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Seasoning the School Year
Art Procedures
Summer
Summer Banners (Day 3) Read the In the Summer class book you made. Briefly discuss things that happen in the summer. Then, hand out white copier paper and have the class members each draw a “summer” picture. Have students glue the pictures onto the top half of a piece of 12 x 18 inch red construction paper. Kids dictate to an adult about summer, and words are written on the bottom of the red paper. Hang the banners around the room.
Sunflowers (Day 4) Visit the sunflower garden, conveniently planted by last year’s third grade class. (You could grow a sunflower in a flowerpot or bucket that you could bring into the room, or just bring in a cut sunflower.) Back in the room, talk about the sunflower and how it looks with the brown center and the yellow petals around it. Each student then makes a paper sunflower. You will need:
- 8-inch circle copied onto brown construction paper
- Precut yellow construction paper triangles (about 1 inch at the base, 2 inches tall)
- Glue sticks
- Scissors
- Pencils
Cut out the brown circles. Tell students to write their names on the backs of the circles and glue the yellow triangles around the back edge of the circles to make the petals. Put the sunflowers on bulletin board for “summer.”
Fall
Fall Banners (Days 3 and 4) Banners for fall, winter, and spring are two-sided and take two days each to complete.
On Day 3, sit in a circle on the carpet and share leaves that were brought in for homework. Discuss the size differences, the shape differences, whether they are brittle or soft, and so forth. You can even make a graph of how many of each size leaf or each shape leaf the class brought. The leaves are used in the creation of side one of your fall banners. Set this up as a center. You will need:
- 12 x 18 inch pieces of orange butcher paper
- Tempera paints—orange, red, yellow, brown, and green
- Sponge pieces for sponge painting
- Clothespins to hold the sponges so fingers stay a bit cleaner
- Trays for the paint
- Paint shirts
- Leaves the students brought
To demonstrate, choose one piece of the butcher paper and write your name on the edge of one side. Get one leaf. Place the leaf onto the butcher paper. Choose a color of paint. Use the sponge to go up and down all around the edges of the leaf, making the outline in paint. Remove the leaf. Choose another leaf and another color of paint. Repeat. The requirement is three leaves. Leaves can be reused if someone forgets theirs. Leaves can even be rinsed off and used again for a PM group, if needed. Have an adult supervise while kids work, two to four students at a time, painting. Hang painted banners so paint can dry overnight.
On Day 4, sit as a group and talk about fall for a couple of minutes, how things are changing, and so forth. Then model doing the second side of the banner. You will need:
- Construction paper in various fall leaf colors
- Tissue paper in various fall colors cut into 1 x 12 inch strips
- Scissors
- Pencils
- Glue
- Banners
- Leaf patterns of various sizes made out of tag board and varying from 3 to 6 inches in size
To demonstrate, using the leaf patterns, trace and cut out three different leaves. Get the banner you painted the previous day. Glue the construction paper leaves onto the unpainted side of the banner. Leave some time for this to dry. Staple the tissue paper strips across the bottom edge of the banner so they hang nicely. Hang the banners around the room.
Fall Leaves (Day 5) Read the In the Fall class book to the class. Discuss how the leaves are changing colors and falling. Have large, precut, construction paper leaves, one per student. This is another sponge-painting activity. Sponge paint with one color, then another, and then a third. Colors should overlap. Emphasize to students to use an “up and down NOT rubbing” technique. Do the activity as a center, with four kids at a time, using fall colors of paint. Have kids write their names on the stem. Make a “tree” shape—branches and trunk—on the bulletin board and put all the fall leaves on it.
Winter
Winter Banners (Days 3 and 4) On Day 3, set up the banner project as a center. You will need:
- 12 x 18 inch pieces of dark blue construction paper
- White tempera paint
- Paint shirts
- Marked-out space on a table
Use masking tape to tape off an area that is basically the size of the construction paper. To demonstrate, choose one piece of the construction paper and write your name on the edge of one side. Squeeze out some white paint onto the marked-out area of the table. Spread it around with your fingers. You can even draw snowflakes, snow people, and so forth with your fingers in the paint. When your design looks “perfect,” place your blue paper down on it and gently rub across the paper. Pick up the paper and your picture is ready to hang to dry. Have an adult supervise, while kids work, two at a time. Hang painted banners so paint can dry overnight.
