Fantastic First Graders~ Shiny Collage

 First graders love glitter. If you could fill a tub with glitter, they'd bathe in it. So this year's collage idea was to make sure I satisfied their affinity for all things "shiny".

First we painted on some colored tissue paper onto aluminum foil.

Did ya know that one side of aluminum foil is shinier than the other? Well, it is.

Then we let the glitter fly!
After drying, they were to cut their shiny tissue/foil into interesting shapes. Strips were very popular. I marveled at how long it took some of them to choose how to glue their shapes on- about as long as it took them to choose a background color to glue them to! Color choosing is serious business for a first grader.

End results? Very shiny indeed.

Some chose various sizes, shapes and colors of sequins to glue on, along with some shiny ribbon.

I think we're good on the shiny for a while now.

At least until second grade!

"All Art Requires Courage"- Anne Tucker

TRY THESE PAPER TOWEL PAINTINGS!

This activity was originally part of a third grade project, but I've had a lot of requests on how to do it at home. Look out moms and dads it's a messy one!

MATERIALS NEEDED:

* white absorbant paper towels (not the select-a-size type)

* plastic table cover

* old newspaper

* rolling pin

* tempera paint- 3 colors at least (poured into cups/bowls for dipping and watered down a bit)

DIRECTIONS:

Place plastic table cover on surface

Fold paper towel in half to make a rectangle, and in half again to make a square. Repeat both steps again- you will have a very small square!

Fold square corner to corner (it will resemble a taco shell!) Flatten triangle between your hands to make it as thin as possible.

Dip each of the three triangle point into a different color.

HINT: squish the triangle point into the cup to allow for enough paint to soak- BUT- do not leave it in too long for it will absorb too much!

Place the dipped triangle on to thick newspaper and place more newspaper on top to cover.

Roll over the hidden triangle with the rolling pin (up & down and side to side)

Pull out your triangle, gently unfold and be amazed at the beauty!!!!!

No two will be alike, just like a snowflake!

Leave a comment if you've tried this at home!

Contact me with any questions- HAVE FUN!

Feisty Fifth Graders~ Four Seasons Tree Collage

In fifth grade I prefer ideas that take a little longer, projects that force us to slow down and pay attention to the details. So....... I came up with the idea to focus on the four seasons and everything that you might see in each of those seasons- just perfect for collage! The kids are just about finished with these so unfortunately I don't have pics to show the early process but the end results were just spectacular so we'll just skip to those.

Feast your eyes on these finished pieces!

 

  A close up 

 

I pretty much cleaned out the closets and drawers in the art room to provide as much collage embellishment as possible for them to select from. Some even brought in things from home. The only rule was that the seasons had to be in order - which prompted a quick review...for me that is. I mean, after moving to Minnesota from Maryland I forgot their was a fall and wasn't sure if there would be a spring. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed!








The kids did an amazing job on these. We've worked on them for five consecutive classes so patience was a must. I was impressed.