This is a project from the archives. I used to teach a combined 5th/6th grade class until this year. Every year, we made medieval paper mache figures. The 5/6s studied the Medieval period in their social studies class. We used newspaper and foil to create the armature of these figures. Then, we applied paper mache over the body. Model magic or air dry clay was used to make the heads. Model magic actually works the best, in my opinion. Clothes, … Read more…
I’m excited that I am now part of the Elmer’s Crafty Blogger Crew! I have long been a fan of Elmer’s products and already frequently use their glue sticks, glue bottles and paper mache paste. I decided since I am elbows deep in paper mache already, I would create some fun paper mache bowls. Learning Activity Topics: art in three-dimensions, paper mache, translucent quality of materials, layering Activity Description: Students will use paper mache paste to layer tissue paper and … Read more…
Aren’t we always looking for ways to relate to other subjects? This project is perfect to connect with your music program at school. Materials you will need: plastic Easter eggs (one per child) plastic spoons (2 per child) bean, rice or plastic beads for the inside to create the noise masking tape Elmer’s Art Paste bowl, water, whisk (to mix the paper mache paste) paper towels paint decorative washi tape Goals: make connections between music and art learn about maracas … Read more…
These paper mache masks by the 3rd/4th grade received lots of compliments when they were hanging in the hallway. The class was studying Native American history in their Social Studies and we looked at some Pacific Northwest Coast masks and we discussed the functions of masks in general throughout the world. We started with a mask form (made of paper mache) that I ordered in a class pack from Nasco. From this starting point, the students built up and embellished … Read more…
Creating Shakers from Paper Mache Introducing the project: To start I simply tell the kids we are making rattles. I will save the cultural connections for a later class. One reason for waiting on the cultural connections is that I don’t want them to copy Native American rattles, but the information I present about the Native Americans is to show how other cultures have made musical instruments. Also, this part of the project is time consuming and we need every … Read more…
This is one of my favorite projects all year. I know it is one of the kids favorite projects too. The 5th/6th graders study the Medieval period in their Social Studies class. In Art class, we have done a variety of Medieval art. In this project, the student build paper mache knights. This year, some of the kids chose to build horses out of Model Magic too. That made things a bit more challenging and complicated for them. … Read more…
The kindergartners made paper mache rattles after learning about Native American rattles. We viewed a Powerpoint about the rattles used in Native American ceremonies. The students made their own rattle which could be used for music and dancing. We were not trying to copy the rattles, but use them for inspiration. Here are the steps:1. First, tape a paint stick to the inside of a paper plate. 2. Put beans on the plate. 3. Tape another plate on top. … Read more…
This is an art project that I repeat every year, because it is such a great process for the kids… starting with an initial sketched idea, building an armature, applying paper mache, painting and adding embellishments. I tie this lesson to the Pacific Northwest Coast masks. You can see masks from previous years here and the process photos here. Thank you if you voted for me in the Art Ed blog of the year contest! While I did not place … Read more…
At the end of the school year, we made more PAPER PULP PICTURES. This is such a fun project. I wrote all the step-by-step details on my blog last year. You can see the tutorial HERE. this girl made a 3-d paper pulp sculpture of a cat!
My 3rd and 4th graders are currently making messes with paper mache! They are building and paper maching masks. They learned about Pacific Northwest Coast masks, but also masks from around the world. Here is a sneak peek of what the masks might turn out to look like- they made some preliminary sketches.. What do you think?
We all have our favorite art supplies. What are your MUST-HAVE art supplies for an elementary art classroom? Here are some of my favorites! (Amazon Affiliate links have been used in this post at no extra cost to you.) Kwik Stix. Oh, how I love these paint sticks! They go on smoother than oil pastels, they have such bright, vibrant colors and they are so easy to use with low mess! They come in metallic, regular and neon. On this … Read more…
This month the Art Ed Blogger’s Network is talking about student engagement and participation. When I tell people that I am an art teacher, some people who say ”Wow, that must be so much fun! I bet the kids all just love art.” Well, there are fun times, but there are times when not everyone is engaged in the media or project we are working on. I’m sure this happens in all classrooms. Sometimes it is due to lack of alignment … Read more…
It has been several weeks since our Fine Arts Night and I have been waiting until things settled down here to write all about it. Many, many thanks to my co-worker Katie McEnaney for taking photographs of the event! “Wild About the Arts” Fine Arts Night We had our first ever Fine Arts Night. The night combined musical performances, an art show and art activities to celebrate the arts! We decided on an animal theme. We displayed one artwork from … Read more…
In my last post, I wrote an overall recap of the National Art Education Association conference. I also gave a summary of the artist Jesse Reno’s speech. In another post, I put together a little art history quiz of artworks from the Art Institute of Chicago. Today I am going to share with you some highlights from a few of the presentations. If you would like to see all of the handouts from the presentations that were uploaded, they are … Read more…
At the end of the year last school year, I passed out Summer Art Challenge sheets. Each of the students who participated received a certificate and a prize or two or three depending on how much of the challenge they completed. Visit this past blog post to read about the challenge activities. Here is the certificate I passed out. I blocked off my name and the school name/year, so you can use this award sheet and just add your name … Read more…
