Watermelon Paper Craft

Here's an adorable summer craft if you're looking to keep your kiddos at home entertained, or maybe teach a summer camp. These were made by the after school kids at my school- their teachers often do cute crafts and art projects with them. Projects like these really help younger students strengthen their fine motor skills.

All you need is: coloured copy paper or cardstock or construction paper, scissors, glue stick, black markers.

Looks like they might have found instructions for the craft HERE. There is a template provided. 

These were made by Kindergarten students- so cute!

 

Rose Windows- Faux Stained Glass

Rose windows are particularly characteristic of Gothic architecture and may be seen in all the major Gothic Cathedrals of Northern France. 

When it comes to famous windows, few are quite as vivid as the Rose Windows in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. This is a great lesson on symmetry and colour symbolism.

The cathedral is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 and was largely completed by 1260. The cathedral is a widely recognized symbol of the city of Paris and the French nation. 

Every detail of the Rose Windows was carefully planned to give a message to onlookers. The colors chosen hold specific meaning that just about anyone viewing them at the time they were built would understand. 

While the Rose Windows of Notre Dame are strikingly beautiful, the art form used there was made to inform as much as it was to please the eye. The general population at the time they were built was illiterate, and they relied on pictures and symbols to tell them stories that they were unable to read. Much of the art from this time was used to impart religious lessons and stories to the common people, most of it referring to the bible. This is why some of the most intricate and representative art from this time is found in these beautiful cathedrals.

To make these faux stained glass rose windows, start by tracing two circles- one on parchment paper and one on black construction paper (I prefer Tru Ray as it's a rich black colour).

You will create a collage of colours onto the parchment paper using watered down white glue and tissue paper. Some of my students wanted their shapes to have their own specific colours so they cut them out and glued them behind each cut out which is much more time consuming.

Once everything is glued down nice and smoothly, fold your black circle in half three times and cut out shapes- just like what one would do for a paper snowflake.

Then, using dots of white glue, carefully glue the black paper on top of the tissue background (you might need to trim the tissue paper down a bit so it doesn't show) and place heavy boards or books on top to really seal it all together nicely. Put between wax paper in case some glue seeps out. 

I laminated all of my students work so they are much more durable. 

Fair warning, when these are hung in a window (they look gorgeous)- the sun WILL fade the colours significantly.

These were made by Grade 4,5 6 students. As you can see, none used the 'kaleidoscope' method I showed them above, lol. They all wanted each shape to have a distinct colour!

 

Russian Matryoshka Doll Drawings

This is a great sub lesson as it uses very simple materials yet keeps the students engaged. It's also a great Global Arts lesson (traditional Russian craft) as well as teaching the art elements of pattern and shape and colour. 

See my previous post about these HERE.

I grew up having a set of matryoshka dolls which I absolutely adorned and was just this year, gifted a GORGEOUS set by one of my students who is originally from the region. There's something about opening up the set that is so magical and then closing it up and trying to line it all up perfectly is really satisfying.

I found a template online HERE for matryoshka dolls. I believe the original lesson for this (a card) is from HERE. The bodies and faces are separate. I enlarged it onto 11x17" photocopy paper. You could also use cardstock. I did this lesson with a mixed grade class from 4 - 6. I showed them a slideshow of different types of matryoshka dolls and we discussed the characteristics and the history of them. 

Matryoshka dolls, also known as nesting dolls or Russian dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. The name matryoshka, mainly known as "little matron", is a diminutive form of Matryosha (Матрёша), in turn a diminutive of the Russian female first name Matryona.

History

The first Russian nested doll set was carved in 1890 at the Children's Education Workshop by Vasily Zvyozdochkin and designed by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter in the Abramtsevo estate of Savva Mamontov, a Russian industrialist and patron of arts. Mamontov's brother, Anatoly Ivanovich Mamontov (1839–1905), created the Children's Education Workshop to make and sell children's toys. The doll set was painted by Malyutin. Malyutin's doll set consisted of eight dolls—the outermost was a mother in a traditional dress holding a red-combed rooster. The inner dolls were her children, girls and a boy, and the innermost a baby.  Savva Mamontov's wife presented the dolls at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, where the toy earned a bronze medal. Soon after, matryoshka dolls were being made in several places in Russia and shipped around the world.

Themes

Matryoshka dolls are often designed to follow a particular theme; for instance, peasant girls in traditional dress. Originally, themes were often drawn from tradition or fairy tale characters, in keeping with the craft tradition—but since the late 20th century, they have embraced a larger range, including Russian leaders. Common themes of matryoshkas are floral and relate to nature. 

STEPS

I have some actual examples of the dolls- they were passed around so students could play with them. You can find these at Eastern European import stores or, if you're lucky, thrifting! I always keep an eye out for them and get super excited if I find one as they can be quite expensive when bought brand new. So far I've only found one but it only had one doll inside, so definitely not a complete set.

Then students start sketching out their designs directly on the template. They could do either traditional designs or something more contemporary of their choice. Draw the faces, then cut them out and glue them onto the bodies.

Outline everything in fine tip Sharpie once finished drawing.

Colour in: I give the choice of coloured pencils or markers but I do prefer the look of markers. 

Cut all the pieces out. The bodies are connected on the template because  it's meant to be a folded standing card. But I didn't do that but feel free to do it that way!

Then glue onto construction paper. This helps give a sturdier background.

And bubble cut around that.

Some finished artworks: Grades 4,5 and 6

this was a political parody

 

 

Negative Space Painting: Monstera Leaf

Last project of the year I managed to squeeze in, I don't know how!  This is a brilliant project from 

Art Room Britt that uses up the painted paper placemats we use all year to protect our tables. 

I use 12 x 18" construction paper. By the end of the year, they're all textured and cool looking.

I actually have a huge monstera in my classroom. It's my own plant from home but it got too big so I brought it into my classroom. So I was able to use that to really show the kids the leaves. 

I did this project with a whole bunch of students: Grades 4,5,6,7,8 and 9!!

First they practiced drawing a monstera leaf cutting in a glass of water.

Then they sketched it onto the paper placemat. Use a dark pencil so it actually shows up.

Then paint the background, or negative space around it, with white acrylic. 

We definitely needed two layers of paint with my student grade acrylic. 

Once dry, they outlined it all with coloured pencils in a dark tone like navy blue or dark purple.

Not everyone managed to finish but some did!