Category Archives: Lesson plans

Desert habitat paintings

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Each year our third graders study habitats (also known as biomes) in the science lab, in the General Ed classroom, and in the art room. These colorful watercolor paintings are our contribution to the habitat unit.

We began by looking at All about Deserts (Question & Answer Books)by John Sanders and Patti Boyd.

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The book was full of fun facts and charming illustrations. We looked carefully at the desert landscape illustrations and identified foreground, middle ground and background. I emphasized that to create a sense of depth, items in the foreground should appear larger and more detailed while items in the background should appear smaller. I modeled several simple line drawings so they could get the hang of it.

We used just three materials: sulphite drawing paper, black crayons, and pan watercolor. We created the black crayon drawing on day one and painted it on day two.

Third grade results:

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I am happy to report that this project was highly successful with the third graders.

Enjoy!

Rina

Fun Photo Illustrations Inspired by Javier Perez

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sixth grade cinta scotch pin #3

Our sixth graders just finished a quick, highly engaging photography/drawing project.

This project was inspired by the work of Ecuadorian artist/art director Javier Perez , also known by the nickname ‘Cinta Scotch’. He uses found objects plus ink to create simple, witty illustrations which he shares with his followers on social media.

I gave each table copy paper, sharpies, and a bin containing a bunch of random objects (office supplies, pasta, some kitchen tools, corks and other odds and ends). They created these artworks, and photographed them with iPads. Each kid was able to create at least two during a single 40-minute class.

You can see Javier Perez’ body of work on Instagram or on his Facebook page. 

sixth grade cinta scotch pin #1

 

sixth grade cinta scotch pin #2

 

sixth grade cinta scotch pin #7 sixth grade cinta scotch pin #6 sixth grade cinta scotch pin #5 sixth grade cinta scotch pin #4

After our sixth graders completed the project, I shared these photos with Mr. Perez via Facebook. He was pleased with the student work. Cool!

Enjoy!

Shrinky Dink Valentines

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shrinky dink valentines

If you want a fun, colorful Valentines day craft project, try Shrinky Dinks!

What? You’ve never tried Shrinky Dinks? They are sheets of thin plastic. You color, cut and bake them. When baked, they shrink to 1/3 the size! They have been popular since the 1970s and kids LOVE them. Watch this brief video to see how they work.

Materials:

Cut and Color

Option 1) Cut each sheet of plastic into quarters (I do this on the paper cutter) and distribute. Students draw a heart, color it on the frosted side with colored pencils, and cut it out themselves. The heart necklace above was made this way.

Option 2) Adult pre-cuts the hearts and distributes. Students color with colored pencils. All the heart pins in the photo above were made this way (with the help of a parent volunteer).

Bake at 325F

Then bake in a toaster oven or regular oven at 325 degrees F for about three minutes. Tip: watch the shrinky dinks through the oven window. They need to curl up and then flatten.  Don’t take them out before they’ve flattened! We let them flatten, count to 30 and then remove from the oven.

For this project, one of our teachers brought her toaster oven to school and called her students two by two to watch their valentines shrink. THEY LOVED IT!

Necklace, Pin or Magnet

For a necklace, punch with a hole punch BEFORE baking. For a pin, hot glue on a pin back after baking. You can use magnetic tape or hot glue on a magnet.

Happy Valentines Day!

Enjoy!

Happy Throwback Thursday! Stop by on Thursdays to see ‘old school’ art projects!

 

CD Case Greeting Cards

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CD case valentines

Got old CD cases? Here’s a great way to use them: create greeting cards using oil pastels and Sharpie. Our 5th and 6th graders made Valentines, birthday cards and more during a single 40-minute class.

Materials:

  • CD jewel cases (trays removed)
  • oil pastels
  • Sharpies
  • rubbing alcohol
  • baby oil
  • baby wipes for clean up
CD case greeting cards

Several students made birthday cards. One made a farewell card. Another made a card consoling his father on the Bronco’s loss in the Superbowl.

Sharpie on the Outside, Oil Pastel on the inside

Students start by drawing a design on the front of the CD case using a black Sharpie. Then they open up the case and color the inside with oil pastel. The process is repeated on the back of the case. A lot of students wrote personal messages on the back of the case.

CD case valentine Joey

CD case valentines open

 Correcting Mistakes:

It’s easy to fix mistakes. Rubbing alcohol will remove Sharpie. Baby oil will remove oil pastel. Our 5th and 6th graders fixed their own mistakes.

Keep it neat:

CD cases trap the oil pastel-mess on the inside of the case. These greeting cards can travel home without making a mess in the backpack.

At clean up time, wipe down the tables with baby wipes.

EASY! Plus you are keeping those old CD cases out of the dump!

Enjoy!

 

 

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