Monday, April 13, 2015

2015 Kansas Jr. Duck Stamp Program

6th grade Wood Duck that received an HM
It was another successful year for my students in the Kansas Jr. Duck Stamp Contest! This is an annual project for my students, and students of the other elementary art teachers in my district. The Federal Jr. Duck Stamp program teaches students about conservation of wetland habitats and waterfowl through making art. It is also a great way to practice observational drawing skills and gives students a chance to compete with their artwork. I always encourage students to enter even if they don't think they'll win because it helps ducks! (Funding for each state's JDS program is based on the number of entries they receive.) I've been a fan of the program ever since I participated for the first time as a freshman in high school and always knew I would teach it to my students. You can see previous posts with more information about the Jr. Duck Stamp program HERE or you can visit www.fws.gov/juniorduck. If you have any questions about the program, feel free to ask! I got to travel to Utah a few years ago as an ambassador for the program and I had the chance to learn even more about Jr. Duck Stamps and the "adult" Duck Stamps.
Here, a student demonstrates proper use of a reference photo. They changed the positioning of the duck and changed the background to put it in a wetland habitat.
We had several students earn Honorable Mentions in Group I (K-3rd) and Group II (4th-6th) and one 1st grader even received 2nd place. 
The student who painted this duck was upset to the point of tears while working on her project. The watercolors bled and she thought it was ruined, she was a horrible artist, she couldn't do it, etc., etc. I said "No, look how beautiful the colors are when they mix!" and we fixed the eye in the next class. I was pleased when she was recognized for her work after temporarily deeming it a failure.
Except for the wood duck at the top of the post, the previous entries were by primary students. The next set are by the intermediate students.
This 5th grader drew his wood duck too small the first time- see the duck in the back. We enlarged it on the copier and he traced it again in the foreground so it looks like two ducks, improving the composition.
Here are a couple more duck pictures I didn't want to leave out:

1 comment:

  1. These are awesome! So beautiful in their habitat and the watercolor just adds the finishing touch.

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