J.E. Ober Elementary Art

J.E. Ober Elementary Art Learn about and see pictures of art projects from J. E. Ober Elementary students.

10/10/2025

Watch their faces light up! Be sure to turn up the volume as you hear their reactions to color mixing with liquid watercolors using pipettes. Working on those fine motor skills and color theory!

Fifth graders in Ms. Snyder’s class are finishing up their optical illusions and working on clay coil pots! They are wor...
10/08/2025

Fifth graders in Ms. Snyder’s class are finishing up their optical illusions and working on clay coil pots! They are working toward getting to choose their own projects after fall break. They have to keep track of their own work, complete tasks, set up and clean up on their own, check their projects against the rubrics and more. Balancing freedom with responsibility is important, hard work.

10/08/2025

Turn up the volume as first-graders learn new techniques (and one chooses to paint a galaxy). It’s pure joy!

Students in Mrs. Holly Smith’s class are combining their 3-D drawing skills with their growing knowledge of color and te...
10/06/2025

Students in Mrs. Holly Smith’s class are combining their 3-D drawing skills with their growing knowledge of color and texture to create stunning illustrations of old houses!

They’re following a visual drawing tutorial — not a video — to help them study how artists look closely, notice details, and translate what they see into their own drawings. This approach helps them build real artistic skills that connect to both art and math.

Here’s what’s happening educationally:
• Strengthening hand-eye coordination and learning how to control their lines
• Practicing spatial awareness and reviewing how to draw 3-D shapes
• Building focus and sequencing skills by following visual steps
• Learning to observe, adapt, and add creative details
• Growing confidence as they realize they can draw something that once seemed too hard

The tutorial features a big old house, and this time of year, some students can’t resist adding a spooky twist! Others have turned theirs into cozy cottages, dollhouses, or even mansions.

As the year goes on, students will have even more opportunities to practice observational drawing — learning to look closely at real objects and translate what they see into expressive, creative works of art.

It’s been wonderful watching them combine everything they’ve learned about texture, color mixing, and perspective into one imaginative and skillful piece of art.

10/04/2025

Our art room is always buzzing with hands-on creativity! From our youngest artists painting symmetrical designs, to clay projects that build fine motor skills and patience, to bold oil pastel work that explores color and texture… every activity is part of a bigger journey.

We don’t just “make art.” We build skills in order: learning to observe, to experiment, to take risks, and to finish strong. Each grade level builds on the last, and every project gives students a chance to see themselves grow.

What I love most is the way students dive in with their hands, their ideas, and their willingness to try. That’s what makes this room a true studio—and why I’m so proud of the work our artists do here every day.

One of the most important things we learn in the art room is that we don’t create in isolation, we create in community.T...
10/04/2025

One of the most important things we learn in the art room is that we don’t create in isolation, we create in community.

This week, I reminded my students of our beginning-of-the-year expectation: when someone has been absent, their first step is to check in with classmates to see what they missed. Their peers are the experts! They know where supplies are, what steps come next and how to do it, and how to restore our shared space. If they can’t figure it out together, then they come to me.

Why? Because learning isn’t just about the final artwork. It’s about seeing each other as capable, knowledgeable, and creative. It’s about cleaning up together, problem-solving together, and building the confidence to both ask for help and offer it.

The art room is a studio, and in a studio everyone has a role. We learn by making, by noticing, and by leaning on each other. That’s what makes our community strong.

10/02/2025

One of my favorite parts from today’s art class with Mrs. Plant’s third-graders? The energy in the room. The students were so chatty — but in the best way! They were talking about math, lines, and color mixing, offering feedback on each other’s work, and independently gathering their supplies like true artists in a studio.

It’s amazing to watch them grow — not just in their art skills, but in their confidence and collaboration too.

Mrs. Werling’s first graders are wrapping up their symmetry unit with some of the most creative ideas yet!To show what t...
10/01/2025

Mrs. Werling’s first graders are wrapping up their symmetry unit with some of the most creative ideas yet!

To show what they’ve learned, each student designed their own symmetrical painting — and their imaginations did not disappoint. This class came up with everything from Venus flytraps and turtles to rainbows, arrows, houses, butterflies, and even slices of watermelon, lemon and lime.

It’s been so much fun to see how they take a simple concept like symmetry and turn it into something playful, colorful, and uniquely their own. These young artists are proving that learning + creativity = magic!

Those who finish are practicing drawing the shapes in houses and rectangular prisms!

Mrs. Books’ class is working on two very different kinds of art — one that tricks the eye and one that builds with the h...
10/01/2025

Mrs. Books’ class is working on two very different kinds of art — one that tricks the eye and one that builds with the hands.

First, they’re creating optical illusion drawings, discovering how lines, shading, and repetition can make a flat page look like it’s moving or popping right out at you. Once finished, students shift from paper to clay, rolling and stacking coils to form strong, balanced pots.

This combination lets them explore both precision and play — stretching their thinking as artists while building skills that take patience and creativity. Their energy in the studio is contagious, and their projects are already looking incredible!

Ms. York’s kindergarten class is on their next big line adventure — moving from drawing lines on paper to creating 3D li...
10/01/2025

Ms. York’s kindergarten class is on their next big line adventure — moving from drawing lines on paper to creating 3D line sculptures!

Students rolled spirals, folded zigzags, bent standing curves, and even built shapes that reached right off the page. Along the way, they practiced important studio skills: learning how to open and close a glue bottle, squeeze out just the right amount, flip it upright, and clean it up when finished.

The best part? Watching their faces light up as their lines “stood tall” and became sculptures. These kindergartners are already thinking — and creating — like real artists!

Mrs. Lewis’s class has been exploring the beauty of geodes — those hidden treasures you only discover once they’re crack...
10/01/2025

Mrs. Lewis’s class has been exploring the beauty of geodes — those hidden treasures you only discover once they’re cracked open. We looked at real geodes together, studied the colorful layers, and then practiced drawing and painting them.

With watercolor, students learned how to:
✨ control the amount of water to make thin lines,
✨ shift from light to dark inside their layers,
✨ and experiment with color mixing to bring their geodes to life.

We even practiced on marbles to understand how to blend from light to dark! Along the way, students used different brushes and learned the parts of a brush — discovering how artists can use tools in different ways.

The results are vibrant, layered paintings that reflect both patience and play. Just like real geodes, these works are full of hidden surprises!

Ms. Bodey’s class has been buzzing with creativity this week! Students are stretching their imaginations with optical il...
10/01/2025

Ms. Bodey’s class has been buzzing with creativity this week! Students are stretching their imaginations with optical illusion drawings and building their skills in clay. It’s such a high-energy, excited group — full of curiosity, laughter, and big ideas.

One of my favorite parts is watching them balance choice with responsibility: gathering their own supplies, cleaning up, and storing their projects just like artists in a real studio. Their work is proof that when students are given space to explore, they rise to the challenge.

I can’t wait to see where their projects take them next — this is what learning through art looks like!

Address

801 E. Houston Street
Garrett, IN
46793

Telephone

+12603573112

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