Dia de los Muertos: Fifth Grade Tin Ornaments

This project goes waaaaaaay back to the days of my undergrad back at EIU.  I remember attending a workshop at the Tarble Arts Center where we made some tin ornaments inspired by Mexican Folk Artists.   It was kind of involved.  I remember using tin snips, sharp edges, and the colors we used were stinky and intense.  I totally modified over the years for fifth grade.

This lesson was an integration of our Hispanic Heritage Month and Day of the Dead Studies.  In the past I would also integrate with the students' studies of anatomy, but I do not even know what grade they teach that in anymore.

Yes, corner sun.  That is how you get  used as an example on this blog.

Students drew their festive skeleton on paper first.  We taped our paper to thin aluminum and traced our pencil lines.  We had newspaper place mats underneath to give the metal some give.  Then, we used a plastic stylus and traced one. more. time. directly onto the metal. We added a decorative border and colored with sharpies.  Finally, we added a fun mat of construction paper and GLITTER!

Dia de los Muertos: Fourth Grade Sugar Skull Portraits

To coincide with our studies of Day of the Dead & Hispanic Heritage Month, fourth grade made these awesome sugar skull portraits.  

I totally stole the lesson from Deep Space Sparkle, and I was not disappointed.  What I loved most about this lesson was that every child succeeded and enjoyed the project so much. The glitter was out of this world, and the only complaint was that I left the tub of "used" glitter by my desk and when the kids walked by during the Halloween parade they kept putting their hands in it.  It is really hard to resist sticking your hands in a tub of glitter.

Dia de los Muertos: Third Grade Relief Prints

Third - Fifth grade learned about Day of the Dead with the help of our social worker and our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

After Ms. Suarez discussed the actual holiday and answered the students' questions, I went through a brief PowerPoint presentation of pictures I pulled of calaveras, tin ornaments, & sugar skulls.  We discussed the art, the techniques, and picked out elements and principles.

We also watched a few YouTube Videos:
Dia de los Muertos:  A brief overview
and a very touching little short,
Dia de los Muertos

I wanted each grade level at my intermediate school to do a different lesson, but I wanted to keep it curriculum and grade level appropriate.  I was inspired by the etching La Calavera Catrina and taught relief printmaking with foam sheets to third grade.

With only 10 students in one of my 3rd grades, printing day was fun!  They each made a series of five prints.  They chose their favorite the following week and made a decorative patterned border.

Dia de los Muertos: Our Hispanic Heritage Month Integration and my Halloween Costume

The last few weeks leading up to the Day of Dead my classes have been working on projects to commemorate the holiday.  Our school social worker, Ms. Suarez, spearheaded a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at our school.  Each morning over the announcements she read a brief biography of a significant Hispanic person and gave us the Spanish word of the day!  It was pretty fun.

To integrate with art, Ms. Suarez came into each class and gave a brief overview of the holiday.  We looked at photos of celebrations, and Ms. Suarez was able to answer any questions the kids might have about the day.

Then, I took over and we looked at Calavaras, tin ornaments, and etchings and we talked about the art of Day of the Dead.  Each class had their own dedicated project and we finished our display just in time for the Nov. 1st weekend!

Whenever I see photos of my classroom, I get happy at how awesome it looks.

On Halloween, we got to dress-up!  I made a calavera - sugar skull mask and a flower and veil headdress.  The kids were amazed and creeped out.  Unfortunately, I lost the school costume contest to Doc McStuffins, but I did get featured in Cassie Stephen's Blog!

Easy & Inexpensive projects that bring art to the streets: Street Fair Art Links Round-up

Make Music Day - Drums, & Ukuleles

Cardboard Tube Maracas

Cardboard Tube Owls

Cardboard Tube Cuffs

Egg Carton Goggles

Coffee Filter Everything

Paper Bag Hats

Easy and inexpensive projects that take art to the streets: The best one!! Paper Bag Hats

This was the most amazing Street Fair project I did this summer.  I had been asking friends and family for months to save recyclables for me in anticipation of Street Fair art, but the best was my super surplus of bags from Trader Joe's.

I originally saw another art teacher make paper bag hats with kindergartners a million years ago.  I always loved tem and often replicate the adorable hats by having the kids fold them.  I knew that would get costly, and be a little hectic to do at Westmont's Street Fair.

