Keeping my creative projects going!

Three hour painting session with my adult children - lots of fun! At Brush by the Vines, Mill Park, Melbourne, Victoria.

Grade 1/2 Symmetrical Bugs

More professional visual arts development: Zentangles!

Great Mental Maths game - highly recommend!

Grade 4 Potato Olympics

School Holidays Art Project

This is a fun project to do with Visual Art students using masking tape to cover areas of the painting. Colour Theory can also be incorporated into the lesson.

Professional Development 2021

Along with my regular work as a casual relief teacher, this year so far I've done PD online in Behaviour Management, ADHD and Special Needs, Supporting Students with Anxiety and Depression, and Story Box Library Features and Functionality. I'm also looking forward to a short course about the history of Humane Education, which I'm passionate about... Humane Education teaches kindness, develops empathy, and cultivates compassion toward animals, people, and the natural world. Students gain the knowledge and tools to make more informed and socially responsible choices that counteract real-world problems: Humane Education Coalition; Institute for Humane Education; Heart.

Prep Triangle Christmas Trees

A simple and colourful collage lesson!

One-line bear drawing with patterns

Years 1 and 2 enjoyed drawing their bear without lifting their pen, and then using patterns to decorate the bear and colour the background!

Covid-19 Student Artwork

During supervision of years 3-6 doing remote learning at Glen Katherine PS in Term 2, students drew tree silhouettes and used oil pastel to add colour!

Creative 'Couch Choir' Singing Despite COVID-19 Isolation

I'm still able to attend e-hearsals on Facebook Live for Open Door Singers on Monday evenings. Another exciting opportunity came up with Couch Choir (also known as Pub Choir) to sing Heroes by David Bowie. I was one of 6,000 singers to submit a video of myself singing this song (High Ladies part) over the weekend. The editor Paris will somehow compile all these videos into one video performance. My cat, Mei Mei, and dog, Lexi, also feature in my video. So, watch this space!

My Drawings in the Time of COVID-19 Isolation

How to Teach Art from Home: COVID-19 Webinars with the Art of Education University

Last night I watched a 2-hour online webinar focusing on how to teach classroom art from home. It looks like this will be the 'new normal' at some stage here in Melbourne, although schools remain open right now. Art teachers are the most creative teachers on the planet, and this was an inspiring webinar packed full of tips and strategies around content, assessment and the tech side of things! I will continue watching these in the weeks to come!

Teachers Learning Network CRT Professional Development

Last week I attended a fabulous online PD session on Managing Challenging Behaviours for CRTs. Jane Langley provided many practical tips and strategies for classroom management. She mentioned how as teachers our number 1 skill is adaptability, and this is surely proven in our efforts now to switch from classroom to online teaching! Over 100 people attended and there were many comments and learnings from others. One of my takeaways is to use a lower tone of voice, speaking slower and less in the classroom.

Choir singing again!

After last year's ukulele lessons and the previous year singing with the Voice Collective choir in Greensborough I'm now back singing with Open Door Singers in Canterbury! It's great to be singing with such a huge choir again. Any one Monday night at rehearsal there are approx. 200 singers! I'm singing the alto part, which presents many more challenges because the altos often sing a harmony. Inspiring and uplifting!

Scratch - a free coding app

I'm also playing with Scratch, an app where students can program their own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share their coding creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is designed especially for ages 8 to 16, but is used by people of all ages. Millions of people are creating Scratch projects in a wide variety of settings, including homes, schools, museums, libraries, and community centers.