Frequently Asked Questions by Parents
Throughout the school year, I often get questions from parents about a variety of issues. Most of the time there are several parents that have the same questions. What you'll find here is a list of the most frequently asked questions that I've received over the years. If you can think of any other questions please email me or fill out the contact form, and I can post them here.
(Please remember when opening links you'll be on the internet. Thus, you may want to review website content before using with children.)
Q1: Why does my child need art class?
A: I actually enjoy this question. Not to sound cliche, but art is everywhere, almost too many places to list. One of the biggest, most important ways that we recognize past and other cultures, is by their art! Personally, I don't know where I would be if I didn't have Art as a child. It gave me an outlet, expression, and an escape when I needed it. And I had great art teachers and other teachers that showed me the vast connections that art had to other subjects, cultures, etc. However, I think Elliot Eisner says it best with his 10 Lessons the Arts Teach.
Q2: When will my child bring artwork home?
A: Typically I hold all artwork until the end of the second round of conferences. This way if a parent has a concern about grading, etc. I have the work here for reference. It is hard to discuss a child's artwork when it has already been sent home. It is much easier to do that when the work if front of us. The other reason is that so much work is held to send along to county exhibitions. As a parent myself I know how important it is to see what your child is doing. So I do the best I can to start sending work home after the second round of conferences, little by little. However, sometimes this is interrupted if I have a student teacher, and I don't want to hamper their teaching by sending work home during their lessons. And I try to never send artwork home on days where it is raining or snowing, or the when the forecast calls for such weather.
Q3: If work has been sent home, why haven't I seen it?
A: This is something to take up with your child most of the time. There are many instances where work is left in the pod areas, and sits there for quite some time. Also if your child is in the CA before and after care program, they tend to forget it on the stage. There are also times where work is sent home with the student and they just throw it away. The latter doesn't happen as often, but unfortunately it still occurs every now and then.
Q4: What if I want a conference with the art teacher?
A: During fall and winter conferences, all you have to do is contact the front office and they will put you on the Pick-A-Time schedule. Apparently that system isn't set up yet for parents to schedule conferences with related arts teachers. Any other time during the year, feel free to contact me at school via phone or email and we can set something up.
Q5: How does my child being in band/strings effect art?
A: It really all depends on the band/strings schedule. Sometimes there is no impact at all. However, there are times when band/strings lessons interfere with art time, and a child misses 30min. of art. This should only happen once every other week, but as the concerts draw near, the band/strings schedule changes, and their art time may be more effected. Art is considered part of the core curriculum in the HCPSS. Thus if your child opts to take band/strings, and misses art time, they must make it up somehow, unless they are able to complete required work during the rest of their class time.
Q6: Do you assign homework in art?
A: Yes. However, I only assign 1-2 homework assignments per year, at the 4th and 5th grade levels. Typically the assignment will be to obtain some images for prep work in class. Students can use a myriad of ways to obtain the images. They can surf the internet (with parental guidance) and print out the images. If there are computer issues, magazines can be used as well. Also they can utilize either the school Media Center, or the Howard County Public Library. Worst case scenario, if something happens with the printer, the student (or parent) can email them to me or bring them in on a flash drive. The assignment will take less than 20 minutes, and there is an entire week for completion. Students bring it with them to the next art class.
Q7: Are there opportunities for my child to make up time missed because of band/strings or illness?
A: Absolutely. I'm pretty much available on a daily basis during recess time. I'm still teaching other classes during most of the recess times, but students can still come in and work (provided they aren't interrupting the other children who have class at that time). I have a schedule in the hall outside of the Art Room that explains what days and times are available (when there isn't a class going on). I can also make myself available during the time before and after school. We have mandatory meetings at school Tuesdays through Thursdays. So on a Monday or Friday I'm in my room from 8:30am-9:00am. To schedule time after school is a little more tricky. I teach programs after school for the PTA on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in inquiring about the use of either before/after school time, please contact me first. This is very important because I have to make arrangements for childcare, etc. for my children. I do the best I can to provide extra time for students to use on their artwork when it is necessary. I do not send work home to be completed. I've tried that in the past, and artwork doesn't get returned and it is very hard to monitor a student to make sure they are doing things they way they were instructed in class.
Q8: What if my child wants to take an art class outside of school?
A: There are many places that provide outside instruction for your child(ren). I teach an "art club" to interested 4th and 5th graders through the PTA on Tuesdays during the school year. You can find more information about the my after school offerings, here. Additionally, I've devoted an entire webpage to art classes and summer camps. I hope you find the information there very useful.
