Category: Arts Guild

Posted on by

Counting Down to Summer

As the sun begins to set on the 2025/26 school year, I’m remembering May at my little hybrid school, Waterhouse Guild. For nearly 30 years, we would display culminating work  beautifully and invite families and friends to attend our annual Salon des Artistes. The idea was to elevate the “open house” concept to an event akin to the French Salons des Artistes that began in the 19th century.

Painting began to change in response to the invention of the camera. The likes of Claude Monet, August Renoir, and Edgar Degas were not considered great artists because they were not painting classically, but impressionistically. They were rejected from exhibiting.  So did they give up? NO! They created an alternative event—a Salon to exhibit their unique works.

Since Waterhouse Guild was named after the artist guilds of the Renaissance, it seemed fitting to name our end of year event after the event spearheaded by the Impressionists.

For our first Salon, when my eldest was in 2nd grade, we had a 10 students. We reserved an event room  at our local library and let each student lay out their culminating work on a table of their own. And the idea grew and morphed from there.

Here is some inspration from bygone Salons:

Butterfly Poetry inspired by The Blue Butterfly: A Story of Claud Money by Bijou Le Tourd.

We displayed scientific observations.

We displayed student art inspired by great artists form history.

Plus some original art from imagination.

And, last but not least, we always displayed work connected to great literature.

 

It’s May.

I do hope you will carry on the tradition of celebrating student accomplishment.

It’s Salon season!

 

~Kimberly


During the month of May we will hosting another Giveaway! A wonderful set of Just Right Readers by Kate di Camillo. Enter below daily to increase your chances of winning!


Just Right Readers Giveaway

Posted on by

Leonardo’s Flying Machine

Campfire Tip #12: Be like Leonardo

Leonardo Da Vinci was a polymath (someone whose knowledge spans many different subjects and has an enormous body of knowledge.)

Look • Imagine • Create

Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci was not only an artist but also an inventor? His sketchbooks included hundreds of ideas—catapults, flying machines, musical instruments, tools, water systems, and so much more! Leonardo dreamed BIG.

So how do we inspire our students to be like Leonardo?

It all begins with a book, a pencil, and our Leonardo da Vinci Observation Journal kit. Set your students on a Leonardo adventure. Observation begins with a question: What am I seeing? In a world filled to the brim with stimulation, it is easy to take our senses for granted. Though we are usually quick to have thoughts on things that we taste and smell, sight (of all things) can often be overlooked. We see so many things on a daily basis that it’s easy to forget to stop and really look.

Learn to think and create. This 20-lesson interdisciplinary unit guides students into biographical research of Leonardo. Students will read to discover and write what they glean. Each week they will be guided through observational exercises, and learn to draw from the Renaissance Man’s sketchbooks, encouraged each step of the way by our instructional videos that can be accessed at your convenience.

We are offering a discount on the unit through the end of January. Simply use the code DaVinci15 at checkout.

Enjoy the journey with Leonardo.

 

~Kimberly

Posted on by

Gems of Art and the Section 5 Project

Campfire Tip #7: Encourage Creativity

If you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want some syrup to go with it—but if you give a girl an octopus book and some thread, she just might make the most gorgeous pillow you’ve ever seen!

If you’ve been with Blackbird & Company for a while, you know the grand finale of every Literature guide arrives in the form of the Section 5 project. Students have the freedom to pour as much or as little time into these projects as they feel inspired. 

Over the years, we’ve been WOWed by our students’ talents. Each writer brings some new twist to old stories, a fresh perspective that shines. And in Session One of Pages classes, our Pages Online student, Gwen, raised the bar for the Section 5 Project. Inspired by The Soul of an Octopus, a Level 4 novel, her project brings the WOW! 

Take a look at this pillow. The painstaking detail in every stitch, the beautiful and warm color palette, the elegance of the underwater tentacles—chef’s kiss!

