2nd grade Summer Celebration Masks (Silly Sunglasses)

It is nearly the end of the year, and I wanted to do something extra fun with one of my 2nd grade classes.  I got to school early and traced/cut out 2 different styles of "sunglasses".  (By the way, I got this lesson from:  Click here to see the original lesson and how these masks look on!)

I asked kids why we wear masks and when we wear masks.  We talked about how sometimes people wear masks for celebrations - and we are going to celebrate summer vacation!  So, I pre-cut the body, and they first colored them carefully with construction paper crayons.  Then I busted out the "goody bins" and they arranged and glued.  I should mention that I stressed to the kids that just because there are a lot of things in the goody bins does NOT mean they should try to glue one of everything onto their mask, but rather think like an artist and only use what you need to accomplish your goal.

Well, here ya go!  They are SO CUTE on the kids faces, and well worth the extra time I put in to cut them out.

GENIUS!  I love how she put a feathery hat on this one!  I couldn't stress enough to her how amazing it is!!!

Alien eyes!  

Nice symmetry

1st Grade Jim Dine Tool Paintings with Math Connection

My 1st graders learned about the pop artist Jim Dine and especially his paintings/prints of tools.  We talked about how he used contour lines (outlines) and often shaded around his tools for a shadowy effect.  

We looked at REAL tools and then they had the option to draw freely or trace the tools.  We outlined them with black crayon and then shaded around them.  Finally, students painted their backgrounds with colors of their own choosing.  

I just love how this one below used only black watercolor and added grungy lines/splatters.  I can tell he really observed Jim Dine's work and got inspiration from it!  I also love that he restricted his palette all on his own - 1st graders don't often naturally do this!

Oh!  And an unexpected tie into their math curriculum!  Their teacher told me it went perfectly as they were currently tracing objects in math and calculating the area!  Brilliant! 

And another limited palette painting below:

 

Clay Robots 4th/5th Grade

We looked at artwork from many contemporary artists that specialize in recycled robot sculpture (Gordon Bennett, Jason Lane, Ann P. Smith)!  We talked about how much our culture and life style has changed in the past 30, 50, 100 years - especially in terms of technology!

I asked them why I hadn't showed them any "famous" or "old" robot art - and we discovered that robots are a fairly new idea for humans!  I also talked with them a little about the Industrial Revolution and how it's becoming more popular to use "waste" or "recyclables" to make artwork - another relatively new phenomenon.

So, we busted out the slab rolled (I busted it out at 7pm at night, is what I mean) and I pre-rolled a cylinder shape for them.  They COULD do this, but we are getting down to the wire and I promised them another fun 3D project so I did this step for them to save time.

They then added features of their robot with extra clay.  Many opted to make theirs into a "jar"  

( I should mention here that I saw this idea on pinterest here:  http://media-cache4.pinterest.com/upload/155163149631954901_UCQm94LO.jpg)  

I fired them, and today many got painted!!!  Here are some of them: