My kindergarteners ended the year making books. We read the book "One" by Kathryn Otoshi. It is an excellent art book that also shares a great anti-bullying message. The characters in the book are colors. The color Blue is feeling bad because the color Red is mean. Red is mean to all the colors until One shows up and stands up to Red. As all the colors join One, they also turn into numbers...they "count." So the overall message is "everyone counts."
When I first read the book, I wasn't sure if the kindergarten brain would compute the double meanings in the story. I was proven wrong. Some were a little slower to catch on, but the vast majority got it right away and absolutely loved the book. The other really great part was the conversation it sparked. At one point, the author describes why Blue likes each color--yellow is sunny, orange is outgoing, purple is regal, etc. When it came to Red, I asked students what they guessed Red would be and why didn't Blue like Red? Their answers were so amazing. Some said Red would be hot, angry. One student said that red is the color of a stop sign, so he probably tells the other colors to "stop" all the time. Two students in different classes (amazingly) said that Blue is like water and Red is fire or lava so if they get too close "blue will put red out" and he won't be there any more. This part of the project, in my mind, was more beneficial than the actual art work. It was a good reminder to me, that having a chance to voice these ideas with their peers in a comfortable environment leads to more growth than the actual art project. No need to rush through the story or the project just to get them moving. (This was true at the end of kindergarten anyway, in the fall, no chance. :) )
One of the projects First Graders ended the year with was a paper weaving project. I found this lesson on Artsonia and adapted slightly. They made Bugs in Rugs. First, students made a design on a full 12x18 piece of paper. They used rubbing plates, stencils, etc. Next, they used rulers to draw straight vertical lines across their paper. Some also numbered each strip. After making their paper "loom," students started weaving. The numbers on the strips helped a lot and was a good math connection. If they wove the strips in order, the weaving pattern was easily figured out. Students new they were on the right track if they could only see odd numbers at the bottom of their page.
When weavings were finished, they made bugs. I had ordered a couple boxes of Stick Its--basically colorful packing peanuts, the kind that dissolve in water--and hadn't come up with a good use for them. Turns out they are great for making little things like bugs. Students also used pipe cleaners for legs and sequins for eyes and decoration. All in all, the project went really well. For some students the weaving was really tough, but making bugs made up for it. For me, it was a good lesson in differentiation. When in doubt add an extra fun step like this--even if it is just cute for the sake of cute.
