042308 - Art Fair Day!

My boys do me so proud.  Last year they did great...this year - great again!

My big man D won the 2nd place ribbon for 2nd grade,

and little man J won the 1st place ribbon for 1st grade.  So symmetrical, don't you think?

Their work will now go on display at the Ijams Nature Center for 2 weeks, along with the other grade level winners.  The fair this year was themed to reflect it's proximity to Earth Day, so all the entries had some sort of reduce, reuse, recycle, conserve theme.  The boys decided on sculptures of animals that were on the endangered or threatened list.

D's is of an American Alligator, which has Threatened Status.

And J's sculpture is an Ivory Billed Woodpecker, which is technically on the Endangered Species List, but none have been seen for decades, I believe.  Some feel it should be on the extinct list.

After they decided what they wanted to make, I gave them a large pile of recyclable materials - soda cans, juice and water bottles, milk cartons, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, boxes, et cetera.  They made the choices of what to use and how to put them together, and then learned how to use the hot glue gun.  THAT was an adventure...glue stringies everywhere...

I made suggestions and held things where they told me to hold them, but other than that it was all theirs.  I also reattached a few things when the KITTEN knocked D's off the table the night before we submitted them.  grrr.

They are fantastic artists and engineers - they have great problem solving skills to fit all these parts together.

I'm a proud mama.