Q9: How do I know if my child is in a county exhibition?
A: When work gets sent to the county art office for shows, etc. they always send invitations back to the schools. These invitations to the shows and opening receptions are given to the students whose artwork is on display. The invitation has the time/date of the reception, location, and the dates for the complete run of the show. In addition, I give the invitation and student names to the front office to post in the e-school newsletter. And I have a page of the website with the HCPSS exhibition calendar and I've added the names of CCES kids featured thus far. There are occasions when work is taken from county shows and sent to statewide exhibitions. When this happens, I get a list of featured CCES students from the county art office.
Q10: Is there an art curriculum for the county?
A: Yes. It is split into all three levels, elementary, middle, and high school. The elementary curriculum is split into four levels. You can view the curriculum on the HCPSS website.
Q11: How can grades change from quarter to quarter?
A: Typically I get this question when a child's grade improves or goes down a letter grade. There are many factors that go into your child's grade for the marking period. Especially at the intermediate level, the marking period grade is an average of at least six grades for the quarter. Children have their individual strengths and weaknesses, just like adults. Sometimes they respond better to different materials or processes, and even subject matter. It is these factors and how the student responds to them that can aide in determining grades. There are times where units will transition from one marking period to another. However, this doesn't happen that much, and normally isn't the cause of a drastic grade change. If a child is missing art due to band/strings or absences and haven't worked to make up that time, this leads to incomplete artwork which doesn't result in the best grades either. There are many opportunities for students to make up lost time. See #5.
Q12: How is the effort number calculated for art?
A: I try and write an effort number for each student in my gradebook, every time they come to class. I make sure to record the number (1-excellent, 2-satisfactory, 3-needs improvement) as the students are lining up or right after they've been dismissed. I do not give an effort number for class the week before winter break because all of the students are a little off task during that week. I also treat the 30min. classes on three hour early dismissal days the same way because there really isn't enough of a chance in that time to have a fully, well-rounded class. At the end of the quarter, all of the effort numbers get averaged and that is what gets recorded on the report card. Generally depending upon how many days off we have in a given marking period, snow days, and cultural arts programs taking place during related arts times, students have art around 8-10 times each quarter.
Q13: What is your discipline policy in the Art room?
A: You can ask your children about this one. I have a set of rules called the "Give Me 5." The rules are...
1) Raise your hand to speak.
2) Stay in place and keep hands to yourself.
3) Listen quietly.
4) Follow directions the first time given.
5) Be friendly and respectful.
The rules are presented at the beginning of the school year, and they are interwoven with the school ROAR rules. Students are reminded about them as necessary throughout the year. Anytime I tell the children to "Give Me 5" they raise their hand in the air and all attention is on me at that point. When I witness a student breaking one of the rules, I give them a strike. Just like baseball, three strikes, your out. In this case, after three strikes, the student goes to time out for a few minutes, and a 3 in effort is automatically recorded for that day. If time out isn't sufficient for curtailing the behaviors, we then move on to a MIR Slip or referral if necessary, depending on the severity of the problem. This system goes along with school Levels of Accountability and HCPSS policies.
Q14: Why is the cost for the 4th grade art field trip lower than typical pod trips?
A: For many years now there has been an account where the money is only used for art field trips throughout the county. Over the years, the amount of money has stayed the same, regardless of gas prices, or the amount of art teachers putting in requests to use the funds. So there has always been money from the county art office to assist in taking an art field trip. In years past, sometimes the trip was free to students. However, more and more art teachers are submitting requests to use the funds, so in total we are getting less money than in the past, but you just never know.
Q15: Why is it only the 4th grade that has an art field trip?
A: The truth is that I would love to take more trips with more grades, but other pods already have trips in their curriculum and can only take so many trips per year. The fourth grade trip has been part of the general and art curriculum for several years now. I would be remiss if I also didn't bring up the cost of trips, meaning if you take more, it costs more as well.
Q16: What does the school do to celebrate Youth Art Month?
A: Youth Art Month takes place during March nationwide. Here at CCES I have a student YAM committee made up of fifth graders. As part of our school celebration these students make daily "Artist of the Day" announcements providing a short bio of each artist. To go along with the announcements, they also make posters about the artists that hang in the hallway. The students in the committee also create a banner that hangs in the hallway across from the main office. The announcements and banner are created completely by the students. I provide supervision after school for the banner making, weekly meetings to discuss everyone's progress, and editing the bios when necessary. You can see a lot of the great things that we do for YAM on this page.
Q17: Why wasn't my child chosen to participate in the Youth Art Month activities?
A: The selection of students for participation in YAM activities is pretty basic. Any fifth grader that has earned an A1 in either of the first two quarters in class, or improved by two letter grades are eligible. Those names are tossed in a hat, and 15 names are chosen. I used to do more, but it just became too much to corral. An initial meeting takes place with all of the students to gather interest and what time students have free in order to complete the extra work. If a student decides they aren't interested in being on the committee, another name is chosen from the hat. If a student doesn't complete the work they are required to, then they are dismissed from the group.
Q18: How do you come up with the units of study in your classes?
A: The great thing about the HCPSS art curriculum is that it is very open-ended. We have general concepts, vocabulary, and processes that we are to teach the kids. The art teachers come up with the avenue (artists, movements, end result) to address those parts of the curriculum. I try to make sure the students get a well-rounded art education experience using different subject matter, materials, master exemplars, cultures, the principles of disciplined-based art ed. (DBAE), and other current theories in the field.
Q19: If we are going on vacation, and can't do a summer camp/class, what do you recommend for my child to do over the summer?
A: The best advice that I can give is to buy your child a sketchbook, because regardless of where you go on vacation, they can always sketch. The best thing to do is to sketch from life. Have them look at something real, a landscape, the ocean, cars, etc. while you're on vacation, and sketch it in the sketchbook. They will want it to look perfectly realistic, but at the elem. level, children aren't quite there yet. However, the more they practice, the better they will get at drawing period. This helps in other areas of interest like drawing anime, comic book characters, or drawing from imagination as well.
Museums are also great, of course! You can head to my Museums page for a variety of museums you can see all over the mid-Atlantic region. If you are headed somewhere outside of that region, just let me know and I can suggest a few places. You can also always Google "art museums" of the particular area of travel.
Q20: My child has asked about getting a sketchbook. What do you recommend getting?
A: My preference would be for a sketchbook that has 70lb.-90lb. paper. This may take some searching, but it is well worth it. On the 90lb. paper you can virtually do anything from drawing to even a little watercolor, or pastels. You may also want to buy a can of Workable Fixatif to spray on drawings, especially pastel. This helps them to stop smearing as much, and you can still work on the drawing in between sprays. If you can't find Workable Fixatif, then you can get an old school Aqua Net aerosol hairspray.
Q21: Where do you recommend purchasing art supplies?
A: The most local place is Michael's. I've heard that there is an art store on main street in Laurel. I've never been there, and you would have to check this out in the phone book, etc. to see if it still exists. My advice would be to take a drive and head to Utrecht. They are located in Baltimore, not too far from the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. They have a wide variety of materials and great prices. If you are looking for simple Crayola items, you can find them at Toys 'R' Us or Target as well.
Q22: If I'm worried about the visual development/skills of my child, what's a good gauge to know where they should be at a certain age?
A: I would refer to a man named Howard Gardner. He did a lot of research and writing in the area of graphic development and children. He authored a book, Artful Scribbles, that dealt directly with this topic. Additionally he also wrote about the multiple intelligences, etc.
Q23: Is there anything that I can donate to the Art Room, such as containers, material, etc.?
A: There are many things that we use. However, there are several things that we can't, or are just too difficult for kids to use. Please see the Donations page for more information.
Q24: My child made a pot in Art class, and wants to use it for eating/drinking. Is that possible?
A: Yes. All of the glazes that we use are what is called "dinnerware safe." However, before using anything for foods, especially liquids, I would check the inside of the pot to see if there are any white/off-white spots that are left unglazed. If that's so, I wouldn't put anything liquid or even close. It means there isn't an adequate coating of glaze, and is still porous. Otherwise, if it looks okay, then it is just fine. However, I would not put the pot in the dishwasher. The bottom of the pot is probably still unglazed and still porous which means it would soak up water in those spots.
Q25: My child stained their clothes in the Art room. What do you recommend using to remove stains?
A: The majority of supplies we use in the Art room are water soluble. However, we occasionally use things like oil pastels and India ink, that are a little more stubborn. The best advice I can give is to make sure your child knows not to try and remove the stain at school. As soon as they try and wash it out at the sink, it ends up setting the stain, making it much more difficult to remove. If the stain is from tempera paint, the student should let it dry. At the end of the day, they can pick at the paint and remove a good portion. Afterward, you can apply liquid detergent to the spot, and it should be fine after washing. Typically, applying liquid detergent to any spot will work, but you can also use OxiClean, Tide to Go, Stain Stick, or some other stain fighter as you wish.
