Creative writing - words on a blackboard!

You never know what can happen when you give your student a blackboard, a chalk, some random words and you tell him to make something out of them!

This is one of my favourite activities and...the result is always fun!  

See below what happened today!  

 

Out and about - Wales

Green hills, rocky coast and wild mountains...

Sandy beaches, wonderful food and impressing events..

Lush valleys, ancient castles and friendly people!

It's closer to home than you may think! 

Have you packed for Wales?

We have! 

Have a look at my students unique masterpieces! Well done guys!

Portrait of a hero

06/12/2013 South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95.

President Obama commented saying that "He achieved more than could be expected of any man." Then he added: "He no longer belongs to us. He belongs to the ages."

He really does. 

What he has accomplished is impressive and must not be forgotten.

"It always seems impossible, until it's done", said Mandela. Not only what he has achieved, but also how he has achieved it, truly seems impossible.

As I happen to be working with future artists this year, I decided that art should represent what they feel about Nelson Mandela.

We confronted about who he was and what he did ... some of my students had never heard of him, some others knew every single aspect of his life. We agreed to go home and collect information, watch videos, listen to songs, we decided all endeavours should be explored. Then I asked them to prepare a work of art with a representation of their feelings. 

Yesterday I was finally able to see the result, and it was amazing! 

Congratulations guys! You rocked! 

(ps. the post will be updated shortily with the missing drawings)

Drawing happiness

I recently bought a nice tiny volume, "Be Happy", by Monica Sheehan. It is intended to be a little book to help you live a happy life.....well....interesting. 

I've always thought happiness is something we choose day by day. It does not depend on circumstances, it is a decision that later becomes a state of mind. 

Every day I wake up and decide that I want to be happy. I need to be happy. Sometimes I struggle to be happy, but happiness is too important to me.

Long story short, today at school I happened to have this little book with me in my bag and decided to use it in the classroom.

As I introduced the topic, I could see an increasing interest in the young students sitting in front of me. We discussed happiness, skimmed through the thick tiny pages with words and drawings, watched a short video and then decided to focus on our own experience.

At the end of the day, 4 original collages were brought in front of me. You can have a look at them below. You will encounter gentle feelings, strong emotions, passion, love, enthousiasm. You will be able to travel through souls, fly high and collapse at the same time with these wonderfully gifted teenagers. You will feel, taste, touch and smell  their unique inner worlds.

What I thought was just a little book, became a great experience, so thank you guys! Way to go!