Toolbox

Please send us your experiences and ideas. They are very welcome. Click here to send your stories.

“How to start off the year with a creative activity and show your students that a comfortable learning environment is important to you. With your guidance, students can make a pillow for their desk chair at school. I used fabric paints, fabric markers, fiber fill stuffing, and assorted printed fabrics for this project. Students make original art on a plain white fabric, about 16 inches square, using the paint or marker (I’ve used an old sheet before), then join it to a printed fabric of the same size, leaving about a 5-inch opening. I sent the pieces home with parents to sew, then the students stuffed their own pillow and hand stitched the opening. At the end of the year, they took them home. The pillow made the hard plastic chair a little more comfy and personalized for the school year for my third, fourth and fifth graders. As an artist/educator, I used visual art across the curriculum to teach content and I noticed students more engaged when making and constructing things.”

–Sara McCook-Woodburn, former teacher
Gonzales Elementary School, Santa Fe, N.M.