Tissue Paper Dragon Mural

Every few years I pull out this lesson for my first and second grade students. This year, we assembled our dragons together to create a mural. (I'm channeling my favorite art teacher over at Painted Paper here!). Tissue paper is so much fun to work with and despite it being flimsy and light, the organic nature of this project tends to be satisfying and not at all frustrating. You can pick any subject matter for this project. I was inspired by the new movie "How to Train Your Dragon" and I thought the kids might be as well.

The process is simple. Tear tissue paper and brush liquid starch (laundry aisle of grocery store), watered-down Mod-Podge or even watered-down glue to paper.

After the piece dries, the kids use oil pastels to create an outline, add details like scales and teeth.

Cut out to paste onto a huge mural. This was a quick, satisfying and colorful project.
Can't ask for more!

Tissue Paper Dragons

Here is a fun and very easy art project for any age and for anytime of the year. You can vary the subject matter to feature anything you like (flowers, boats, cats, dinosaurs, etc.).

The supply list is simple: tissue paper and some liquid starch.
The challenge here is to have the children think visually, not worry about creating a perfect dragon and basically, have fun with the cool textures of tissue paper and the starch.

To start, tear a piece of tissue paper in the shape of a dragon head. Of course, everyone's shape will look different. Now, dip a paint brush into a bowl of liquid starch (yes, the kind you find in the detergent aisle of the grocery store) and apply a little bit to the paper where you intend to place the head. Set down the "head" and brush again with the starch. Continue along this route with the body, tail, legs, spikes, etc. Smooth down any dry or rough patches with more starch.
Once dry, you can place the artwork between two heavy books to flatten out the piece.
If you want, you can draw a black line around the figure to create a more distinct picture. You can even add details like eyes or scales.

Tissue Paper Butterflies

I've certainly gotten my money's worth out of this project. My popular Symmetrical Butterflies lesson for third grade got simplified for my little Kinders. Instead of painting with glitter paint, the Kinders used Mod Podge (liquid starch is another good option) and tissue paper to decorate their symmetrical butterflies. I thought they did a terrific job!

Collage Snowman Kindergarten Art Lesson

My kindergarten class had a terrific time creating their collage snowmen. It's a very simple lesson to do with this age group. You'll need two 30 minute sessions:

First session:
Cut small pieces of tissue paper into small pieces (violet, blue, pink and any other cool colors) and arrange on trays. Set tray in the middle of table for each group of kids. Demonstrate how to apply tissue paper to 9 x 11 white or light blue paper using liquid starch and a small brush. Encourage the kids to add tissue paper even to the edges-they can be trimmed later.

Second session: Put out a few colors of tempera paint (white, light blue, red, orange, black) and demonstrate how the kids might draw a snowmen. They have their own ideas, so I usually don't force them to stick with the three-circle theory!
Final detail: hand out a few sequins or snowflake shaped sequins to add on with white glue.

Results: Totally charming!


Foothill School Mrs. Feeley and Mrs. Scott's K class