On Day 4, sit as a group and talk about winter for a couple of minutes, how things have changed, and so forth. Then, model doing the second side of the banner. You will need:
- Plastic trash bags cut into 1 x 6 inch strips
- Scissors
- White crayons
- Glue
- Banners
- Glitter
- Trays for catching extra glitter
Use scissors to cut out around the paint on the first side of the banner. Make sure the name gets rewritten, if necessary. Use the white crayon to draw “winter” things on this side of the banner. Use a thin line of glue to trace over the drawings. Put in a glitter tub and sprinkle glitter on the glue shapes. Shake off the extra. Leave some time for these to dry. Staple the trash bag strips across the bottom edge of the banner so they hang nicely. Hang the banners around the room.
Snowflakes (Day 7) Read the In the Winter class book to the class. Discuss how the weather has changed, how the weather has gotten colder, and so forth. To make snowflakes, you will need:
- Precut tissue paper circles in 4 and 7 inch sizes
- Scissors
Show students how to fold the circles in half (like a taco) and in half again (like a pizza slice), then cut out shapes on the edges and open them up to be snowflakes. Put these on the bulletin board around the tree.
Spring
Spring Banners (Days 3 and 4) On Day 3, sit in a circle on the carpet and share the pictures students made for homework. See who chose the same thing. What is something different? Use these as a springboard for the creation of the first side of the spring banners. You will need:
- 12 x 18 inch pieces of pink construction paper
- Watercolor paint sets
- Cups of water
- Paper towels to use as blotters for extra water
- Paint shirts
To demonstrate, take a piece of the construction paper and write your name on the edge of one side. Use the watercolor paints to paint a “spring” scene on one side of the banner. When the painted banners are no longer drippy, hang them so the paint can dry overnight.
On Day 4, sit as a group and talk about spring for a couple of minutes, how things are changing, the flowers students can see, and so forth. Then, model doing the second side of the banner. You will need:
- Construction paper in various spring flower colors
- 1 x 12 inch tissue paper strips in various pastel spring colors
- Scissors
- Pencils
- Glue
- Banners
- Flower patterns of various types, made from tag board
Tulips and daisies are easy to make. To demonstrate, use the flower patterns. Trace and cut out three different flowers. Get the banner you painted the previous day. Glue the construction paper flowers onto the unpainted side of the banner. Leave some time for this to dry. Staple the tissue paper strips across the bottom edge of the banner so they hang nicely. Hang the banners around the room.
Spring Flowers (Day 5) Read the In the Spring class book to the class. Discuss how the trees are getting blossoms. You will need:
- Precut daisy flower shape for each student
- White and pink tempera paint
- 12-inch long piece of waxed paper for each student
Have students write their names on the backs of the flowers. Then, cover a table with newspaper and have additional newspaper ready to cover up paint spots as they occur. Put a tablespoon-sized blob of white tempera paint in the middle of the student’s flower. Add a few drops of pink paint. Cover with waxed paper. Use fingers to “smoosh” the paint out to the edges of the flower petals. Throw away the waxed paper. Hang the flowers to dry. Put these up on the bulletin board’s tree.
Four Seasons—Suggestions
Fall Tie this unit to “harvest” and take a field trip to a farm. Do pumpkin and/or apple math. Have an apple tasting event. Make apple and/or vegetable prints. Do pumpkin and/or apple growth sequence books or projects. Do a rainy day class book—have students draw self-portraits (using crayons) of what they look like when they come to school on a rainy day, and then do a gray paint/water wash over the picture.
Winter Make white paper snowflakes and glitter them. Hang them in the room. Make snow people, adding scarves, hats, and so forth. Study hibernation. Do projects on the poem Mitten Weather—paint mittens that are symmetrical and learn the poem. Do projects on the book The Mitten—sew around paper mittens; color, cut out, and add the animals; and retell the story. Paint self-portraits of how students dress and look on a snowy day.
Spring Paint BIG flowers on butcher paper using fluorescent paint, and make butterflies out of paper (wings—paint symmetrically) and egg cartons (body).
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