Fun and Easy Mandalas with Metallic Gel Pens

One day this summer, my daughter came home from camp with a circle design drawn using metallic gel pens.  I thought it looked so cool, I wanted to try it with my students in 3rd/4th grade.  I usually teach about mandalas and radial balance at this age level.

Mandalas have religious and spiritual significance around the world.  They have been used for meditation and relaxation.  I showed the students mandalas including Tibetan and Navajo sand paintings, ancient Aztec and architecture. 

We used Crayola metallic markers and bright gel pens.  Not all brands of gel pens will show up nicely on black paper, so make sure to test before buying enough for a class.  I like the Sakura Gelly roll pens.

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