Sail Boats

Adaptive Art
3 Class Periods

Adaptive Art Lesson, Sail Boats

Day 1: 
Fold a piece of 12 x 18 inch white paper in half lengthwise.  Using a mixture of blue liquid tempera and modeling paste have students paint the paper blue.  Students can use texture tools or their hands to drag through the paint to create designs.  Discuss how these marks can resemble ripples or waves in the water.  Have students place paintings on drying rack.

Adaptations:
Placing a small rolled up piece of masking tape underneath the paper will keep it from sliding as the students paint.  Sponges or hands could be used instead of paint brushes.  For students that are sensitive to textures on their hands, gloves may be worn.

Day 2:
Keeping the paper folded, flip the paper over so that students can paint the sky.  On a tray place red and yellow paint.  Allow the students to mix the colors to create orange. Have students paint the sky orange using once again their hands or texture tools to create designs in the sky.  Have students place paintings on drying rack.

Adaptations:
Placing a small rolled up piece of masking tape underneath the paper will keep it from sliding as the students paint.  Sponges or hands could be used instead of paint brushes.  For students that are sensitive to textures on their hands, gloves may be worn.

Day 3:
Using paper of various colors and patterns show students how to cut out triangle and rectangle shapes to create the boats for their compositions.  Have students glue boats in place.

Adaptations:
Triangle and rectangle pieces can be cut out ahead of time for students.  When applying glue, glue sticks work best.  Students that have difficulties applying pressure required for a glue stick could paint glue on their pieces with a brush before sticking it to the composition.

Student Examples:

Thiebaud Cupcakes

Fifth Grade
3 Class Period

Thiebaud Cupcakes, Fifth Grade Art Lesson

Here is another spin on a lesson that I use to do with my sixth grade students.  This time I taught it to my fifth grade students and due to time restraints I shortened the lesson by having them only concentrate on drawing one cupcake. Tempera paint and water soluble oil pastels were used to create these delicious masterpieces.   The original lesson and information about the artist studied can be found on my blog post titled  Wayne Thiebaud Cupcakes.

Examples of Student Work:

Esprit de She 50th & France 5K Run

My sister, myself and my cousin.

Summer is flying by fast!  I just completed another race last Thursday.  It was called Esprit de She 50th & France 5K Run in MN.  I had a pretty good race time and a lot of fun hanging out with my family.

Here are some more pictures of my sister and I.  Did I mention, she talked me into doing a FULL MARATHON this fall!?  It will be interesting to see how I juggle the start of the school year with my training schedule, but it is the chance of a life time to do something so neat with my sister.

Fish Bubbles

Adaptive Art
2 Day Lesson

Adaptive Art, Fish Bubbles

Day 1:  Have students color paper plates with oil pastels in colors of orange, yellow, red and white.  Using tempera paint have stuents paint the paper plate.  Discuss with students how the oil pastel creates a resist with the paint.

Adaptations:  Using an oil pastel that is larger in size will help with grasp (Crayola make a chubbier brand).  Placing a small piece of rolled masking tape under the paper plate will help it stay in one spot as the student paints the piece.

Day 2:  I had the triangle pre-cut fromt he paper plate before the students arrived.  Have students follow along in a step by step demonstration on how to create the fish composition.  Sand was sprinkled on the bottom of the piece and bubbles were created with liquid tempera paint.  Discuss overlapping, texture, and collage with the students as they work.

Adaptations:  Using a paint/foam brush, students can more easily place glue on paper pieces.  Placing sand in an old mustard container allows sand to flow easily onto paper.  Spring loaded scissors can also aide in cutting if you have students capable of cutting their own pieces for this project.

Student Examples:

 

Stamped Cats

Adaptive Art
2 Day Lesson

Adaptive Art, Stamped Cat

Day 1:  Using liquid tempera, have students stamp patterns onto various pieces of colored construction paper.  Discuss patterns, color, and designs as they work.

Adaptations:  Having the stamp glued to a slightly larger wooden block with a handle attached, can make finger grasping easier.

Day 2:  I had all the pieces pre-cut to the sizes we needed for this project.  Have students glue pieces together to form the cat.  Discuss the shapes they are gluing and how they come together to create a new form.

Adaptations:  Using a paint/foam brush, students can more easily place glue on paper pieces.  Spring loaded scissors can also aide in cutting if you have students capable of cutting their own pieces for this project.

Student Examples: