Sparta — A classroom at Ridgeview Elementary was transformed into a neon-lit, glow-in-the-dark, above-ground aquarium during a recent two-day showcase of students’ paintings.
To beat the post-spring-break doldrums and get kids pumped up about being back in the classroom, art teacher Amy Smith asked her students to paint underwater scenes using glow-in-the-dark paint and oil pastels.
All of Smith’s students — developmental kindergarten through second grade — made a contribution, and the results were so compelling that Smith decided to show them off to the entire school.
So, during what was dubbed the “Mini Glow Show,” all 541 luminous art pieces were taped to the walls of an empty classroom, blacklights were turned on, and students and teachers stopped by to marvel at the aquatic art.
As they made their way through the display, students searched for and proudly pointed out their paintings, and they looked over the work of their classmates, too.
“I drew scales and then I drew lines, and then I drew a heart and then some fish fins,” kindergartner Ronni Cordes said of her painting.
The scales were her favorite part, she said, “because I got to make a rainbow.”
“It made me happy because I love painting,” kindergartner Sayla Weinstein said of the glow-in-the-dark project.
She surveyed the art on the wall, searching for her entry.
“I have one with a lot of pink on it, because pink is my favorite color,” Sayla said.
It was the first time Smith had attempted something like the showcase, but she was so pleased with the results that she plans to make it a recurring lesson.
Students had a blast with the project, Smith said.
“They thought it was really fun and cool; like, ‘Oh, look how bright this is!’” she said. “I’m just trying to change things up, make things new, fresh and exciting for the kids. And this really captured their attention and excitement more than anything else.”
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