This year for me, it was all about using recycled materials. With the grade 2’s and 4’s, we did the birdhouse project (which I had done before in the studio). And with the grade ones, we did a mosaics project.
Bird houses
We used cardboard, sharpies and paint, for the houses. A little glue to create the boxes at the back, and a little plasticine to mold into the lovely residents. The kids blew me away, as they always do, with their unique approaches, their interpretation of the general idea/instruction, and their creative ability to think outside the box.
Mosaics
First thing you have to know is that there are 2 rules for mosaics. Rule one- you must start filling in your shapes from the edges, so that the form has clean, readable lines. Second rule is that the pieces must not touch.
These grade one students understood this right away, and after painting the backs of cereal boxes in different colours, cutting them up into small pieces, drawing large shape drawings on poster paper, the kids were gluing up mosaic masterpieces.
I had the kids divide and conquer; Each child was given one colour, and their task was to paint solid colours which would all end up being shared. The next day, after the dried cardboard was cut into strips, the kids got their scissors out and made short work of them. 10 minutes later the kids were ready to fill in their drawings, piece by piece.
They worked with focus and determination to complete their pictures, and they should be extremely proud of their work! They’re beautiful!