I like pretty clothes. However, in one of my "Animations with kids", I made a video with the second-graders at MacAllister Elementary called "A handbook to taking care of the earth." And in that movie, it kind of sets up a conflict between doing good in school/being conscientious versus fashion. I didn't want to make… Continue reading Pretty clothes clashing with science?
Tag: North Carolina
Animations with kids: do the kids actually learn anything?
The main idea of "Animations with kids" is that the kids learn some science in a friendly, storytelling way. So when I was writing the story for "Mr. Glump and the poisonous pond", I had hopes that the second-graders, and anyone watching the film, would come away knowing exactly how algae kills fish: that when… Continue reading Animations with kids: do the kids actually learn anything?
The unestimable sweetness of fifth graders
Yes, I said once that 'I don't understand' fifth-graders. And I think I still don't. I related many anecdotes of my difficulties. But they're sweet, nonetheless. The way they all eagerly contributed to ideas when I asked them to pick a title for their story. It came time to vote on the ideas ... and… Continue reading The unestimable sweetness of fifth graders
Watching kids watch each other’s animations
I made "Mr. Turtle Gets Sick" with a class of second-graders in Chapel Hill 4 and a half years ago. And every time I go into a new classroom, those kids watch "Mr. Turtle", too, so they have an idea of what this project is like. It makes me really happy to think that after… Continue reading Watching kids watch each other’s animations
Last messages from my animating kids
I like to finish each film with 'Last messages'. I did it first with "Mr. Turtle Gets Sick". I came up with the final thoughts myself. But this time around, I thought I'd ask the kids, and this is what they came up with.. The second-graders who made "Mr. Glump and the Poisonous Pond": Algae… Continue reading Last messages from my animating kids
Making a snail in Blender
I poked around some online examples and tutorials. This snail was super cute and ended up being my inspiration! Can't get any cuter. And then this was a nice and straight-forward tutorial for making the spiral shell, which I stuck on top of the snail. He's a little lop-sided and one-eyed, and after all, that… Continue reading Making a snail in Blender
Quiet pause in the class
After some rough days, I just had one of the best lessons I conducted today at Wolf Meadow. This was with a group of kids whose lesson last week was a complete wash, mostly due to some miscalculations on my and my partner teacher's part. Well, we tried again this week, and it went so… Continue reading Quiet pause in the class
Animations with kids – paid in hugs
I get lots of hugs from second-graders these days. It's pretty nice. Sometimes when I show up in the class or the library, I get four or five little pairs of arms coming around my waist. Rarely, it's a bit of a manipulative gesture! It means, can you please pick me to animate with right… Continue reading Animations with kids – paid in hugs
How to gently give kids feedback
Over at McAllister, we have already made the drawings for their animation project. That means we have about 45 illustrations floating around, from 3 second grade classes. We're doing the preliminaries before winter break, and then we'll do the animating afterwards.They're going to make two different stories in between them. On the first day of… Continue reading How to gently give kids feedback
Animations with kids – pond algae
Animations with kids is going really well! The "Butterfly Story" is on hold for the moment, because due to scheduling, I've over at McAllister Elementary for the time being. But the last time I was with the butterfly kids, in a new classroom, we at least came up with the title for that story. It's… Continue reading Animations with kids – pond algae
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