Huichol Mexican Folk Art Inspired Hearts - Grade 2

The second grade lesson that I designed this year for Valentine's Day takes its inspiration from the Mexican folk art Huichol -- or yarn painting. Students use heart tracers to obtain a basic shape, then work from the outside in using glue to attach the yarn to the cut-out heart shape. The hearts are then mounted to square papers. Keeping with the three-heart theme as the younger grades, the students make three yarn-painting hearts which are mounted together on a larger paper.

Here is a student example:

Grade 2 - Step-by-step Turkey Drawings

With the success I had experienced with teaching the first graders how to draw turkeys, I felt the second graders could also have fun with a similar drawing lesson. So, I decided to show them how to draw a slightly different turkey. This time I encouraged the students to layer their crayon colors to give them a more realistic and more textured appearance. The students had a lot of fun and were excited to learn how to draw the turkeys. Unlike the younger students, the second graders took a lot longer with the drawings and many did not get to finish the coloring in of their images. Here are some of the fantastic results:

Second Grade Drawings -- Pure and Uninhibited!

This year I have been substitute teaching mostly in non-art rooms so far, but some of those teachers like to leave sub lessons that involve drawing. Such was the case this week when I was filling in for a music teacher. She left a book for me to read along with an illustration assignment for the second graders to complete. The assignment was simple enough. After talking about things that they have improved on with practice (tied into the theme of the book), the students were asked to draw themselves doing that activity. Since it was not an art room or an art lesson, I did not demonstrate how this should look or how to properly draw a figure or color in a background. The results were some pretty awesome and unique images, which I felt compelled to share.

Riding a bicycle was a popular choice and resulted in many images of bicycles, all completely unique:



One student was a fan of bike tricks, so in his bicycle riding drawing he is doing a trick on a steep hill and crashing into a tree:

Other images appeared as well -- such as jumping rope, swimming and playing soccer:


And then there was the student who was so happy that I said his drawing was really great that in the last few minutes of class he quickly grabbed a second piece of white paper and re-created an almost exact copy for me to keep and take home. In his drawing he is depicted successfully riding his scooter with only one hand:


Now, although I am an art teacher and although I do feel the need to instruct in drawing skill, sometimes I enjoy seeing what the students come up with without any intervention on my part. These drawings always feel the most pure and true to the students' ideas.

Love Your Neighbor: Although We Are Different We Are the Same Level 2

Here is the description from the wall label:

The command “Love Your Neighbor” was presented to the students in a take-home art assignment where they were asked to draw a neighborhood with two neighbors joined by a heart between them. On the heart they were asked to write a word that represented a way to be more neighborly to the people around us in our daily lives, even if those people are different from us. This is especially important because we must all understand that although everyone is different, we are all part of one family in the eyes of God.

This was another at-home assignment, where students provided most of their own materials. The provided instructions are linked below.

Although We Are Different We Are the Same

Communion of Saints Puppets Levels K, 1 & 2

Here is the description from the wall label:
Our youngest students were introduced to the lives of the saints in the creation of hand puppets. They carefully chose their puppets’ costumes, hair coloring and accessories. Then with the help of many parents and teachers they used scissors and glue to create unique puppets of many different saints who together form the communion of saints in heaven.

Materials used:

• Pre-made muslin hand puppets
• Fabrics
• Yarn
• Felt
• Wiggle Eyes
• Bead
• Misc. Items
• Elmer's glue
• Hot glue (teacher use)
• Scissors

Fruit of the Vine Mobiles Level 2

Here is the description from the wall label:

Students in the First Communion class learn about the sacrament of Eucharist and the consecration of the bread and the wine. During the Last Supper, Christ refers to the wine, symbolic of his blood, as the fruit of the vine. In this instance it is both the grapes that grow on a literal vine and it is Christ as the fruit with God as the vine. The mobiles themselves were created with paper the students hand-painted using a sponging technique. From this paper bunches of grapes were cut and assembled. Fishing line, chenille stems, and bamboo skewers were also used to finish off the mobiles design.

Materials used:

• Tempera Paints (yellow, green, blue, purple)
• Sponges
• Brushes
• Oak tag paper
• Pipe cleaners
• Bamboo skewers
• Fishing line
• Foam squares
• Grape and Leaf Tracers
• Scissors
• Pencils
• Black Sharpies

What's Bugging You? Some Lessons Completed While Substituting In An Art Room

These lessons were left for a general substitute to be able to do, so they are not particularly complex, but they are fine for the end of the year, especially if you have scraps of construction paper piled up in the art room.

