Sock Monkey Art Lesson

Aren't these the most adorable things you've ever seen? I spotted a Sock Monkey Calendar at Border's bookstore and knew the colorful photographs would make an outstanding art lesson. I mean who doesn't like these nostalgic toys? The lesson is easy and introduces a new technique for my students: paint scratching. The collage aspect of this lesson fills the much needed desire for kids to cut, paste and create.

Supplies:

• 12 x 18" colored Tru-Ray Sulphite paper (construction paper)
• Black oil pastel
• Palette of brown, white and red tempera paint
• colored yarn, ric-rac, pom-poms, googly eyes, painted paper or paper scraps, buttons...anything decorative!

Step One: Drawing the Monkey
I use a directed line drawing approach to this art lesson figuring it never hurts to have a good base for all the decorative fun that's coming in step three! No need for elaborate instructions as you can see the drawing is quite easy:

1. Draw two dots for eyes
2. below the "eyes" draw a large ovals on its side. Then draw another larger oval around that. Add a line in the middle for the mouth.
3. Starting at the outside oval on the left hand side, draw a line up and around to the other side of the oval. This will become the head.
4. Draw a curved line at the top of the head to mimic toe reinforcements.
5. Add two ears to the side of the head.
6. Draw a simple body and skinny arms.

Step Two: Painting the "reinforcements"
Using white tempera paint (do not wet brushes), paint the mouth and the top of the head with white paint. Let dry slightly and then paint over the white area with brown or black paint. The paint in this picture looks purple, huh? It's really brown.Turn the brush around and with the tip, scratch lines away to mimic ribbing. Tip: Do not let brown paint dry. It's critical that the wet brown paint slide right over the dried white paint. Kids love this part!
Finish painting the body with brown or even gray paint (use the double-load technique with the black and white paint).
Then, use an oil pastel to trace over all painted black lines.

I love how this student used strands of yarn to create his own pom-poms. The picture on the right shows some great eye detail.

Step Three: Decorate your Sock Monkey
Set out tray fulls of embellishments and demonstrate a few easy ways to decorate the sock monkey. I show options for eyes, show how to cut a piece of paper to fit the head and even make simple pom-poms.
This is truly the best part of the lesson. Kids enjoy the process of experimenting and coming up with the most unique monkey. Third Grade Results!

Cardinals in Winter Art Lesson

I believe this idea originated from the fabulous Painted Paper Flicker Stream, although it may have come from a link. I'm terrible at organizing my bookmarks, so I apologize to the creator of this beautiful lesson. My second and third graders did this lesson, but it would be appropriate for fourth grade as well. It's very easy considering how stunning it is. I didn't create a handout for this lesson because you really don't need one; just a quick demonstration on the whiteboard is enough to get the kids drawing.

Supplies:

• 12" x 18" white paper
• Blue metallic tempera paint (Michael's craft store will have this paint)
• Pencil
• Black, red, yellow and white tempera paint
• Q-tips for snow

This is the picture I used sourced from the internet as an example of a cardinal. Explain however, that it's not necessary to draw the entire body, just the head and neck area.
After drawing the bird in pencil (yes, pencil! No eraser though), draw branches and lines for twigs. Set out the metallic blue paint and paint the background first.
After painting the blue background, paint the red cardinal, then the yellow beak, brown twigs and then finally, the black mask and outline. Final step: snowflakes using a q-tip dipped in white paint.
Second and Third Grade Results!

Poinsettia Plant Multi-Media for Third Grade

My third grade students completed this project before Christmas, but with the holiday break, I forgot to post it. The project is as about as easy as you can get. The only area of "struggle" was cutting out the pot. Despite it's challenges, this component of the project provides a valuable opportunity to understand symmetry.
Supplies:
12" x 18" white construction/sulphite paper
12" x 18" Black construction paper
Tempera Paints (I selected red, yellow, rose, white, etc)
Sponges cut in "petal" shapes
6" x 6" colored construction paper
Paint brushes
Yellow or orange tempera paint
Gold metallic tempera paint
Tissue paper
Scissors
White School glue
Glitter

Step One: Stamping the Petals
With a paint brush, add the centers of the flowers on the top section of the white paper. The kids can use the backs of the brushes for small dots, or paint larger circles with the bristles.
Using a paintbrush, paint desired color onto a sponge. As the kids get good at this, let them experiment by adding two or more colors to the sponge. One color at the tip, another at the bottom, etc. Most likely, they'll ask before you suggest it.

Press painted sponge gently on paper, pointing tip of sponge towards the center of the flower. Keep going. The paint will begin to weaken after the third or fourth press.

Step Two: Making the Vase
While the poinsettia's dry (I usually put these aside for the next class), bring out the supplies to make the vase.
To make the pot symmetrical, fold the square of paper in half. Now this part is tricky. (I'd recommend trying this yourself so you can pick the right verbiage to teach the kids.)
Start at the bottom of the folded paper (left hand holding the paper and right hand holding scissors), begin the cut in the middle of the bottom edge. Cut upwards and on an angle. You might find it easier to cut the notch of the pot out first, then cut the diagonal line.
Open up the fold and you have a perfect pot!
Using a small sponge, dab gold metallic paint onto Vase surface. Let dry.

Step Three: Adding Tissue Paper to the pot
Gently fold small squares of tissue paper and tape or glue onto the backs of the pot. The tissue paper should ruffle slightly when the pot is turned over.

Step Four: Putting all the pieces together

Now that the poinsettias are dry, cut around the flowers. If a flower is not connected to any of the others and you end up with more than one piece, no problem. The goal is to glue them back together onto a piece of black construction paper.

Glue the flower section to the black paper and then glue the pot with the tissue paper. For an added feature, my students outlined selected areas of their flowers (the dots, the stems, etc) with white glue and we added glitter.
This added a nice holiday touch and a much needed sparkle to our classroom!

Third Grade Results!

Fish Printing Project

Here's a quick lesson that will only take about one hour to do. It requires a supply of foam, so either purchased the foam sheets from your favorite art catalog or recycle the foam lunch trays or even meat trays from home.

Step One:Painting the Background

I used glitter liquid watercolors for this project but any paint would do, even a nice even coat of tempera. In any case, set out one color and a few large wash brushes and ask the students to lay a wash over the entire sheet of watercolor paper (size is up to you). If you use tempera paints, water them down significantly and use just one color. Set aside to dry (about ten minutes for watercolor).

Step Two: Etching the Fish Design

Hand a small piece of foam to each child (approx 2" x 4"). Draw a fish along the entire length or foam. Add scales, eye, designs, etc. Then, with a dull pencil, push down all of the foam surrounding the fish. This takes a bit of time.

Step Three: Printing the Fish

Place a palette of blue tempera paints of the table. I selected greens, blues, whites and purples.
With a dry brush, apply paint to foam fish and gently press the fish onto the watercolor paper. if your foam is thin like mine, encourage the kids to tap gently instead of rubbing so the fish won't move or smear.

Step Four: Repeat Fish Print

Encourage the kids to overlap their fish and point them in the same direction so they look like a school of fish.
Third Grade Results!