latest artist studies--Piet Mondrian and Gustav Klimt

Every other week we study fine art.  We examine pieces from art history, and make an opinion about whether we like it or not, and why.  Then we usually try out some art with different mediums. 
A few weeks back we studied primary colors and the abstract art of Dutch artist Piet Mondrian.  Then we used our rulers, black Sharpies, and brilliant paints (dried tempera) in only the primary colors to create our own. 

This week we studied Gustav Klimt and his "Tree of Life."  The bunch loved the details and imagination in the tree.  This is a perfect fall project!  We then ripped tissue paper and glued it to paper, and followed it up by painting our own curly-cued trees.  So beautiful!

Cornelius Family Pumpkin Patch

We were so excited to get out to the Cornelius Family Pumpkin Patch today!  We have been writing pumpkin poetry and studying the life cycle of pumpkins this past week.  We even watched a time-lapse video of a 405-lb pumpkin grow!
The bunch had a fantastic time picking out their pumpkins and identifying the 15 different varieties out at the pumpkin patch.  We learned that the Cornelius family grew around 60,000 pumpkins!!! WOW!  They are open to the public each Saturday in October, and you can also find their pumpkins at Sherms Thunderbird.