Lighthouse Seasons 5th grade project

This is a great lesson to teach the standards of problem solving and using symbols to show an idea.  For this project my students look at photographs (many from calendars) of lighthouses. Here in Michigan we have many lighthouses on the shores of great lakes so most of the kids are familiar with them and feel a connection to this type of architecture.

 

This is done as a pencil drawing with the guidelines that the lighthouse must be the same shape and color, but the season around it may be changed.

 The season must be CLEARLY communicated in their drawing, this requires some planning and decision making as they work.  After completing the drawing, students trace their pictures with ultra fine point sharpie marker. They use colored pencils to color their project and then we mount it on colored paper.  The last step is to complete the season idea by making small pictures or symbols or writing words on their frame to enhance the seasonal feeling of the lighthouse picture.

 

Rainbow Trout 3rd grade

This is from Apex art room blog.  Our students learn about trout in their Michigan studies and I loved the idea of a cross curriculum art project.  I was pleased that every student was excited about the chance to draw a trout.

 

We looked at several pictures of rainbow trout on the projection screen and they tried to fill up their 6" x 18" white drawing paper with their drawing. I had them trace it all with permanent marker and use the marker to make the black shapes on the fish.

Then the "wild life artists" used watercolor paint to match the colors they saw on the fish pictures. 

After the pictures dried we cut them out. Everyone has made remarks about how great the fish paintings look hanging on our bulletin board!

Rainbow Cities! Kindergarten

Found this on Pinterest and it is definitely a new favorite.  The Kinders enjoy using markers on any project and they did a great job making a pattern around the edge of the 12" x 18" white drawing paper to begin the project.

 

I hung up papers in the colors of the rainbow, minus indigo, and we started with red. Using red construction paper the students cut a building shape and added door and windows then glued the building to the far left of their paper. We continued thru all the rainbow colors in order, cutting construction paper.  I encouraged the little artists to make each building different in their "rainbow city".  The kids really enjoyed this project and they did a wonderful job on these bright compositions!

Georgia O'Keeffe lesson ( Cow Skull with Flower) 3rd grade

Found this idea on Pinterest and changed it up a little. Loved the idea of having the 3rd graders draw a cow skull with shading but wanted to also incorporate a flower into the project since flowers were also Georgia's main subject matter.

We heard a meet the artist story of Georgia O'Keeffe and then looked at a photo of her with a cow skull on the projection screen to draw the skull. And yes, the kids were rather surprised when I told them they would be drawing a skull in Art class.

 

I reminded them to look at the outside shape and draw it part by part instead of being overwhelmed by the entire picture at once.

 

The 3rd grade artists added shading where it was needed, then looked at calendar pictures to draw a flower and color it with oil pastels. Problem solving where to glue the cut out skull and flower on their choice of blue background paper and adding a shadow for depth completed the piece.  

 And since Georgia O'Keeffe is one of my favorite artists, I have to say I just love this project! 

 

Colorful Painted Parrots Kindergarten

Our less messy way of painting in Kindergarten resulted in absolutely wonderful painted parrots!

This was one of our visuals for our painting, and my inspiration for the bulletin board displaying the painted parrots on a tree branch.


We painted step by step, doing the head body, eye and wing with different paint colors.

We added the beak and feather details in black paint after our parrots had dried.

The kids are so proud of these lovely projects and I have had MANY positive comments about the work the Kinders did!

 

Tissue paper tail feathers completed the paintings and made them even more colorful.

 

Tree Weaving in a Landscape 4th grade

Found this neat way of weaving with 4th graders on Cassiesblog , an art teachers blog with many great ideas.  Loved that this was part a painting and part a weaving!
 

 

My 3rd graders weave bookmarks and the 4th graders always ask to weave again. This was a new way to weave in to a picture and was a faster weaving to do than the bookmarks.

 

I let them choose spring, summer or autumn colored yarn to weave into their tree in front of the tempera painted landscape.

 

Great job on these very unique projects, 4th graders!

 

 

"Less Messy" Way to do painting with KINDERS

I think I finally discovered a way to do tempera painting with Kindergarteners that is less messy and manageable in a 35 minute Art period! I purchased tall plastic cups at the dollar store and some small square baskets.  The cups are in the baskets tightly with one paintbrush per paint color.  Different baskets have different colors so that half way thru a project table colors can be switched.

The baskets were easily placed on tables and the cups are tall enough to keep brushes from tipping over and spraying paint on tables or projects.  Most students were able to use the paint without messy hands and so clean up at end of class was faster than when using water buckets and towels to clean brushes.  Definitely less stressful for all of us!