The Art Show

This past Friday I attended an art show at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Regional School, the school attended by my three children. The art show was held as a fund raising activity for the school, which we try to support in any way possible. In the past, we have attended art shows at the school, in which the work of a variety of local artists have been featured. Beautiful pieces purchased at these shows now hang on the walls of our home. But this most recent show was different, and this is because the artists featured were particularly gifted and special; they were our own children! Teaming up with the "Kids Art" foundation, St. Elizabeth, or SEAS as the school is fondly known, presented art work created by each student in the school. Each grade had a theme in which the students individually expressed their creativity and unique talents. The paintings were then matted and framed by Kids Art, in preparation for the show. As I entered the school gym, endless displays of the most magnificent art work greeted me; one more spectacular than the next. But there were three masterpieces which really stole the show: Alex's "Sailboat at Sunset," Sami's "Happy Butterfly," and Aidan's "Crazy Space Dinosaur." Needless to say, as the proud mom I am, I was moved to tears! As I sit in my den admiring my newly acquired art work I think to myself, "I know exactly how Picasso's mom felt!"

Vocabulary:

1. fund raising: an activity to earn money or donations
2. variety: a group containing different items or choices
3. featured: put on display, or singled out
4. teaming up: working together
5. masterpiece: one's best work

Use the vocabulary words to complete the following sentences:

1. The Mona Lisa was Leonardo da Vinci's _____________.

2. The story he wrote was ____________ in the school newspaper.

3. The church relies on _____________ to cover their renovation expenses.

4. Betty and Sue are _____________ to work on a project together.

5. The restaurant had a wide ____________ of entrees to choose from.

Grammar Point: The Passive Voice

In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is neither a do-er or a be-er, but is acted upon by some other agent or by something unnamed. In the passage above, there are several instances in which the passive voice is used, including the following example:

"The paintings were then matted and framed by Kids Art, in preparation for the show."

In the active voice, this sentence might read as follows:

"Kids Art matted and framed the paintings in preparation for the show."

See if you can find other examples, and try changing them from the passive to the active voice.

The Quietest Night Ever

This past Saturday, my three children asked if they could have a sleepover party at their grandparents house. After a busy and exhausting week, I thought this might be just what I needed; a quiet Saturday night. After dropping off the children, my husband and I ran errands, did some shopping, and even had a relaxing dinner at a restaurant. We could not believe how much we accomplished in a few short hours, with no children running around, hiding behind things, touching things, or complaining that they were bored with shopping and wanted to go home. What a treat! We soon returned home, with big expectations of watching a program on television - uninterrupted, and sleeping through the night with no one waking us to say they had a bad dream, or needed to use the bathroom. As we sat there in front of the TV, the grim reality soon set in: the house was TOO quiet! Where were the little footsteps running through the hall, the last minute requests for hugs and kisses, and the traditional night time exchanges: "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," and "I love you mommy!" Before going to bed, I peeked into each bedroom, as I always do, only to be reminded of how empty the house was without these three special little people. On Sunday Alex, Sami and Aidan burst into the house in a whirlwind of shouts, giggles, and screams...my house is happily noisy again!

Vocabulary:

sleepover: to sleep at someone else's home

errand: a chore or task that one must do

grim: sad or unpleasant

traditional: something that is always done in the same way

whirlwind: a rushed, loud, or confusing situation

Complete each sentence with the appropriate vocabulary word:

1. The movie started out quite _______ , but had a very happy ending.

2. Everyone brought a sleeping bag and pillow to the ___________ party.

3. On the first day of school the children came off the bus in a _________ of excitement.

4. Our family has a ___________ way of decorating the house for the holidays each year.

5. The only _________ I have to do tomorrow is to go to the post office to buy stamps.

Grammar Point

Prepositions are words that tell us about relationships between nouns and other words in our sentences. For example, they may tell us if something is over or under something else, if it came before or after something, or if it is with or without something. Reread the passage above, and see how many prepositions you can find, and what parts of your sentences they are expressing relationships between.