Leprechaun Traps

This may be my students' favorite project of all time! I read them LOOKING FOR LEPRECHAUNS to inspire them to try trapping their very own Leprechaun to lead them to a pot of gold. Then I pulled out all the random items I had saved in my art closet- for example, the "ladders" are from my watercolor refills, the toilet paper tubes were saved by the custodians, and the "nets" are donated ribbons. Of course we needed shiny things to attract the Leprechauns. They had to make a plan and a "shopping list" before I gave them the okay to start building, and then the Leprechaun trap building began!

Each table got a roll of masking tape, and some students were able to build the entire thing with tape. I also hot glued for the students who needed some help. Students had the option to finish their work in one day or take a second day of art to complete the traps. They were all so excited to take these home and try trapping some Leprechauns this weekend- good luck kids!

Robot Collages

Students loved making these robot collages! They were inspired by the book, ROBOT ZOT! by Jon Scieszka,  illustrated by David Shannon.  They started by planning their shapes with the tissue paper- I had pieces pre-cut in squares and rectangles, and they cut smaller pieces out of those. They glued them on using glue brushes and liquid starch.

On Day 2 of this project we read another robot book, RABBIT AND ROBOT: THE SLEEPOVER, by Cece Bell. It was another book that had us all speaking in robot voices for the rest of class. They used black and metallic sharpie to add details to their robots, which really brought them to life!

NOT A BOX and cardboard sculptures

For the first day of this project I started by reading I SPY SHAPES IN ART, by Lucy Micklethwait.  This gives a good introduction to some 3D forms along with a review of 2D shapes in works of art. Each student then chose a large piece of cardboard or mat board as their base, and 2 or 3 geometric shapes I had pre-cut to start their sculpture. They used glue and glue brushes to attach the shapes- I reminded them to count to at least 20 to make sure they stuck. If their pieces wouldn't stick I hot glued them.

For the second day of the project we read NOT A BOX, by Antoinette Portis. My Kindergarten students LOVED this book and the follow up, NOT A STICK, which we read earlier this year. They also had time to add more shapes to their sculpture and paint their sculptures with tempera cakes. Some students added details with markers, string or construction paper too.

 

They were so creative- here are some of their masterpieces on display:

Valentine's Day & Book Giveaway

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays in the Art room! This simple project starts with my own book, LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING, and is perfect for 1st grade and Kindergarten. I'll be giving away a copy of my book on Monday, 2/11/19- just comment below to be entered!

Here's the lesson. I begin by reading to everyone on the classroom rug:

Then I demo how to use origami paper to create a heart. Each class gets a different color so that when finished I can create a rainbow display in the hallway. Color coding also makes it easier to pass back art to students later ; )

I draw a big example of how to draw a heart on the fold, and have students check with me before cutting to avoid wasting paper. When they have cut their heart they can create a design, drawing, or message for someone they love using black felt tip marker. If there's enough time I let them make a second one to bring home.

 Sweet and simple!

Here's the beautiful display my volunteer made: