first grade Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Art is Basic

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1st Grade Complementary Color Collage

By Marcia Beckett | November 9, 2011 - 3:36 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade

Colorful abstract collage featuring geometric shapes in orange, blue, and neon red on a clean white background using complementary colors.

Here is an easy project for first graders to introduce complementary colors. We started off by coloring a mini-color wheel (did not include the tertiary colors). Then, we identified the complementary colors on the color wheel. Next, the children were called up to pick out two sheets of paper that were complementary colors. I monitored to make sure that these were indeed complementary colors. Next, the children cut out different types of shapes from the papers and glued them to … Read more… →

Burlap and Felt Quilt Square- 1st grade

By Marcia Beckett | October 28, 2011 - 3:52 pm |July 5, 2024 fabric, first grade

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Burlap and felt quilt art with a burlap base decorated with colorful felt shapes, gemstones, and ribbon patterns.

Symmetry 1st Grade How can a quilt be a work of art? Why do people make art? The 1st graders looked at and discussed quilts. We talked about shapes, layering and symmetry. We made a fabric quilt square using felt, fabric, burlap, ribbon and buttons. These squares were supposed to demonstrate the student’s understanding of symmetry.

Alphabet Art– 1st Grade

By Marcia Beckett | September 30, 2011 - 11:00 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade

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This colorful abstract painting showcases text elements like "NEW" and "CAT" alongside various shapes in green, black, and red, embodying a playful Alphabet Art style.

@font-face { font-family: “Cambria”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Art using the Alphabet 1st Grade The 1st graders experimented with balance and design. They learned how letters and words could be used in art. The art of Stuart Davis was shown and discussed. To create this artwork, the students drew letters stacked, turned and scattered. Letters were outlined in black marker and colored in with crayons … Read more… →

Scrap Faces

By Marcia Beckett | September 23, 2011 - 12:31 am |July 5, 2024 first grade, recycled art

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A simple face drawing featuring yarn hair, a bow, and colorful paper for eyes and mouth on a white background.

The 1st graders learned about recycled art and how to use unconventional materials in art. We read 2 books by Hanoch Piven, which feature portraits made out of objects. The children brought in objects from home that represented aspects of themselves and we assembled the parts into faces in art class. I had three 8th grade volunteers who helped hot glue everything. We used foam board and matboard for the base of the faces. Scroll down to see more examples … Read more… →

Tape and Sticker Pictures

By Marcia Beckett | June 30, 2011 - 2:26 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade, fourth grade, free time activities, kindergarten, second grade, summer camp, third grade

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A collage flower made from various colored and patterned paper strips, accented with vibrant stickers, and "Flower by Colleen" written at the bottom.

box of stickers This was a super fun art project that I forgot to blog about earlier. We did this at the summer art class I taught at my school. Tape and sticker pictures. I wrote about tape and sticker pictures earlier which I love to do with my 20 month old daughter. The above picture is a box of stickers I made. I took some sticky address labels, and color photocopied some patterned paper onto the sticky labels. Then, … Read more… →

Puppets!

By Marcia Beckett | June 22, 2011 - 12:38 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade, fourth grade, kindergarten, second grade, third grade

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Yellow cat puppet with button eyes, black felt whiskers and nose, and red felt ears. This puppet is made from soft fabric.

Puppets were made during my summer art class! For this project, I drew a puppet template, which the kids traced and cut out from felt. They cut out 2 pieces, a front and back. Then, I hot glued them together. The kids then cut out other pieces of felt and added googly eyes to decorate their puppet. They attached these pieces with Elmer’s glue. We added a large stick inside also to hold the puppet up. We made these really … Read more… →

Superheroes on Canvas

By Marcia Beckett | June 15, 2011 - 2:44 am |July 5, 2024 first grade, kindergarten, painting, second grade, third grade

Art Camp 1st Day

By Marcia Beckett | June 7, 2011 - 4:30 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade, kindergarten, summer camp

2 Comments

Close-up of a metal latch attached to a white, grid-patterned surface with red scribbles on the left side.

I am teaching 2 days of art camp in the afternoons this week. On Monday, one of the projects we made were sun tiles. I picked up some glossy ceramic tiles from the hardware store. They looked at a few pictures of Mexican clay suns and they sketched their sun idea on a piece of paper. Then, using pencil and sharpie markers, they drew their sun on the tile. On the back of the tile I superglued a picture hanger. … Read more… →

Underwater Collage– 1st grade

By Marcia Beckett | May 16, 2011 - 11:15 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade

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1st grade children's artwork showcases an underwater collage featuring colorful sea creatures, including a turtle, jellyfish, shark, and seahorse.

The 1st graders looked at art that was about water and then created their own underwater collage using tissue paper, foil, cellophane and drawings of underwater creatures.

Tissue Paper Flowers in Vases

By Marcia Beckett | May 10, 2011 - 9:41 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade, sculpture, second grade, third grade

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A child holding a handmade bouquet of colorful tissue paper flowers in a yellow paper cone inside a classroom. Some of the flowers are arranged artfully as if they could be displayed in vases.

On Friday, the 7th/8th graders taught the younger kids for part of the day. One of the projects they made were these lovely tissue paper flowers in a construction paper cone vase. I loved them!

Arctic Animals

By Marcia Beckett | March 10, 2011 - 3:00 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade

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A child's painting of a penguin on ice with a purple sky, a flying bird, and abstract shapes in the background captures the charm of polar animals.

@font-face { font-family: “Cambria”; }@font-face { font-family: “American Typewriter”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Arctic Animals Primaries– 1st Grade The Primaries used cool colors to paint a background for Arctic animals. They used their observation skills to draw detailed animals from pictures of these animals. This project complements their study of the Arctic in LA/SS/D.

Inside Out Pictures

By Marcia Beckett | March 4, 2011 - 10:43 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade

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Hands arranging green paper cutouts on a black sheet atop a wooden table.

@font-face { font-family: “Cambria”; }@font-face { font-family: “Chalkduster”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Inside Out Pictures The Primaries learned about positive and negative space. They exercised their cutting skills and spatial awareness. Step One: Cut out shapes from a 4.5″ x 9″ colored piece of paper. Step Two: Take all of the shapes and try to put them back together like a puzzle. Putting the … Read more… →

Valentines Prints

By Marcia Beckett | February 11, 2011 - 7:03 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade, printmaking

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Bright pink abstract art with peace signs, hearts, and spirals in white. Artist's signature at the bottom right.

Here are some of the finished styrofoam Valentine’s prints by the 1st graders. One trick that made these work MUCH better is when I dug out the jar of ink-retarder. The prints look so much better than the first ones we printed.

Pipe Cleaner Weaving

By Marcia Beckett | January 29, 2011 - 8:30 pm |July 5, 2024 first grade, weaving

2 Comments

A colorful pipe cleaner weaving of various yarns on a rectangular frame with a pinecone and holly design near the bottom.

We made this with my first grade class. I took mat board, and the kids stapled their own pipe cleaners to the ends and then weaved in yarn, ribbons and feathers. The kids did a great job on their weavings, but I think I like this technique better.