"Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto..."

I remember having a project in third grade in which I had to make something out of things that would usually be thrown away or recycled.

While I can't remember exactly what I ended up making (and I've been sitting here thinking real hard about it!), whatever it was probably wasn't as cool as what my students created...

Robot warriors!! (That's what these are, right?)

I like the American flag on the one made with Coke bottles. The irony. Although Mr. America has the height advantage, I think Mr. Angry Corn Chips has enough rage pent up inside him to win the battle.

But this fella has upside-down (Chip) Star power, so maybe he has a leg up!

And then there's "the adorable peacemaker"...

Eggcellent work! (The origami crane -- which is, coincidentally, a symbol of peace -- is a nice touch.)

I've written before about how amazed I am by the artistic talent of my students, especially when it comes to drawing. Check out the work of this second grade student...

I'm not sure how this little guy sat still long enough to draw this because I couldn't get him to sit still for a photo!

A couple of weeks ago, Tomoki challenged me to draw some abstract art -- something I'd never really tried before. (I made sure this wasn't his homework before accepting the challenge!) I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, but feeling inspired by my creative students, I had fun creating a music-themed drawing. I actually got pretty into it...

Um, as you can kind of tell.

I enjoyed it so much that this kind of abstract style of drawing has become a new hobby for me -- something to do while watching TV or waiting around. Here are a few pieces I've done in the last couple of weeks -- using a pencil, then pen, then markers...

What I really like about doing this kind of art is that it's hard to mess up since anything goes! :)