A: I actually enjoy this question. Not to sound cliche, but art is everywhere, almost too many places to list. One of the biggest, most important ways that we recognize past and other cultures, is by their art! Personally, I don't know where I would be if I didn't have Art as a child. It gave me an outlet, expression, and an escape when I needed it. And I had great art teachers and other teachers that showed me the vast connections that art had to other subjects, cultures, etc. However, I think Elliot Eisner says it best with his 10 Lessons the Arts Teach.
Q2: When will my child bring artwork home?
A: Typically I hold all artwork until the end of the second round of conferences. This way if a parent has a concern about grading, etc. I have the work here for reference. It is hard to discuss a child's artwork when it has already been sent home. It is much easier to do that when the work if front of us. The other reason is that so much work is held to send along to county exhibitions. As a parent myself I know how important it is to see what your child is doing. So I do the best I can to start sending work home after the second round of conferences, little by little. However, sometimes this is interrupted if I have a student teacher, and I don't want to hamper their teaching by sending work home during their lessons. And I try to never send artwork home on days where it is raining or snowing, or the when the forecast calls for such weather.
Q3: If work has been sent home, why haven't I seen it?
A: This is something to take up with your child most of the time. There are many instances where work is left in the pod areas, and sits there for quite some time. Also if your child is in the CA before and after care program, they tend to forget it on the stage. There are also times where work is sent home with the student and they just throw it away. The latter doesn't happen as often, but unfortunately it still occurs every now and then.
Q4: What if I want a conference with the art teacher?
A: During fall and winter conferences, all you have to do is contact the front office and they will put you on the Pick-A-Time schedule. Apparently that system isn't set up yet for parents to schedule conferences with related arts teachers. Any other time during the year, feel free to contact me at school via phone or email and we can set something up.
Q5: How does my child being in band/strings effect art?
A: It really all depends on the band/strings schedule. Sometimes there is no impact at all. However, there are times when band/strings lessons interfere with art time, and a child misses 30min. of art. This should only happen once every other week, but as the concerts draw near, the band/strings schedule changes, and their art time may be more effected. Art is considered part of the core curriculum in the HCPSS. Thus if your child opts to take band/strings, and misses art time, they must make it up somehow, unless they are able to complete required work during the rest of their class time.
Q6: Do you assign homework in art?
A: Yes. However, I only assign 1-2 homework assignments per year, at the 4th and 5th grade levels. Typically the assignment will be to obtain some images for prep work in class. Students can use a myriad of ways to obtain the images. They can surf the internet (with parental guidance) and print out the images. If there are computer issues, magazines can be used as well. Also they can utilize either the school Media Center, or the Howard County Public Library. Worst case scenario, if something happens with the printer, the student (or parent) can email them to me or bring them in on a flash drive. The assignment will take less than 20 minutes, and there is an entire week for completion. Students bring it with them to the next art class.
Q7: Are there opportunities for my child to make up time missed because of band/strings or illness?
A: Absolutely. I'm pretty much available on a daily basis during recess time. I'm still teaching other classes during most of the recess times, but students can still come in and work (provided they aren't interrupting the other children who have class at that time). I have a schedule in the hall outside of the Art Room that explains what days and times are available (when there isn't a class going on). I can also make myself available during the time before and after school. We have mandatory meetings at school Tuesdays through Thursdays. So on a Monday or Friday I'm in my room from 8:30am-9:00am. To schedule time after school is a little more tricky. I teach programs after school for the PTA on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in inquiring about the use of either before/after school time, please contact me first. This is very important because I have to make arrangements for childcare, etc. for my children. I do the best I can to provide extra time for students to use on their artwork when it is necessary. I do not send work home to be completed. I've tried that in the past, and artwork doesn't get returned and it is very hard to monitor a student to make sure they are doing things they way they were instructed in class.
Q8: What if my child wants to take an art class outside of school?
A: There are many places that provide outside instruction for your child(ren). I teach an "art club" to interested 4th and 5th graders through the PTA on Tuesdays during the school year. You can find more information about the my after school offerings, here. Additionally, I've devoted an entire webpage to art classes and summer camps. I hope you find the information there very useful.
Q9: How do I know if my child is in a county exhibition?
