First Grade Spring Art Lessons
Spring presents new opportunities to inspire young students to create imaginative works of art. In the primary grades, students are learning how to communicate feelings and opinions about their environment and interests. They are also developing a sense of understanding about elements of art, color and textures. The new beginnings that Spring represents present opportunities to explore these ideas and pursue these learning goals.
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Flowering Branch Project
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Plants come back to life in the Spring. The Flowering Branch Project celebrates the arrival of Spring and teaches students about the process of plants coming back to life. Collect sticks 12 to 18 inches in length for each student in the class. Provide materials such as tissue paper, pipe cleaners, construction paper and cotton swabs. Instruct students to develop a 3-dimensional model of a budding flower and then a flower in full bloom. Attach the models to the sticks and display them on a bulletin board arranged as the branches of a tree.
Paint How Spring Makes You Feel
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Students can convey their feelings through painting. First graders are learning how to express their feelings in constructive ways. They are also learning about primary and secondary colors and how they are interrelated. Open the windows on a warm day and instruct students to paint how the sounds of Spring make them feel, using only one primary color and its associated secondary colors. Students should be encouraged to communicate why they picked their color and what feelings their painting conveys.
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Sculptures for Mother's Day
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Clay sculptures make memorable gifts. Expanding on the idea of conveying feelings through art, students will create a sculpture that expresses how they feel about their mothers. Clay sculpting is an opportunity for students to learn about form and texture. Students should be provided with a variety of miscellaneous items to imprint textures into the clay that will create unique effects. Once sculptures have been dried to the green-ware stage, they can be painted and then kiln-fired.
Earth Day Montage
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Celebrating Earth Day through art is educational and fun. As part of Earth Day celebrations, have the class work together to create a giant model of planet Earth. Use paper mache and a very large balloon to create the sphere. Dip strips of newsprint in a mixture of one part flour and two parts water, then lay the strips on the balloon in layers. Let the model dry then pop the balloon. Students can then paint the model. Once completed, the model of Earth can be used to decorate the classroom for Earth Day.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit child drawing at home image by Arkady Chubykin from Fotolia.com aple tree springtime buds image by Rybaev from Fotolia.com Children's paintings image by Pink Lion from Fotolia.com Childs work image by Guitar75 from Fotolia.com 3d earth image by Zoltán Pataki from Fotolia.com
