Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. COMMUNITY connections A s an art teacher, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of objectives, lesson plans, grading, paperwork, setup, art shows and getting “that project” done within a certain time frame. Sometimes we can miss out on a teachable moment not just for our students, but for ourselves, as well. At least that’s what almost happened with me. I recall watching the evening news and hearing of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti. Upon learning more, I knew I wanted help the people of Haiti by donating money. But that didn’t feel like enough. I wasn’t sure why, it just didn’t. Later, I came upon www.haitihouses. com, a Web site developed by two Florida art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan. The premise was to allow students to get involved by creating and selling “Haiti Houses—tiny houses that make a BIG difference.” The site proGo to artsandactivities.com and click on thisbuttonforalinktotheWebsitementionedinthisarticle. by Jeannette Smith Anthos vides instruction, as well as a short QuickTime video showing highschool students creating houses out of scrap board and paint, and turning them into magnets or pins. Naturally, I loved the idea, but decided to give it my own spin. To be honest, the idea of me having to hot glue pin backs on approximately 400 houses was not realistic. (I teach elementary, and the younger kids can’t use a hot-temperature glue gun.) What could allow my students to participate in this project, empathize with the people of Haiti, and get them pumped up to help someone else? The answer: Shrinky Dinks! I had some extra Shrinky Dinks material on hand, and thought about the versatility of the material. We could essentially do the same thing—creating Haiti houses—but, by punching a hole in the material before it is shrunk, the houses would have a variety of uses for the purchaser—pendants, earrings, attached to key chains, zipper pulls, book bags, hot glued to barrettes, etc. To introduce my second- through fifthgraders to this project, I put the Haiti Houses Web site up on the screen when they entered class. We discussed what it was about, and talked about the earthquake and viewed some images of the destruction. I was careful not to show any human suffering, however, because I didn’t want to scare them. My aim in doing this was for students to empathize with those in Haiti. I have noticed, as I’m sure many of you have too, that some students are desensitized to tragic events, not truly grasping the magnitude. We live in a visual culture, so I wanted to “paint a picture” for them. Viewing the slides, many students gasped, murmuring “I didn’t realize it see HAITI on page 44 LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will . • learnaboutthedevastatingearthquakein Haitiandhowworldwidehelpisneeded. • selflesslycontributetheirartskillsto contributefundsthatwillgotoward Haitianreliefefforts. • createHaitianhousesonShrinkyDinks, inspiredbywww.haitihouses.com. The houses adorned key fobs and zipper pulls on jackets and backpacks, and were worn as necklaces, bracelets and more. MATERIALS • ShrinkyDinks(Schoolsgetdiscount directlyfromcompany.Visitwww. shrinkydinks.com.) • Colored pencils or Prismacolor®ArtStix® • Blackpermanentmarkers • Holepunch • Toasteroven • Scissors On pieces of Shrinky Dinks material, the children created their special houses to help raise funds for Haiti. 22 april 2010 x www.ar tsandactivities.com