A: When work gets sent to the county art office for shows, etc. they always send invitations back to the schools. These invitations to the shows and opening receptions are given to the students whose artwork is on display. The invitation has the time/date of the reception, location, and the dates for the complete run of the show. In addition, I give the invitation and student names to the front office to post in the e-school newsletter. And I have a page of the website with the HCPSS exhibition calendar and I've added the names of CCES kids featured thus far. There are occasions when work is taken from county shows and sent to statewide exhibitions. When this happens, I get a list of featured CCES students from the county art office.
Q10: Is there an art curriculum for the county?
A: Yes. It is split into all three levels, elementary, middle, and high school. The elementary curriculum is split into four levels. You can view the curriculum on the HCPSS website.
Q11: How can grades change from quarter to quarter?
A: Typically I get this question when a child's grade improves or goes down a letter grade. There are many factors that go into your child's grade for the marking period. Especially at the intermediate level, the marking period grade is an average of at least six grades for the quarter. Children have their individual strengths and weaknesses, just like adults. Sometimes they respond better to different materials or processes, and even subject matter. It is these factors and how the student responds to them that can aide in determining grades. There are times where units will transition from one marking period to another. However, this doesn't happen that much, and normally isn't the cause of a drastic grade change. If a child is missing art due to band/strings or absences and haven't worked to make up that time, this leads to incomplete artwork which doesn't result in the best grades either. There are many opportunities for students to make up lost time. See #5.
Q12: How is the effort number calculated for art?
A: I try and write an effort number for each student in my gradebook, every time they come to class. I make sure to record the number (1-excellent, 2-satisfactory, 3-needs improvement) as the students are lining up or right after they've been dismissed. I do not give an effort number for class the week before winter break because all of the students are a little off task during that week. I also treat the 30min. classes on three hour early dismissal days the same way because there really isn't enough of a chance in that time to have a fully, well-rounded class. At the end of the quarter, all of the effort numbers get averaged and that is what gets recorded on the report card. Generally depending upon how many days off we have in a given marking period, snow days, and cultural arts programs taking place during related arts times, students have art around 8-10 times each quarter.
Q13: What is your discipline policy in the Art room?
A: You can ask your children about this one. I have a set of rules called the "Give Me 5." The rules are...
1) Raise your hand to speak.
2) Stay in place and keep hands to yourself.
3) Listen quietly.
4) Follow directions the first time given.
5) Be friendly and respectful.
The rules are presented at the beginning of the school year, and they are interwoven with the school ROAR rules. Students are reminded about them as necessary throughout the year. Anytime I tell the children to "Give Me 5" they raise their hand in the air and all attention is on me at that point. When I witness a student breaking one of the rules, I give them a strike. Just like baseball, three strikes, your out. In this case, after three strikes, the student goes to time out for a few minutes, and a 3 in effort is automatically recorded for that day. If time out isn't sufficient for curtailing the behaviors, we then move on to a MIR Slip or referral if necessary, depending on the severity of the problem. This system goes along with school Levels of Accountability and HCPSS policies.
Q14: Why is the cost for the 4th grade art field trip lower than typical pod trips?
A: For many years now there has been an account where the money is only used for art field trips throughout the county. Over the years, the amount of money has stayed the same, regardless of gas prices, or the amount of art teachers putting in requests to use the funds. So there has always been money from the county art office to assist in taking an art field trip. In years past, sometimes the trip was free to students. However, more and more art teachers are submitting requests to use the funds, so in total we are getting less money than in the past, but you just never know.
Q15: Why is it only the 4th grade that has an art field trip?
A: The truth is that I would love to take more trips with more grades, but other pods already have trips in their curriculum and can only take so many trips per year. The fourth grade trip has been part of the general and art curriculum for several years now. I would be remiss if I also didn't bring up the cost of trips, meaning if you take more, it costs more as well.
Q16: What does the school do to celebrate Youth Art Month?
A: Youth Art Month takes place during March nationwide. Here at CCES I have a student YAM committee made up of fifth graders. As part of our school celebration these students make daily "Artist of the Day" announcements providing a short bio of each artist. To go along with the announcements, they also make posters about the artists that hang in the hallway. The students in the committee also create a banner that hangs in the hallway across from the main office. The announcements and banner are created completely by the students. I provide supervision after school for the banner making, weekly meetings to discuss everyone's progress, and editing the bios when necessary. You can see a lot of the great things that we do for YAM on this page.
Q17: Why wasn't my child chosen to participate in the Youth Art Month activities?
