More 3rd Grade Circle Weavings

I just discovered pictures I hadn't posted before Christmas break!  I love the patterns the students created this year on their looms!!!!  If you haven't seen the others....  

!!!CLICK HERE!!!

Even More 3rd Grade Clay Masks

Here are even more of the 3rd grade clay mask project.  

If you are just tuning in...scroll back and look at the other posts!!  

Hard to tell from the picture...but the owl is actually vertical! The student asked if he could have his mask stand up.....so I told him if he could figure out a way for it to stand up & be stable...GO FOR IT! So he did!! 

Some kids will always go rainbow!!! :)

  I'm sure if I had sparkles..they'd be all over that too!! ha ha

I really love this one...but mostly because it is kind of disturbing(in the best possible way).  The color seems kind of zombie/undeadish..  The black really helped to step up the creep factor!! 

Amazing Kindergarten Pattern

        

I had several good pattern pictures from my kindergarten, but this one really was AMAZING!  I was reviewing patterns...and introducing colored pencils to my students in this project. 

Circle Weavings: 3rd Grade

Hey gang!!  I know I post circle weavings every year...but I never get tired of them! Plus...this year I feel they "LOOK" very different.  We studied African art second nine weeks...patterns/colors/meaning/traditions.  Their weavings were influenced by that study.  

FOR CIRCLE WEAVING INSTRUCTIONS & OTHER EXAMPLES

CLICK THIS LINK!!!

http://www.artwithmre.com/2012/12/circle-weaving-step-by-step-guide-tips.html

Each class had a mandatory color of their choosing (from a list of traditional African colors) & black. They were then allowed to select 3 other colors.  I was not concerned with a set pattern to their yarn colors...just that they would use the same colors over and over.  The background was later colored using the colors(or as close as they could find) that they used in yarn  I feel this year the background were so much more dynamic! 

African Clay Masks: 3rd Grade

I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING I KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF THIS SPACE ABOVE HERE?!?!!?!?  I HAVE NO IDEA WHY IT IS DOING THAT???

This project started at the beginning of the 2nd 9 weeks, but just finished this week!  To kick the unit off, we looked at & discussed African Masks.  We looked at many from different parts of Africa...with many different purposes....and many different designs. We started by drawing our mask out & writing a description of what the meaning of our mask.  The following week students created their mask out of clay.  We went over all the wonderful clay techniques they could use in their masks: texture, addition, subtraction, piercing..etc.  

THEN WE WAITED!  It was a very wet start of the 9 weeks...so the clay took longer to dry than usual.  We moved on to our circle weavings(post coming soon).....so I had plenty of time to allow the clay to dry & fire it.  

This week students have been using oil pastels to "color" their clay.  We use paper towel to really rub the oil pastel into the surface.  

I then dipped the clay into a black paint/water bath.  I used both tempera and acrylic paint to create my "bath"...and it seemed to do the trick.  I had to add water each day(didn't have a closed container) and stir it up...but other than that...it was no problem at all!!  

After giving them time to dry...I'm brushing a quick coat of TEMPERA VARNISH on top.  I love tempera varnish..low odor...not very expensive...great results!!  

Paper Weavings With Patterns: 2nd Grade

So were weaving in 2nd grade.  I like to start with paper weaving to make sure students understand the pattern of weaving strips(before moving onto fabric strips/ribbon).  However, they were so plain...I just wasn't happy with them & felt they didn't look like 2nd grade work.  So this week, we once again looked at African fabrics...pointing out colors, patterns, designs, and such.  The students used construction paper crayons to go back on top of their weavings and make them more interesting.  I LOVE THE RESULT! 

African Masks Painted: 4th Grade

   

If you've been trekkin' with me on the Found Object African Inspired Masks...here are the results of painting.  Part of me would love to give them one more day to "refine" them...but I'm not sure I really have time to do so this nine weeks.  They are fun though...and the kids have REALLY enjoyed them.  Their classroom teachers have been telling me that the kids couldn't wait to get to art this week!!  I love that I've been able to provide a project they are that excited about.  

http://www.artwithmre.com/2014/10/african-inspired-found-object-masks.html

 

LION LANDSCAPES: 1st Grade

We're working on our landscape skills in 1st grade.  With my African theme right now, I thought it would be fun to have a lion as the center piece of the landscape.  Even though I showed the students how to draw a lion...I loved how diverse they came out!  Love my creative kiddos!!!!