While sewing and embroidery might not be immediately identified as writing practice, creating a project like this teaches a host of lessons that can be applied both to writing and life. 

For one, this project is about putting vision into reality. Gwen had an idea and traveled step-by-step—gathering materials, creating a pattern, sewing little section by little section—towards her masterpiece. The ability to tackle complex goals by breaking them down into parts is an essential skill for writing. It sounds a lot like crafting a thesis, finding evidence, and developing a hook!

Another product of creating a project like this is grit. Though I’ve only embroidered a handful of times and never very well, I’m familiar with the vast patience embroidery requires. And to create an octopus with this level of detail and precision? That took a lot of discipline!

This is where holistic education comes in. We are in the business of creating well-rounded individuals, not writing robots. Gwen’s talents and perseverance exemplifies the Blackbird spirit. 

 

~Claire S.

Posted on by

Stitching Picasso

Stitchery builds cognitive plasticity.

Embroidery is a practice that will empower students to be aware of fine motor potential, overcome the short attention span, and to have a growth mindset. The nervous system controls all of the body functions. But it is a complicated system with diverse potential. by tapping into all potential and possibilities while learning, students will develop diverse thinking skills.

Enhanced performance of the brain ensures that all of the other body systems perform accordingly. Metabolism, for example, is a complex task that makes sure the body has minerals when needed and ensures that toxic waste is extracted from the body. Creative endeavors help the brain to engage in focused, relaxed work, improving nervous system performance. Embroidery is good for the brain. And this is good for learning.

Here’s a thought… Stitch a Picasso!

For this project we began by observing Picasso’s Owl:

Next, students made original drawings inspired by Picasso’s drawing. After each child had a drawing they were settled with, the drawing was transferred to the burlap flap. We used the running stitch since these were made by 1st and 2nd graders. But running stitch is great place to start with all ages.

One hint: Have two needles threaded for your student, “unthreading” is common with new stitchers!

Embroidery is academic. So put down the pencil, pick up a needle and thread. Next time its time for pencil work, the hand-eye connection will be much stronger!

While stitching, think interdisciplinary: Read a book about owls! Write an owl poem.

 

~Kimberly

Posted on by

Kandinsky for Fall

When Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing colors, he heard sounds—yes, sounds! As he grew older, he discovered that he was synesthetic—able to hear colors singing and see sounds dancing.  You can learn all about this and more in The Noisy Paintbox by Barb Rosenstock.

Kandinsky is famous for his brightly painted squares and concentric circles and this is just the fodder for a fall greeting card.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1/4″ and 1″ and 2″ hole punch
  • Craft paper (assorted fall colors, blue + natural cardstock for tree trunk)
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Plain greeting card & envelope

How To:

  • Punch circles in various colors and sizes
  • Draw a leafless tree on the cardstock, cut out
  • Make a blue square to represent sky
  • Use the glue stick to create the collage

Check out our Pinterest, Instagram or our Facebook to watch a little video of our crafting. And, check out Operation Lexicon, Traits of Characters to learn more about Kandinsky, other amazing people, and to explore the wondrous ways a single word can describe a singular person.

Enjoy!

 

~Kimberly

Posted on by

Knock! Knock!

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

Thank you for leavening the world with wonderful words and phrases:

Leapfrog and Bedazzled and Swagger

          All that glitters is not gold.

          Jealousy is the green eyed Monster.

          It’s a brave new world.

All Shakespeare.

But did you know that he is also the father of the Knock, knock! joke?

Yes! the Knock, knock! joke!

It all began in his famous tragedy.

In Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3,  suddenly there is a knock knocking:

“Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.

[Knocking]

Knock,
knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of Beelzebub?”

The Bard’s tragic phrasing is far from the little supercilious jokes i told as a child:

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
You.
You who?
Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Canoe.
Canoe who?
Canoe come out now?

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Howl.
Howl who?
Howl you know unless you open the door?