A: The selection of students for participation in YAM activities is pretty basic. Any fifth grader that has earned an A1 in either of the first two quarters in class, or improved by two letter grades are eligible. Those names are tossed in a hat, and 15 names are chosen. I used to do more, but it just became too much to corral. An initial meeting takes place with all of the students to gather interest and what time students have free in order to complete the extra work. If a student decides they aren't interested in being on the committee, another name is chosen from the hat. If a student doesn't complete the work they are required to, then they are dismissed from the group.
Q18: How do you come up with the units of study in your classes?
A: The great thing about the HCPSS art curriculum is that it is very open-ended. We have general concepts, vocabulary, and processes that we are to teach the kids. The art teachers come up with the avenue (artists, movements, end result) to address those parts of the curriculum. I try to make sure the students get a well-rounded art education experience using different subject matter, materials, master exemplars, cultures, the principles of disciplined-based art ed. (DBAE), and other current theories in the field.
Q19: If we are going on vacation, and can't do a summer camp/class, what do you recommend for my child to do over the summer?
A: The best advice that I can give is to buy your child a sketchbook, because regardless of where you go on vacation, they can always sketch. The best thing to do is to sketch from life. Have them look at something real, a landscape, the ocean, cars, etc. while you're on vacation, and sketch it in the sketchbook. They will want it to look perfectly realistic, but at the elem. level, children aren't quite there yet. However, the more they practice, the better they will get at drawing period. This helps in other areas of interest like drawing anime, comic book characters, or drawing from imagination as well.
Museums are also great, of course! You can head to my Museums page for a variety of museums you can see all over the mid-Atlantic region. If you are headed somewhere outside of that region, just let me know and I can suggest a few places. You can also always Google "art museums" of the particular area of travel.
Q20: My child has asked about getting a sketchbook. What do you recommend getting?
A: My preference would be for a sketchbook that has 70lb.-90lb. paper. This may take some searching, but it is well worth it. On the 90lb. paper you can virtually do anything from drawing to even a little watercolor, or pastels. You may also want to buy a can of Workable Fixatif to spray on drawings, especially pastel. This helps them to stop smearing as much, and you can still work on the drawing in between sprays. If you can't find Workable Fixatif, then you can get an old school Aqua Net aerosol hairspray.
Q21: Where do you recommend purchasing art supplies?
A: The most local place is Michael's. I've heard that there is an art store on main street in Laurel. I've never been there, and you would have to check this out in the phone book, etc. to see if it still exists. My advice would be to take a drive and head to Utrecht. They are located in Baltimore, not too far from the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. They have a wide variety of materials and great prices. If you are looking for simple Crayola items, you can find them at Toys 'R' Us or Target as well.
Q22: If I'm worried about the visual development/skills of my child, what's a good gauge to know where they should be at a certain age?
A: I would refer to a man named Howard Gardner. He did a lot of research and writing in the area of graphic development and children. He authored a book, Artful Scribbles, that dealt directly with this topic. Additionally he also wrote about the multiple intelligences, etc.
Q23: Is there anything that I can donate to the Art Room, such as containers, material, etc.?
A: There are many things that we use. However, there are several things that we can't, or are just too difficult for kids to use. Please see the Donations page for more information.
Q24: My child made a pot in Art class, and wants to use it for eating/drinking. Is that possible?
A: Yes. All of the glazes that we use are what is called "dinnerware safe." However, before using anything for foods, especially liquids, I would check the inside of the pot to see if there are any white/off-white spots that are left unglazed. If that's so, I wouldn't put anything liquid or even close. It means there isn't an adequate coating of glaze, and is still porous. Otherwise, if it looks okay, then it is just fine. However, I would not put the pot in the dishwasher. The bottom of the pot is probably still unglazed and still porous which means it would soak up water in those spots.
Q25: My child stained their clothes in the Art room. What do you recommend using to remove stains?
A: The majority of supplies we use in the Art room are water soluble. However, we occasionally use things like oil pastels and India ink, that are a little more stubborn. The best advice I can give is to make sure your child knows not to try and remove the stain at school. As soon as they try and wash it out at the sink, it ends up setting the stain, making it much more difficult to remove. If the stain is from tempera paint, the student should let it dry. At the end of the day, they can pick at the paint and remove a good portion. Afterward, you can apply liquid detergent to the spot, and it should be fine after washing. Typically, applying liquid detergent to any spot will work, but you can also use OxiClean, Tide to Go, Stain Stick, or some other stain fighter as you wish.
Banner image:
Henri Matisse, Polynesia, The Sea, 1946
gouache on paper cut-out
Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Henri Matisse, Polynesia, The Sea, 1946
gouache on paper cut-out
Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France