Crafts

Air-born during a daylight moon.

Fingerpaint with pastels and fill a Ziploc bag with tissue paper to create a butterfly.

Extension
Use for literature ideas.

Many Different Faces

We created 3D masks using two methods. We also had to write a paragraph to explain our masks:

"Salvador is a Mexican luchador. This mask keeps his identity a secret. Salvador’s curly hair bounces as he performs high-flying wrestling moves. He is happy because he usually defeats all of the bad guys."

Extension
Explore ancient and current civilizations that use masks. Create similar masks.

Notan Collage

confusion; delusion; seclusion; where am I?; who am I?; where are they?

A high contrast Japanese activity that balances light and dark. My simple explanation: Fold once or twice and cut out shapes to create a paper snowflake (positive space). Place the cut out pieces in the negative space to create symmetrical or asymmetrical balance.

Extension
Create Notan "snowflakes" as you explain how snowflakes are part of the weather system -- how there are similar snowflake structures but that no snowflake is the same.

Notan Collage

Sandpaper Prints

 

Use crayon to create a patterned design on sandpaper. Lay the wax on thick. Then lay drawing paper over the sandpaper and press a hot iron on top of both papers. A cool textured print will remain. You can reuse the sandpaper - try blending a color with the previous colors.

Extension
Create an island and incorporate geographic elements. Create a reprint of the map.

Sandpaper Art

Illustrating Gestures

Students use transparency sheets to draw their partner's facial expressions. The sketchers can use light tables or windows to transfer their sketches to drawing paper. Students write a narrative for each gesture to describe their model's emotion.

Extension
Create a comic that exaggerates facial gestures.

Illustrating Gestures
"The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter."

Silhouette Art

Create a watercolor background and add silhouettes to the foreground.

Extension
Paint an animal's habitat and then place the animal's silhouette to the art.

Silhouette Art

Hidden Safari

Hidden image

This activity uses warm and cool colors to create a hidden image. We drew safari animals upside down in a cool color (light blue works best). Drawing illustrations upside down allows the mind to stress less about the big picture and focus in on details like lines. Then we created a pattern over the top with warm colors (orange, red, yellow). Finally, we used a pair of red cellophane glasses that we created to find the hidden animals.

Image revealed

Extension
Students can write word problems and hide their answer in this art. The word problem can be attached to the art. Students can try one anothers problems out and use the glasses to check answers.

Display