With oil pastels in hand, 4th-grade students began building their Ancient Moai Statues in Mrs. Larios’ art room this week!

After a brief educational video explaining the history and design behind the iconic Easter Island statues, students had the chance to “build” their own. With paper and oil pastels, students drew, colored, and layered “scenes” one atop another using their creativity and personal perspective.

This year’s theme in class is “Art Through The Ages” with a current focus on the Ancient World. Students had the opportunity to practice their smudging and drawing techniques in addition to learning more about the ways to add texture to their art. From deliberating about whether or not statues might have eye-brows, to the colors of stone that might have been used, students were asking questions and exploring their understanding of art and history through this project.

We hope that by investing time in classes like this we’re fostering a love for beauty and a sense of wonder about the world. Kinesthetic learning opportunities might take more time or resources, but we’re committed to pursuing ways to make education dynamic and engaging for our students and are grateful for teachers who carry that vision with us!