Aloha Family and Friends of MPI!
After a long July Fourth weekend, the students went right back to work as they dedicated this week to making glove puppets, sock puppets, and masks to share with the students at assembly on Friday.
On Tuesday, the kindergartners created a rough sketch of what they wanted to put onto their glove puppets. I encouraged the students to use each finger to represent their favorite characters. Some of the students chose Hello Kitty, Pokemon, while others created their own characters such as animals.
The first graders created a sketch of their sock puppets, creating characters to represent themselves. Many of the students wanted to put costumes onto their sock, while others wanted to create a pattern on the body.
The second through fifth graders created a sketch of their masks. I encouraged the students to make the masks represent something about themselves, whether it be their culture or something they like to do. The students got creative as they drew their favorite foods, hobbies, and animals.
On Wednesday, the students began to decorate their items. The students used pompom balls, feathers, googly eyes, sequins, pipe cleaners, felt, foam sheets, and other materials to embellish their gloves and socks. The second through fifth graders used this time to cast their masks by placing sheets of plaster gauze over a pre-made plastic mask to create a mold.
On Thursday, the students continued to decorate and finish their gloves, socks, and masks. The students were patient as they carefully planned what they wanted to decorate their items with, and waited patiently for an adult to assist them with the hot glue gun. The older students painted their masks usying acrylic paint, and I noticed many who got creative as they adorned their masks with some of their favorite things.
On Friday, the kindergartners worked on creating self-portraits using the screen printing technique, before heading down to the assembly in the dining room. The kindergartners shared their gloves with the class, while the first graders shared what their socks represented. Finally, the second through fifth graders shared their masks, showing their peers what types of pictures they placed onto their masks and how to wear a mask. After the students were treated to popsicles by Mrs. Hussey, the second through fifth graders returned to the Art Cottage to work on their self-portraits using charcoal. Many of the students were not familiar with using charcoal, so it became a fun and memorable experience for them.
In closing, I want to reach out to all the students, families, and staff for making this summer a memorable experience for me. Thank you for providing me with the chance to trust your children in my hands and for giving me the opportunity to share my knowledge with the students. Although I was not able to meet and thank each of you for your support, I am truly grateful for being granted the opportunity to work at Mid-Pacific. It was a pleasure working with all of you, and I wish all of you a safe and happy rest of the summer. Mahalo nui loa.
