Maasai Shields

I have been to Kenya Africa a handful of times. I love everything about that country. The landscape, the variety of people, the noisy cities, and most of all the markets and handicrafts. Every time I am able to make the journey, I purchase myself a new piece of artwork. Not only do I enjoy having it, my students enjoy seeing it and experiencing it for themselves.

In my second grade classes we learned about Kenya and all the wonderful things about the country. We also discussed the well known Maasai tribes that live in Kenya. The second graders loved looking at their beautiful fabrics and beadworks.

The students also loved (one of my most prized possessions) the Maasai shield. The shields are made of leather and painted with striking black, white, and red colors. After "oo-ing" and "ahh-ing" over the object, we made shields of our own! Some of my students literally cheered from their seats when they realized what we were making.

My enthusiastic second graders started with a precut cardboard template in the shape of a Maasai shield. As a class we talked about the different shapes and patterns that are seen on these works of art. The students then drew their own patterns and shapes with pencil, later filling it with paint of traditional Maasai colors. 

The finished product turned out great, and no two shields looked the same!



 

Kindergarten Fall Trees

This project was an idea that stemmed from a lesson I viewed on Pinterest. The lesson involved sponge paint with fall trees. I decided to tweak it a bit and take it a step farther in order to incorporate a background as well.

The Kindergarten classes always do a unit on seasons with their home room teacher. I love to incorporate what they are already learning in their classrooms into my art lessons, and this fit perfectly!

As a class we discussed the colors of the fall season and what happens to the trees during that time. After looking at and talking about different pictures of trees, it was time for the fun to begin. Students made small and large lines with a brown marker on their paper. After that, they sponge painted red, orange, and yellow leaves with round brushes.

During the next class period, we reviewed the season of fall again. They were given a new piece of paper and traced leaf templates on top. Students then used the season's colors and painted with water color around their tracings. Later, I mounted their initial painting on top of the second and they turned out stunning! I actually used them for the art show at the beginning of the year.

My goofy class being proud of their work at the art show!

Pop Art Group Project

I absolutely love this project and I feel like it is perfect for fifth grade! I always find that the students surprise themselves at how well they can complete this assignment.

As a class we review the Pop Art Movement, which as mentioned before is one of my favorites to teach! After presenting and class discussion, I break the students into separate groups. As a group students are to choose any product that will be constructed on a large scale with paper mache. Once the project has been designed, built, and painted, the students come up with an advertisement or commercial to present to the rest of the class.

This project does take awhile, considering I only see my fifth grade class twice a week. However, the results are always fantastic and it is a great way for students to learn and work together as a team.

Here are some of the products my students designed this year.

Giant Lipstick. (It's almost as tall as me!)  

Skateboard

PlayStation



Calculator

Global Issue Stencil Project

My upper level art students just completed a project that was overall very successful. These juniors and seniors were instructed to choose a world issue that concerned or interested them. Once the topic was chosen, students were to research that topic and any artists who are or were involved with that specific issue. The information that was gathered then had to be reflected in their art piece. The only other requirements for the final piece itself were to include a three layered stencil on a background of their choice.

World Poverty

Conflict in Syria

Child Labor

Oppression of Women

I was very impressed with my student's work and how involved and engaged they were during this assignment. They were very passionate about the issues they chose and that passion was reflected in their final work and their presentation during critique. 

Kindergarten Dinosaurs

This project worked out great for my Kindergarten students. It took two class periods and we had so much fun! Before starting the dinosaur part of this activity, we began by reviewing the secondary color green.

In order to review, I read the book "Green" by Laura Vaccaro Seeger to the class. The students loved the pictures as we went through the story.

After I read the book and we discussed the pictures, students were sent to their seats to mix green on their papers. They painted their whole page yellow first, then mixed blue on the top to make green. Even though this was a review, I heard so many "oo's" and "ahh's" as their papers changed color.

The students then used plastic forks to scratch in some texture to their paint. There was a lot of giggling going on while using cutlery instead of brushes!

During the second class period, students used pre-cut dinosaur templates to trace on top of their green painted papers. They cut out their dinosaur and created a background by cutting colored construction paper. Many students added volcanoes, palm trees, and other creative ideas to their pictures.     



I really enjoyed this lesson for Kindergarten students. So many important concepts were practiced and they had a lot of creative freedom. And who doesn't love dinosaurs?