Crazy Hair Paintings

Let me begin by saying, I LOVE my student teacher! She's just the breath of fresh air that I needed. This is a project that she decided to teach to my 3rd graders. First, students drew a portrait of themselves and colored it. Next, they used watered-down tempera paint to put along their hairline so they could blow the paint in different directions using a straw. We had small cups of the tempera on each table and a brush for each color. We instructed the students to take one 'scoop' of paint and blow it then select another color of paint and blow it again. How fun! You should definately try this project!

Stamping with homemade paintbrushes

This project was a lot of fun!  I decided to go out on a limb and try something new for our St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Picture the Music Art Competition.  First, we all listened to a musical composition and brainstormed some colors, shapes, and lines that would go well with the music.  The students used oil pastels to create an abstract work of art that best represented the music.  Next, for some added interest to their drawings, we made our own paintbrushes/stamps using pipe cleaners.  Each student got 5 pipe cleaners, twisted them together, and spread out the bottom ends to create a 'star' shape.  Students then used their new 'paintbrush' to stamp colorful shapes on top of their drawings.  This was  a lot of fun and gave the students the chance to think 'outside of the box' or 'outside of the painting' for once!