Still, it’s good to remember—especially today—that Shakespeare was a trendsetter!

 

~Kimberly

Posted on by

Learn with Leonardo

Look

Imagine

Create

 

“Whatever you do in life, if you want to be creative and intelligent, and develop your brain, you must do everything with the awareness that everything, in some way, connects to everything else.” ~Leonardo da Vinci

 

Observation begins with a question: What am I seeing? In a world filled to the brim with stimulation, it is easy to take our senses for granted. Though we are usually quick to have thoughts on things that we taste and smell, sight (of all things) can often be overlooked. We see so many things on a daily basis that it’s easy to forget to stop and really look.

 

 

There is nothing like art-making to engage students in active learning. Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance Man, made over 13,000 journal observations during the course of his lifetime, and as he did, he not only gained an enormous body of knowledge, but also created masterworks and made significant discoveries that he generously shared with the world. His influence is far reaching.

Over the course of 20 weeks, students will learn to observe from no other than the Renaissance Man himself! Students will research the life of Leonardo Da Vinci and learn to create observational drawings. Watch for our brand new unit to be released early this summer.

 

~Kimberly

Posted on by

Stitch / Strengthen

Hands, fingers, eyes, oh my! When it comes to writing an idea, students are often thwarted by the complex activity of coordinating the minute muscle movements of the hands and fingers holding a pencil, with the sight of the eyes and the idea stirring in the mind’s eye!

Stitching is a wonderful way to switch it up, setting the pencil aside (temporarily) to strengthen small motor ability.  Not only does sewing by hand require the pincher grasp that requires coordinating the thumb and pointer, but it requires coordinating the eyes in the process. Stitching by hand is a quiet, slow activity that requires patience.

Stitching leaves strengthen’s fine motor skills.

Many years ago I cut some very simple pinnately parallel, leaf-like shapes in calico fabrics. I popped the raw “leaves” into  a little basket with pre-threaded (with embroidery floss) needles and carved out time during fall for leaf stitching—half an hour would easily stretch to an hour with my little ones contentedly choosing two leaf shapes and stitching them together tenaciously. This seasonal tradition began with me teaching the running stitch, re-threading all the needles and moving quickly to my children confidently whip stitching and blanket stitching, even threading their own needles!

And guess what? Writing an idea became less painful. Skills gained during sewing transfers directly to the stitching of ideas crafted with pencil on paper.

Check out our brand FREE new Letter Forms worksheet!

 

~Kimberly

Posted on by

More Leaves for a Friendly Letter

Accentuate your friendly letter with a fall-themed crafty insert!

This project began with a package of fall leaf table confetti. But you can just as easily begin by tracing real leaf shapes on colored craft paper, cutting out the shapes, and drawing. From there, all you need is imagination and a fine-point marker. Fill each leaf with a repetitive design of lines! You might even add a little message to your design! These handcrafted fall leaves, inserted into your friendly letter, will be a delightful surprise to the recipient and a fresh addition to any fall table.

Don’t forget to check out our FREE resources on letter writing and letter forms by hand!

~Kimberly

Posted on by

I Modinnari Apples

I Modinnari is a tradition that many communities have adopted to honor an Italian tradition that began way back in the 16th century. Once upon a time itinerant artists commissioned for bigger works, would,  at the close of the project, create a related work of art in tempera on the pavement.

For many years this was a tradition with my children, and later with my students. These two are perfect examples for fall. The copy below, after René Magritte’s Listening Room, was created on our driveway during COVID. The above image after inspired by Paul Cézanne’s Apples but re-imagined to fit into a particular space.

You can I Modinnari too!

Here’s How:

  1. Use a white, water-based tempera paint, to cover the space you will be using to create your art.
  2. Choose an image to copy. Apples are obviously recommended!
  3. Using a collection of chalk pastels, begin drawing and layering up colors. Begin with light colors and add darks last!

 

~Kimberly