The 6th grade is exploring Ancient Civilizations and cuneiform writing came up as a topic. The students used air dry clay to create tablets that will hopefully stand up on display. They used their Ipads to look up the alphabet and used a small wooden tool to write their names on the tablets. They rolled out the clay and designed ways to make them stand up without toppling over. 

The kids loved these finished projects. After leaving them in the art room for a week to dry, they came running in the next week, looking for their baby owls. I wanted to give them a project where they could be creative and add some texture because later in the year, I really want the students to use their creativity to add texture and materials to their paintings. We used old cardboard tubes and bent the ears down to make the tufts of the owl's head. We did talk about the parts of the owl...the tufts, the talons, the wings. I put a slit on the top of the tube and a slit on the bottom for the students to tuck their yarn into after wrapping it around the tube. Some did this easily, others had a hard time, so, it was a good project to get them used to using their fingers for small tasks. They then designed their own beaks and feet, and used painted papers to add wings. We added eyes with glue. 

This was a 2 week project. It was easier to show the students the steps with a YouTube video. Google Van Gogh DIY on YouTube: Vincent Van Gogh Art Project for Kids | Pop up Chair | Art lesson for Kids - YouTube They could see the basics of the project on the screen better with this. After watching the first few minutes, I then instructed them to design a chair like Van Gogh and to decorate the room as they wanted. They only had to add one thing of Van Gogh's in the rooms. They were really creative: a Starry Night rug, a vase of sunflowers, a window with Starry Night. They turned out amazing. More photos to follow. These are the beginnings.