Fine Motor Friday, Chapter #43: Parquetry Design

It's Friday!!! It's February FIRST!!!

That means a couple of things to me.
We continue here with my Fine Motor Friday series.

This is week number 43 in my on-going series of all things:

FINE MOTOR LEADS TO FINE ARTS.

Since its also the first of the month, that means its my turn to write an article for our collaborative blog:

PreK+K Sharing.

I have the exciting responsibility of announcing that our collaborative blog just rolled over 1 million page views earlier this week!!!

As editor-in-chief and queen bee at the collaborative that is an amazing accomplishment for me to marvel upon. Thanks to everyone who has ever written an article for the Early Childhood Community, buiding stronger bridges between Preschool and Kindergarten in the process.

Our cast of regular contributors there is truly incredible. Our Dr. Danny Brassell was just selected to give a TED talk and our Amy Ahola was just selected as one of the 365 Heros in Education. The list of accolades could go on and on. Enrique Feldman just finished orchestrating the music for a movie! It's a pleasure to be associated with so many talented folks contributing unique content on an on-going basis! Thanks to all the readers who have supported us.

Now! Back to some Friday fine-motor fun!!
FIRST: A word about moi. I LOVE color and patterns.
I'm a former elementary school Art teacher morphed into a 'music lady.' I illustrated my first picture book, "You're Wonderful"  (which is actually a song I wrote and recorded) with small quilts that I designed and sewed in fabric. Take a peek!


At this moment I'm in snow-covered Ohio with my WonderPeeps.
Making my annual trip to my fav-o-rite dollar store, just before departing for Houston, I happened upon these glorious little pattern blocks that have MAGNETS affixed!!!

OH BE STILL MY HEART! I bought all 13 sets they had hanging on the rack. With two brand new cookie sheets and a tub to keep them in, the whole set of goodies came to a twenty dollar investment. The best news? Guess who LUV LUV LUVs them? Mr. Eyelash-man (4.5 year old twinzee-guy, not so keen on much 'school-stuff.') Please don't tell him that this would qualify as school-stuff.

 

 

 

So I left my peeps at home with their amazing magnatized blocks and flew hop scotch across the country. Cue the theme song from the ol' Twilight TV series.
Can you imagine how excited I was to see this art on display?


Elementary School "Parquetry" Designs of Construction Paper then Laminated

Take a look at this A-MA-ZING Elementary school effort that I captured exactly one week ago today, while on my Author-Illustrator school visit in Friendswood, Texas. Seeing this type of excellence-in-education is the reason that I blog. Seriously. I get to see this level of incredible effort time after time -- and I want to share it with YOU, the big cyber audience of readers. Wow!

These were made with construction paper parquetry-like 'blocks' that are glued into place and then the finished master pieces have been laminated for posterity. This is the perfect project for combining Art and math! HURRAY! Look closely at these incredible projects and enjoy! I could quilt the projects together all day long. They seriously make my heart sing.

 

So we start with the fun of fine motor development.

(Which some children might not classify as fun, unless they have magnatized blocks.)

Then we continue on that channel with design and math and color and shapes.

And then one day we have a picture book illustrator in the family!

 

Since we're speaking of Parquetry Design......

Now a couple of images from the 'way-back' machine. 

These images are from Issues #18 + #27 of this very Fine Motor Series. 

 

These next 'quilt' squares were made in anticipation of my arrival last spring.

Very similar to the initial images up-above from Texas, these are just younger students behind the wheel.

 

This bulletin board of work is from my amazing Westerville, OH kinder friends.

 

 

Even longer ago, I had a school visit on Long Island where 330 kindergartners had each made a 'quilt square' under the direction of their art teacher.

Now you know why I work so diligently at this blogging and pinning.

My books are 'self-published' and its always my goal to intice a 'new' site to explore my work through Art and music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This concludes our 43rd edition.

Hope that you have a GREAT weekend!

 

Get ready for the SUPER bowl sale at Teachers Pay Teachers on Sunday!

I'll have all of my materials set to 20%

with the site kicking in another chunk you can save a total of 28% ALL DAY!

 

-- Debbie --