We learned about the history, origins and purpose of the holiday, Cinco de Mayo, and then created our own maracas! First, we did 3-4 layers of paper mache on balloons, leaving a small opening around the tie of the balloon. Once they dried, we popped and removed the balloon from the small hole we had left. Through that hole, we then filled our piece up with rice grains, beans, rocks, and popcorn seeds, experimenting with the sounds that each of them made. We put a piece of paper over the hole and taped it shut. Then, we each took an empty paper towel roll, cut slits at the top, and attached it to the bottom of the maraca, as a handle (I had been collecting them since the beginning of this school year...glad I found a good use for them). Then we added a few layers of paper mache on the handle. When they were dry, the students painted and glued on their designs!
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We did two recycled art projects in my middle school elective classes, to celebrate Earth Day. My sixth graders are on a field trip, but when they come back we will be making centerpieces with recycled materials. For the first project, my students and I collected empty plastic bottles (tons of them) from our homes, and from other faculty and staff. Then we painted and cut the bottles, and attached them on chicken wire to make a collaborative hanging sculpture in each class, in the style of Dale Chihuly's glass chandeliers. My students always love looking at Chihuly's work, and after they did, they had a lot of ideas! Students of each class decided on a color scheme for their sculpture. One class decided on a pastel color scheme, another chose cool colors, and the last one decided to do rainbow colors arranged in the proper order. Collectively, we decided to hang them outside of the art trailers, so they would function as shades for the people who sit outside in the hot Miami weather! The other project was inspired by a huge, inspiring, worldwide public art project called the Cool Globes, that began in Chicago in 2007 to raise public awareness of solutions to global warming. After much brainstorming and thinking, students came up with a design for their own mini-globe that creatively illustrated at least one solution to climate change. Then we built the globes using paper mache, paint, collage and a range of other materials, depending on their individual message. I did not get a chance to photograph all of them before they took them home, but here are a few. The young lady who did the globe in the first few pictures even won an award for her work! So proud of her and all of them for their ideas and hard work.
We looked at the work of Pop artist Andy Warhol, and they they created Pop Art versions of themselves. We used various watercolor techniques to create the backgrounds for the prints, while I took close-up pictures of each student. Working from their picture, they drew a simplified version of themselves and transferred it onto a linoleum block for carving. After they carved all negative spaces, they made about 6 prints onto their watercolor backgrounds. They chose their four favorite, and collaged them together onto a final piece of paper. Here they are!
After we were learning some of the main color vocabulary, the students worked in pairs to develop a design that included a silhouette or gray scale image and the 12 colors on the color wheel in the proper order, in crayons. They glued the crayons on, and used hairdryers to melt the crayons using a few different techniques. Some students who finished early created another piece using other crayon colors.
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AuthorI am an art educator and artist who loves to share the amazing creations and learning happening in my courses. Here is a sneak peek of what my students are learning and creating! Categories
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