Holiday Art: Yes or No?

Controversy: To do or not to do holiday art? Being in a title one school I sometimes feel an obligation to give my students what they need. I say need because, my students want to make things, around the holidays, to give to people they love. Then the other part of this is? There ARE people who don't celebrate holidays, OR the holidays I might choose to do with my students. AND with ALL the standards and end of the year exams: WHERE'S THE TIME?  Sometimes, just sometimes we can slip them in.

Diversity should count for something as students learn about the Day of the Dead. Learning about the different bones in your body is bringing content areas into your art room!

After all, T is for turkey, we are helping them learn to read. AND teaching them the skill of ripping paper to produce a feather like texture.

    

Mosaics! And learning about healthy food in this cornucopia!

 Mixing the color brown, cutting skills and that learning to read thing again with books like The Gingerbread Boy or The Gingerbread Girl.

I save the (science of) snowflakes and snowmen (again ripping that texture) for after Christmas when it is actually cold in Florida. But what an argument from my students, as they believe we should have done them for Christmas, not the cold weather.

 

 We were learning to mix the colors pink and purple, so what if it's February? Think of all the standards I can check off? Oh, we also learned about the artist Jim Dine!

 

 I have the most incredible pop-up book titled Imperial Surprises, a pop-up book of Faberge Masterpieces. How do I not share that with my students in the spring, right before Easter?

Unfortunately, I feel I have less time for fitting in those fun projects. My students seem to work slower lately and I don't factor in enough time for the project to happen before the holiday. It is what it is! And again, I try to respect people's differences. 

Sooooo? How many of you out there do holiday projects? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading!