Easy Art Projects for School Groups
Incorporating art activities in a school group can be enriching for the students involved. The U.S. Department of Education lauds art education's role in a student's overall development, pointing out its benefits as both a creative outlet for students and a way to improve students' logical and creative thinking skills in other subjects. Take advantage of these benefits by creating easy art projects for school groups.
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Paper Plate Dioramas
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This spin on the traditional diorama lets school groups create artistic presentations of ideas. The circular plates act as a sort of porthole, giving a visual variety not found in the shoe-box dioramas that are usually made. Students cut out the inner circle of a paper plate, then tape or glue the plate to another plate with the front sides together; the student can then paint the plates and glue in cut-outs to create a scene. This activity can be adjusted to cater to any school group--a student government group might display photos from successfully planned activities, while a book club can recreate famous scenes from literature.
Memory Necklace
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This art project creates a memorable thank-you gift for guests or volunteers. Each student paints or decoupages a few wooden beads, which are then strung together to form a necklace. Another option is for students to decoupage photos or tissue paper on wooden disks that have drilled holes in them, creating a display of photos and event-themed papers that commemorate an event. This is a wearable alternative to traditional scrapbooks or photo albums that will preserve memories of a school group's accomplishments for years to come.
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Photo Collage
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Hand out disposable cameras to small teams of school group members for this mixed media art project. Set a theme and have the teams take pictures around the school grounds or at school events. When they are finished, the developed photos can be cut up and glued onto a poster board to create a collage that has a contribution from each member's point of view. Encourage participants to incorporate other items in the collage, such as newspaper clippings, magazine snippets or hand-painted illustrations.
The Exquisite Corpse
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The "exquisite corpse" art project is ideal for groups of three or four. This experiment in art has several participants drawing parts of a body without seeing what the other participants have drawn. A group member starts off by drawing the head of a person or creature in secret. They then fold over the paper so just the bottom of their drawing is showing and pass it to the next participant to draw the neck or torso. This continues until the last person draws the creature's feet. At the end of the project, the paper is unfolded and the result displayed. The final "exquisite corpse" can be anything from silly to surprisingly impressive.
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References
- Photo Credit paint brushes image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
