Elementary Art Projects on Black History
Black History Month, in February, is a time to remember and honor the often overlooked black pioneers of history. Art projects are an excellent way to engage with elementary-age students about important black figures in history and teach about black history in an easy-to-understand way. There are numerous picture books about black history that are perfect for pairing with an art project and aimed at elementary school children.
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Senufo Drawings
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Senufo paintings are a traditional type of African art that is characterized by its use of highly stylized drawings of masked people and animals. Introduce your students to Senufo paintings by showing them images of traditional Senufo paintings or reading from an illustrated book such as "Senufo: Visions of Africa." Then provide students with brown butcher paper and earth tone crayons and have them create their own Senufo style drawings in the traditional Senufo palette.
Jackie Robinson Shirt
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Introduce students to black baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson by reading a picture book such as "Young Jackie Robinson, Baseball Hero." Discuss the life of Jackie Robinson and talk about his contributions to baseball. Then provide students with white paper cut-out "shirts" and have them re-create Jackie Robinson's baseball jersey by using sponge letters to spell out "Dodgers" in blue paint. Finish the shirts by gluing a picture of Jackie Robinson under the letters.
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"I Have A Dream" Craft Project
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This art project is perfect for a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Give each student a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. to color in. Then provide students with cut-out cloud shapes and instruct them to glue cotton balls onto them to create a "dream" thought bubble. For the final step, hole-punch two holes in the bottom of the cloud and two in the top of the Martin Luther King, Jr. picture and use yarn to hang the picture below the cloud shape.
Dream Quilt
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A dream quilt is another art activity that is perfect for a unit on Martin Luther King, Jr. Discuss the "I Have a Dream" speech with students, and talk about their dreams and what it means to have a dream. Then talk a little about quilts and show images of traditional African American quilt patterns. For the art project, give each student a small piece of construction paper and have them draw their "dream" for the future on it. Assemble the construction paper pieces on a bulletin board to make a "Dream Quilt."
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References
- Photo Credit art student image by feisty from Fotolia.com
