THE ARTS

SOME FATHER'S DAY ACTIVITIES

GRADES: K-6

 

This project is great for Mother's or Father's Day. It's a picture in a frame made of magazine pages. I found it in Better Homes and Gardens.

MATERIALS:

  • magazines
  • pencil
  • glue
  • child's photo
  • cardstock
  • tissue paper

METHOD:

  1. Students tear out colorful pages from the magazine and roll them up around a pencil. Glue securely. (This takes practice!) Make about 10-12
  2. Glue a photo of the child on a piece of cardstock with a border of 1-2 inches.
  3. Trim the rolled pages to size and glue horizontally across the top and vertically on the sides, creating a border.
  4. Wrap with tissue paper and give to mom or dad!
Submitted by,

JANE DONEY
LIBERTY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA
thomdoney@net999.com

MATERIALS:

  • cardboard
  • jigsaw puzzle
  • glue
  • picture of child

METHOD:

  1. Cut out an oval picture frame shape from thin cardboard. The backs of notebooks work well.
  2. Have students randomly glue puzzle pieces to the picture frame. (Don't we all know someone who has a puzzle that's missing a few pieces??)
  3. After it dries, glue a picture of the child so it shows through the frame.
Submitted by,

SUZANNE PATRICK
no school listed
SIDNEY CENTER, NY
patricsu@tri-town.net

The students can make a card and put a slot for these book marks. And they can make it for any man that they like.

MATERIALS:

  • changeables work the best but any markers will do
  • strips of oaktag 2 inches by 8 inches
  • clear contact or if you are lucky a laminating machine

METHOD:

  1. Write your father's name on the front of the bookmark and design with bright colors. On the other side write a message. "Thanks." " I love you" Don't forget to sign your name and the date.
  2. Place on a clear contact paper put another sheet on top and cut around and Voila your permanent bookmark.
  3. Make cards and put a slit in it for your beautiful bookmark.
Submitted by,

SHEILA CURRAN
JHS 198
QUEENS, NY
SMarkus888@aol.com

A MOTHER'S DAY GIFT

GRADES: 5-9

The project is a decorative gift plate. This activity took approximately 45 minutes a day for about 3 days. I actually did this in about 1 1/2 hours with 36 students this year by having everything pre-cut, enough supplies for everyone to work at once, fast-drying paint, etc.

MATERIALS:
  • clear glass plates
  • wrapping paper with flower design
  • gold/silver foil doilies
  • glue
  • acrylic paint or craft-type spray paint
  • high-gloss spray glaze

METHOD:

  1. Find clear glass plates - salad or dessert size. We have a store here called Lechters that carries kitchen items. They sell the salad plates for $.99 each.
  2. Buy pretty wrapping paper - something with flowers is nice. Cut out circles the size of the plate.
  3. Use gold/silver foil doilies & have kids cut out little "lace" pieces to glue onto the front of the wrapping paper circles - designs, around the edges, etc.
  4. Using a paintbrush (I have sponge brushes the kids use), carefully "paint" the front of the paper circle with clear-drying glue. Elmer's white glue works OK if you don't get it too thick. They also make a clear craft glue now. Glue the paper to the back of the plate. (The design will show through the front of the plate). Starting in the center, smooth the paper carefully & make sure all edges are glued down well. Sometimes you have to make some creases or folds to get the paper down well as it gets close to the edges.
  5. When dry, paint the back of the plate with water-based acrylic paint or a craft-type spray paint. (rose, pink, purple are nice & usually match the wrapping paper).
  6. When dry, have students sign their names & date the plate with Sharpie markers.
  7. Spray the back of the plate with a couple of coats of high-gloss glaze spray. (Located with spray paint in a craft store).
  8. For about $2 you can usually buy a cheap plate stand to include with the plate. Otherwise, you can lower the cost per student if you just let them get their own. Someone suggested that I might be able to find them at a 99-cent store, but I haven't looked.

We just made these this week because we have a special Tea for all the mothers. It gives the kids a chance to dress up & practice their formal manners! The moms love it - all the kids read a letter that they write to their moms about why they're special & I have a couple of "special" things like a band ensemble, skit, song, etc.

Submitted by,

C. DAMIGO
LIBERTY BAPTIST SCHOOL
SAN JOSE, CA
TheDamigos@aol.com

ARTS THROUGH THE DECADES

GRADES: 5-12

This fine arts activity is designed enhance US History. The lesson is used in conjunction with historical study of the 20th Century.

MATERIALS:

  • computers with Internet access
  • library materials

METHOD:

  1. Divide students into four groups.
  2. Assign or let each group choose one of the four fine art topics, Music, Arts, Fashion, and Literature.
  3. Using the websites below and resources from the school media center each group will research and create a 15-minute presentation for the class.
  4. Groups and topics will change through each decade. For example, if one group did fashions of the 1910's, they would do art, literature or music for the 1920's, etc.
  5. Visual and audio aides are required from each group.
  6. Websites:
Submitted by,

SANDRA MCGEHEE
MATTAWAN HIGH SCHOOL
MATTAWAN, MI
smcgehee127@hotmail.com

CHALK FLOWERS

GRADES: 1-4

MATERIALS:

  • 9 X 12 white paper
  • pencils
  • chalk pastels
  • black crayon
  • yellow construction paper

METHOD:

  1. You take a 9x12 piece of white paper and using a pencil, divide it up into small sections (just an abstract design).
  2. Then you color each section with brightly colored paper chalk (some people call them chalk pastels).
  3. After that, you color very darkly and heavily over the design with a black crayon.
  4. On a second piece of 9x12 white paper, draw the outline of a very large flower (butterfly, or whatever).
  5. Place this paper directly over the one with the black crayon, and tape the edges to keep the sheets from shifting.
  6. With a pencil, darkly and heavily color in the outline of flower.
  7. When you pull the two pages apart, you will find that the image of the colored-in outline has lifted the crayon off of the first page, leaving a very colorful flower.
  8. You can add black details to make it more interesting.
  9. Also, the second page has the black crayon flower with an overlay of the chalk showing.
  10. I had the student color the background of this one to represent the sky.
  11. I then off-set the two images on yellow construction paper to display on a bulletin board. It's quite striking....and even my least artistic students produced something that I would be proud to frame.
Submitted by,

MARYKE WHINFIELD
no school listed
no city listed
marykewhinfield@sympatico.ca

HOT AIR BALLOONS

GRADES: K - 3

MATERIALS:

  • small paper plates
  • 9" x 12" white paper
  • glue
  • watercolor markers

METHOD:

  1. Students will discuss hot air balloons and what makes them fly.
  2. Then students will begin to create their picture. First, they will glue the small paper plate almost to the top of their paper.
  3. They will very carefully glue on the outside rim of the paper plate.
  4. Next, they will stick the paper plate to their paper. The paper plate will be the balloon part of the hot air balloon.
  5. Next, students will draw the lines (ropes) that connect the balloon to the basket from the top of the paper plate down to the bottom.
  6. Then, they will draw the basket and connect the lines to it.
  7. To finish their paper, the students can draw and color people in the basket, the landscape the hot air balloon is flying over and the sky.
  8. They may even draw some more smaller hot air balloons in the distance.
Submitted by

JUDITH WALSH
DRIVER AND FLORENCE BOWSER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
SUFFOLK, VA
Rtcha2@aol.com

 

 
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