We began by turning the bags inside out and tight rolling them up to fit kids' heads. I brought streamers, scraps, cupcake cups, markers and die cuts to decorate them.  Everyone enjoyed making their hat, and I loved seeing people walk around wearing bags on their heads!

Easy & inexpensive projects that bring art to the street: Coffee filter everything

This summer I worked the Westmont Street Fair promoting my art studio.  I had to come up with some easy & inexpensive projects kids would find engaging and they could complete quickly.  I found a great go-to in coffee filters.

I set up my table with crayola markers and helped kids fold their coffee filter into 4ths.  They drew, colored, & designed one quarter of the folded filter.  They moved to the other end of the table where they placed the folded filter on a towel and sprayed both sides with water.  I had the kids mount the projects onto construction paper and they looked cool.  

Even though the end results were pretty awesome, the process was also really enjoyable.  My 6 year old wanted to keep making more and more and more at home!

Here are some pictures from the Clarendon Hills Park District Fall Fest.  I brought back the coffee filter idea and we turned them into pumpkins!

This pumpkin weighed 400lbs!  The Park District was raffling it off with the disclaimer that whoever won it would have to move it!

Easy & Inexpensive Projects that take art to the streets: Egg Carton Goggles

We learned early on that the kids at the Street Fair liked art projects they could wear.  Thus, Egg Carton Goggles were born!  Every Thursday night this summer I set up shop in downtown Westmont for their Street Fair.  I was promoting my art studio, and bringing art to the community.

This project had a few tricky parts to it, but was a success.  My friend Val and I cut apart a bunch of egg cartons, cut out eye holes, and stapled strings to the side.  When kids came up to the table, they could decorate with paper, glue, scraps, Sharpies, googley eyes, and cellophane.  Everyone looked awesome. I miss summer.

Easy and inexpensive projects that bring art to the streets: TP tube cuffs & a rant on street fair art.

Every Thursday this summer I set up shop in downtown Westmont for their Street Fair.  I had to come up with a bunch of unique and cheap projects that kids could do while standing at my table as their parents waited.  

As an art teacher, these walk-up art project tables always drive me crazy.  Sometimes the projects are so lame (Oriental Trading Company Foam Frame anyone?) Or, they were created and presented by someone who has never taught a child, has no children, or has no concept of a child's development.

I do not want to watch my child paint with acrylics without a smock at a street fair.  I do not want to carry around a pom-pom'd, chenille stemmed, feather sculpture that is dripping with glue.  I do not want my kid standing at the table for 25 minutes, and I do not want my kid standing there doing a coloring page.

I tried to take this into consideration with every little mini-project I developed. Here is my third project in the series:  TP tube cuffs.  The adults liked this one too!

Easy and Inexpensive projects that bring art to the streets: TP tube Owls

I spent most Thursday evenings this summer working the Westmont Street Fair.  I had the opportunity to teach a fun mini project to lots and lots of kids while promoting my new art studio.

All the projects had to use cheap materials, since I would sometimes have over 200 kids come visit me!

One week we made toilet paper tube owls!  They were so cute!  There are a TON of things you can do with toilet paper tubes.  We also made toilet paper tube maracas.

Did you know you could buy toilet paper tubes?  Ugh, yeah, I saw them at the Hobby Lobby and made my daughter pose with them.  I've been lambasting the very idea of them ever since, but another mom told me it might be handy for those last minute people who haven't been saving them.  I think it would be cheaper to buy the toilet paper.

I like my sketchbooks like I like my dinner: Cheap & Easy!

Third - Fifth grade make and keep their own sketchbooks in the art room for the entire year. Their

sketchbooks hold mini lessons, assignment pages, and rubrics.  I always wanted something to hold their papers, but would also give them the opportunity to add projects, sketch, & color.

Several years ago a brilliant colleague of mine suggested using prong fasteners with a 2 hole

punch.  I now 2-hole punch every handout, worksheet, & mini lesson I pass out.  The students learned quickly how to open and close their prong fastener. We decorate our covers (usually heavy tag) and do not have a back cover.  We just open the prongs and add new sheets as we get them.

yes, I chose this sketchbook because of the corner sun.

Free Color Wheel coloring download with lines that do not make any sense!

I do not know what I ever used this thing for, but it is kind of fun, and it is a cool free download! Knock your socks off with this crazy color wheel with lines that do not make any sense!

A Collection of Corner Suns!

I've been collecting photos of corner suns whenever I see them.  Here's the Master Post!
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