3-D Paper Rainbows

Is this not THE MOST ADORABLE art project you have EVER seen?  (Ok, I get a bit overly excited about rainbows, lol).  This was a project I did with my Kinders yesterday.  We sorted the paper strips, compared the sizes, ordered them from least to greatest, and used patterning.  Whew!  Let me say, it did take the entire hour of art class for these creations, but it was worth it!  You start with an 18" red strip and decrease the size by 1.5" for each color until you end with the pink strip.  Doing this, it causes the paper to bend into that fabulous arc.  You should definitely give this project a try!

Klimt Trees

    What does an Art Teacher do when she needs a moment of sanity?  She brings out the Metallic Markers of course!  Let's face it, it's the end of the year...kids are losing their attention to detail, they are tired of being here, and need some sparkle & shine!  And let me tell you... IT WORKED FABULOUSLY!  These 6th graders were peaceful & fully engaged in the project for the entire HOUR!  I deserve an award for this monumental idea!  In fact, I think all teachers should break out the metallic pens and pencils for the remainder 4 weeks of school and these kids will do their work, be excited about it, and will be eager to learn (hahaha).

Bubbling Fish

     How does one begin a multi-step painting project without losing one's mind?  Well, it's all in the Prep.  While some people look at an art teacher's schedule and scoff at the amount of prep time we get, others understand that good preparation is key to a great project.  That was the case with this project.  We had a fish to cut-out, scales to glue down, and bubbles to paint.  I find that if I can get the tables set before the class comes in, they can see how the tables should look before they leave so the next class can do the same thing.  With my schedule, my 2nd graders come first and the Kindergartners come next.  The 2nd graders LOVE to get the class ready for the little ones!  So, here are the tables all set and ready to go!

     Now, we work with the least messy supplies first and the most messy supplies last.  So, we drew the fish, cut it out, and glued the scales down first.  After that, we used the lids to stamp white circles onto the blue paper.

     And here is a finished project (by a Kindergartner, nonetheless):

Color Wheel Ferris Wheels!

I have a confession to make...I don't always teacher color wheels every year.  There I said it.  Now, I do, however, teach color theory in lots of other lessons, but the actual painting inside the spaces in a particular order just, I don't know, BORES ME!  But I decided to give it a go with my 4th graders this year.  They loved it.  And they turned out great!  However, I just couldn't leave the color wheels as they are in their blah state.  We turned our color wheels into Ferris Wheels!  Who doesn't LOVE a Ferris Wheel?  The color, the lights, the shape, the excitement (just not the price, lol).  Here are a few of our fabulous Ferris Wheels:

By Kyra 

By Dominique

Handprint Rainbows

Here in STL, we are not even close to Spring weather and I cannot take another minute of 20 degree temperatures, so we are bringing Spring into the building with flowers, bees, and RAINBOWS!  What says 'elementary art' other than a rainbow painting?  Nothing.  I did this project with my 2nd graders and they did a great job.  I wouldn't go any lower than that unless you have some really great Kg. & 1st graders who have self-control, can handle a mess, and have exceptional listening skills.

First, we drew some clouds and colored the 'negative space' with the blue crayon for sky.  Next, I went around and lightly drew a big arc on their paper so they had a guideline to follow for the handprints.  I demonstrated how to press (not slam, slap or tap) their hand into the puddle of paint and carefully stamp their hand on the arc, wipe off the paint with a paper towel, and stamp the next color.  Of course, we had to discuss ROYGBIV and the color spectrum so they knew what order to print their colors.  The results were great, but I have to say...I probably won't be doing this again until NEXT Spring.  It was a lot of prep work and a LOT of clean-up!  Hahaha.