amazing artwork our students have created this year!!!

Did you know that every piece of artwork created at Mount Prospect School is published to our Artsonia Gallery?  That’s 3,469 pieces of artwork as of today!

Did you know that many 3^rd, 4^th & 5^th graders have been adding ARTISTS STATEMENTS to go along with their artwork?  They have written 581 statements as of today!

Did you know that YOU can invite friends & family members to be a part of your child(ren)s FAN CLUB?  We have 1,621 FAN CLUB Members but we would love some MORE!  Forward this e-mail to friends and family members!

Did you know that YOU can leave a COMMENT for your child(ren) about their artwork?  They love to read what other people think about what they have created!

When visitors leave COMMENTS, for your child, they need to be approved by YOU before your child can read them!   Please take a moment to log-in to you child(ren)'s Artsonia Account and check their digital ARTSONIA GALLERY. 

If you have questions about logging into your account, you can contact me:
sbivona@bernardsboe.com
OR contact Artsonia directly!

Thanks for visiting our Artsonia Gallery!
Please share this e-mail with family & friends!

Bye-Bye Google Reader

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Well, like the rest of you I am working hard to figure out what to do when Google Reader goes away!    I had a bit of a rough start to this school year and this blog has suffered (life is back to normal now).....but all this discussion on Google Reader etc...has inspired me to get back at it!  Which is a great thing!  I spent a little time using Feedly this week, and although it is super slick, I think I like the Bloglovin interface better!  So, I transported everything over there - I really like it!  Even though I haven't been posting, I have been reading and I love reading about & seeing all that goes on in you art rooms!

Tomorrow is my Youth Art Month Exhibit so I will back tomorrow with my "Grand Re-Opening" post at Art on the Move!

So...What is Art?

Well, my 1st through 5th grade students answered that questions on their Monochromatic Hands that they created for Back to School Night.  I saw this idea on another blog - but I cannot figure out where (if it's YOU let me know - so I can give you credit)!  It was a huge hit with all the visitors at Back to School Night.  If you want to see what the individual hands look like check out out Artsonia Gallery.

Art Room WISH List!

Well, it's not quite Back to School but I have seen the ads on TV so it must be coming soon!  While you are out and about shopping for school supplies there are a few items on the Art Room Wish List that I would love to have some EXTRA of...so, here is my WISH LIST.  There are also a few items that you will find around your house - don't throw them away - donate them!  All donations are greatly appreciated.  Just place them in a bag and have your child drop them off at the Art Room.  Thank you!!!

Wish List/Donation List for the Art Room

Clorox or Lysol Wipes
Lysol Healthy No-Touch Hand Soap Dispenser
Lysol No-Touch Hand Soap Refills
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
Tissues
Quart or Gallon size Ziplock bags
Hand sanitizer

Donations
Styrofoam Egg Cartons
Rinsed out yogurt cups/icing containers
Plastic bottle caps in different colors & sizes

The Perfect Hole Punch

The simple hole punch...somehow it seems to cause difficulty for little hands! I saw these in the Nasco catalog and decided to purchase 6, just to see if they really are as EASY as their title indicates! Well, the "Paper Pro Easy Punch One-Hole Punch" does not disappoint! Wow, they are SO EASY for little hands! Yes, they are more expensive ($3.30 each) but they WORK and how many times do you really buy hole punches anyway!?! I say they are worth it!