The first project was a KINDERGARTEN one. The students use tracers for the body and wings. The dots are done in marker or crayon. Use a whole punch and a brass fastener to attach the wings to the body.

The second project would be suitable for SECOND or THIRD grade. This is a lesson with no tracer. Fold a piece of 8 x 10 black paper in half the long way ("hotdog") and draw just half of the outline of a bug body. Then cut it out. Make sure you are drawing and cutting on the folded side. When you open it up, you'll have a whole bug. Embellish with scraps of construction paper. Using whole punches of various sizes will make the spots interesting. Remember that the designs should be symmetrical.

Miniature Room Ages 8 and up

Do you recall the miniature workshop that I taught a few months ago? Well, I was hoping to get some photos from that, but since I was too busy teaching to take my own and the person who took the photos never sent me copies, it seems that just some images from the project itself will have to do.

Below are several views of the same miniature room. Just about everything is made from re-purposed materials or small craft items. I am planning to run this same workshop as a mini-course at art camp this year. Yes, Art at Tower is almost here again. I will update on that soon.

Father's Day Card Project Elementary Level

So, I am still in the process of going through and editing tons of photos from the recent Sacred Art Show and sadly they are not ready for posting yet. In the meantime, I will share with you a lesson that I did while subbing last school year. This is NOT my lesson, but rather it belongs to a fabulous art teacher that I subbed for. The lesson was taught to multiple grades (because it is great as a sub plan this time of year). I think I did it with grades 1, 2 and 3.

This sample uses scrap booking paper for the tie and real buttons on the collar.
Note the tickets and photos peeking out of the pockets. The inside label bears the initials of the artist (me).

The lesson is to make a card that looks like a shirt and tie set (traditional dad gift). The card starts with a piece of 18 X 6 construction paper that is pre-folded in half to make a 9 x 6" card. Then at the folded end, you cut in about 1/2" down on the side and about 1" in (about 2 little kid fingers wide). These two flaps are folded inward at angle to make the shirt collar. Glue them down. The tie is added with plain or patterned paper (using a tracer or eye-ball it). You can also make a western-type tie or bow tie. The shirt details are added with marker or crayon (details on tie can be added, too). Real buttons can be added to the collar or shirt if you have them or they can be drawn on. It is best to use a hot-glue gun to attach the buttons.

The shirt flips upward to reveal the inside of the card where you can add a written note.

Here are some more of the many samples I've made:

This sample is all construction paper (even the tie); patterns and details are all crayon.
There are still real buttons on the collar though and initials for the label.

This sample is all construction paper (even the tie); details are crayon and black marker. There are still real buttons on the collar though and initials for the label. The tie has a Spongebob theme.

This sample is all construction paper (even the tie) and the details are crayon and black sharpie again. This has the Western-theme though. No more real buttons, but still bearing the initials on the label.

North Shore Art Teacher Association Mosaics Workshop: May 19, 2011

As promised here is the first of many upcoming posts. In this post I am providing visuals of all the lessons from the workshop that I presented on mosaics. There are lessons for all elementary grades and a grade seven lesson that can be modified for grade six and up.

I am also including some pictures taken at the workshop so you can almost feel like you were there.

Suggested reading from the workshop.Ready for the workshop to begin.

Beginning with the heaviest of projects... large tile mosaics.Getting into 3D options for ceramic tile mosaics -- these examples are on terra cotta clay pots.Sharing the grade 3 lesson.

Talking about the materials for the various lessons.

Kindergarten Lesson

Download the lesson here:   Kindergarten Pressed Clay Mosaics

Grade 1 Lesson

Download the lesson here: Grade 1 - Mosaic Cities

Grade 2 Lesson

Download the lesson here:  Grade 2 - Mosaics Cubed

Grade 3 Lesson

Grade 3 Subway Style Mosaics Lesson (with recycled materials option)
Download the lesson here: Grade 3 - Subway Style Mosaics

Grade 4 Lesson

Download the lesson here: Grade 4 - Ancient Mosaics

Grade 5 Lesson

Download the lesson here: Grade 5 - Islamic Inspired Mosaics

Grade 6 & Up Lesson

Download the lesson here: Marvelous Mosaics