Asian Panda Bears

1st graders are currently studying Asia so we made some panda bears in art class! I began the lesson by sharing a few interesting facts about them and then we watched a short educational Youtube clip about them. I also read the book Zen Shorts because it features a very wise panda bear. For the first day of the project students got a bright red paper for their background. Then, they were given a sheet of black paper to draw a big hill for their panda bears body. This was then glued down to the bottom of their red paper. Next, students cut a a large circle from a piece of white paper to glue down for their panda's head. A smaller piece of black paper was handed out to cut out half circles for their panda's ears. The next day students added black ovals for eye spots and eyeballs. A white tummy was added and then little black arms. A Sharpie was used to make black dots in the eyes and a mouth. The last day was used to make bamboo for their panda. Long strips of light green paper were glued to their background. They even got to add a smaller piece in the panda's hand if they wanted. Little dark green leaves were added and then a green oil pastel was used to draw lines on their bamboo.

Australian Koala Bears

Kindergarten is currently studying Australia so I thought it was fitting that we create some cute and cuddly koala bears. I started the lesson by sharing some interesting facts about koalas and showing them a short YouTube clip about them. I then read them the book Koala Lou. They pointed out the different features of koalas, their big ears and nose, grey fur, sharp claws, etc. On the first day every student got a grey piece of paper. They then drew a large oval for the body, and two half circles for the ears. I showed them how to add white paint inside the ears, for the eyes, and some for the mouth. This was left to dry. The next day students cut out their koala shape and glued it onto a dark blue piece of paper. A long strip of brown paper was added for a tree branch and then they cut leaves from green pieces of paper. They also used black paper to cut out a big oval for its nose. On the third day, students were given more grey paper to cut an arm and a leg for the koala. These were glued so that it looks like the koala is holding onto the tree. Finally, a Sharpie marker was used to add the black dot in the eyes, a mouth, and claws.

Native American Dreamcatchers

I've been wanting to do a dreamcatcher lesson for so long. This was my first time teaching it and I'm thrilled with the results. We began the lesson by going over the history of dreamcatchers through a slideshow. They couldn't wait to make their own! Each student got a paper plate to start with. I usually double them up to give them some thickness to make it more sturdy. They were then told to cut out the middle circle very carefully. This is easily done by folding it over and making a slit to start. Next, each student drew 11 dots spaced out around the edge of their paper plate. I demonstrate this first. Then, they use a hole puncher to make a hole where they drew a dot. Make sure they don't draw their dots too close to the edge. I then show them how to label their plates with corresponding numbers on the back. This comes in handy later when we do the inside weaving. Students start to make designs on their plate using a pencil. I make sure to give them a worksheet of Native American symbols to help them along. Once they are done, they trace it in Sharpie. Because I wanted them to look more authentic, we used only neutral and warm colored acrylic paints to fill them in. Students normally need a few days for this part. When they are ready to weave, each student gets a piece of brown string. The first end of the string is put into the hole marked 1 and taped off. They then loop the string through the numbers in the correct order and then its taped off at the last number. I let them watch me do one first before they start. Three more hole punches are made close together on the outside edge and this is where we tie 3 longer pieces of brown string. 3 beads and one feather is tied to the bottom on each brown string. A lot of students struggle with this part so it requires a lot of patience! This project took a couple of weeks but they were so proud of their work by the end!

Christmas Tree Forests

Kindergarten and 1st graders created these Christmas tree forests right before Christmas break. We started by painting a snowy ground on a blue piece of paper and then used cue tips to make snow falling from the sky. The next day was used to mod podge different shades of green tissue paper to a half sheet of white paper. The last day was used to cut out long triangles from the green paper, and glue down to our background. Short brown rectangles were added for the tree trunks. This makes for a simple and beautiful winter project their parents are sure to frame!

Ted Harrison Canadian Landscapes

Students learned about one of my favorite artists, Ted Harrison. He was a Canadian artist well known for his Canadian landscapes. We read the book A Brush Full of Colour and looked at how he depicted land and sea and how he used vibrant neon colors. Students worked on a large sheet of paper and got to choose between a number of different landscapes inspired by the artist to draw. I also provided stencils of Canadian animals to include if they wished. Students used neon colors to paint in their landscape any way they wanted.

Artist Self Portraits

This became one of my new favorite lessons to teach. I might just do it every year from now on for Kindergarten. What better way to make them feel like genuine artists then to draw themselves as one! We talked about what a self portrait is and then did a full body exercise for the students to become aware of the parts of us we have to draw. For example, we began by standing beside our seats straight and tall and touched the top of our head. We then touched our ears and felt down to our neck. We noticed how our shoulders come out from our necks and how our arms hang down past our hips. We patted our thighs with our hands to notice their length and then touched our knees and touched our toes to point out how long our legs are. I then passed out paper and demonstrated how to start drawing a face and body for our self portrait. Students added the extra details such as their face and outfit themselves. I traced their self portrait drawings in Sharpie and the next week they colored them in. The next part of their project was to make a mini easel out of popsicle sticks and to draw and paint a tiny picture to put on top. They used their favorite color as the background.

Toco Toucans

2nd graders are currently studying South America so of course I had to do a lesson on toucans! We talked more specifically about the Toco toucan and where it lives, what it eats, and what makes it so unique. I demonstrated how to draw the toucans step by step along with a branch and leaves surrounding them. Students loved adding fun details to their rainforests. These were colored in with oil pastels and the background was painted blue.