Pinwheels

Pinwheel Maker is a title I never thought I would earn! Not as hard as it looks though...we tried these for after-school art and they turned out just fine! The students had fun running up and down the hallways making their pinwheels spin.I can't remember which blog I found this idea on...but there are a few variations out there in cyberspace. We used thumbtacks stuck into pencil erasers...but the 1st grade teachers at my school tried these with brads stuck through the center of their pinwheel and rolled up paper for the stem.
Happy Pinwheeling!

Perspective Snowman - 3rd Grade

What better way to learn perspective around this time of year than to do a partial snowman! I borrowed this idea from one of the great blogs I follow...scatterbrain that I am, I can't remember which one...but I love how it turned out.

Abstract Poinsettia Flowers - 2nd Grade

I saw this idea on Oodles of Art and immediately had to try it with my second graders! We began with a discussion on abstract art. We viewed real poinsettia flowers and talked about the shape of the petals. We then talked about how we could make these beautiful holiday flowers into an abstract work of art by ripping all of our petals and leaves. This project was also an excellent time to teach glue control! They turned out beautiful and received many complements!

Kindergarten Tissue Paper Snowmen

This project was an idea I borrowed from another blog and it turned out so much better than I expected! The students had a great time with it and were able to practice fine motor skills. We began by having a discussion about cool colors. Next, we pasted down squares of tissue paper. After a little practice and a few reminders, the students had the process down to an art! The next class, after the tissue paper and glue had dried, we began painting our snowman. We talked about the shapes that we used for each part of the snowman's body. Last, my favorite part! We took Q-tips and added snowflakes for the final touch! What a talented group of kindergartners I have!

Straw Blown Turkeys

My students loved this Thanksgiving project! The straw blown feathers turned out amazing! I tried it with both 2nd and 3rd graders. The students added their own individual characteristics to their turkeys! So creative!

Fall Tree Reflection

This project was done by my creative 2nd graders! We did the soft pastel trees first, then the watercolor sky, and then the tempera paint grass. For the last step, my favorite step, we used Q-tips to add tempera paint leaves to the trees. I had some gold paint left over from another project that gave the leaves quite the finishing touch! After each step, you need to fold the paper over and press in order to get the reflection. It is very much a step-by-step process but the results were beautiful!