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Firefly Art Project

by on August 18, 2010 in Art, Art Projects, First Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K

Lighted Firefly Mural

This activity was created as a follow-up to the story “The Very Lonely Firefly”. It was developed as a fun way to display fireflies in your classroom. This mural is so sweet it will surely “light up” the hearts of you and your kids!

Recommended Grade Level: PreK-1

Supplies Needed:

Firefly Printable (replica taken from the book)

Crayons, markers, or paints (Warning! Markers and paint provide beautiful, vibrant color for the fireflies, but can cover the cutting lines for students to see.)

glue

scissors

black paint

brushes

hand-held hole punch

X-Acto knife

white Christmas lights

large piece of cardboard (Small pieces can also be used to make panels. You will want to connect them all with string.)

tape

an outlet

Directions:

Paint one side of the cardboard black and allow to dry. Print out the “Firefly” printable. Have each student color/paint and cut out. *For students with fine motor difficulties, this piece is detailed. Pre-cutting the firefly or just its arms is an option for those students. Place a few of the cut out fireflies on the cardboard to get an idea of how you want to arrange them. Once you have an idea, use the X-Acto knife to punch holes in the cardboard (not too big, you want each bulb to fit snug in its hole). A hole will also need to be punched in each firefly (at the center of the “tail”-where it would glow). Have students assist with gluing their firefly onto the cardboard. Make sure to line up the hole in the firefly to the hole in the cardboard. Once all of the fireflies have been added, add the Christmas lights. The light cord will remain behind the cardboard. Individual light bulbs should be gently pushed through each of the holes. The hole should be tight enough already to hold each bulb without support. If needed, apply tape to the backside of the cardboard to attach the cord and hold the bulb in place. Stand the cardboard up and either lean it against the wall or attach it with tacks. You are now ready for the big moment! Make sure you have pre-checked the lights to ensure that they all work. Gather the children, turn off the classroom lights, plug in your Christmas lights, and voila! A beautiful display of fireflies! At that point, children may enjoy listening to the story The Very Lonely Firefly again or to some peaceful music.

*Never leave Christmas lights unattended when on.

Mixed-Up Chameleon Art Project

by on August 18, 2010 in Art, Art Projects, First Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K

This activity was created as a follow-up to the story “The Mixed-Up Chameleon”. Using pictures from the book, students can make their own mixed-up chameleon. Due to the large amount of cutting involved for this activity, pieces can be pre-cut for students. Chameleon printables could also be colored, cut and laminated. Then used as a center where students can manipulate the pieces while viewing the book.

Recommended Grade Level: PreK-1

Supplies Needed:

Mixed-Up Chameleon Printables (1 per child):

Mixed-up Chameleon

Chameleon Pieces 1

Chameleon Pieces 2

Crayons, markers or paints

Glue

Scissors

8 X 11 piece of card stock (1 per child)

Directions:

Print and distribute a copy of the Mixed-Up Chameleon Set to each child. Allow students time to color and cut out the pieces. Not all of the pieces have to be cut. Students can decide how they want their Chameleon to look and cut out just those pieces. Younger students may need help identifying which pieces to cut. Assist them by marking those pieces with a pencil. Once the pieces have been cut, students can have fun arranging their pieces on their Chameleon. Pieces can then be glued to the card stock.

The Very Busy Spider Art Project

by on July 7, 2010 in Art, Art Projects, First Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K

This activity was created as a follow-up to the story “The Very Busy Spider”. Keep things simple or spice things up by following the directions under “Modifications”.

Recommended Grade Level: PreK-1

Supplies Needed:

Very Busy Spider Printable

Crayons, markers, or paints

Glue (liquid in bottle)

Scissors

Paper plate

Directions:

Using the “Very Busy Spider” printable, have children cut out the head, body and legs of the spider. Next, the head and the body should be colored using either crayons, markers, or paints (or all three!). While the spider dries, have students draw lines on the outside of the paper plate to form a web. Direct students to the web in the book-the design and how the spider made each piece. Next, students will use a bottle of glue to form a line of glue over the lines they used for the web. Once dry, students will be able to feel the web just as they can in the actual book! Finally, have students glue the spider’s legs on. The spider can then be added to the web. I like to give each child a small piece of sticky adhesive (I can’t remember the name of that stuff that is like gum) so they can move their spider around the web.

Motifications:

I love how Eric Carle created the look of his spider in the book. To get the look, use the printable on card stock so it is sturdy. Provide children with scraps of fabric or magazine pages to glue on and decorate their spider. The legs could also be covered or substituted with pipe cleaners. Assist children in twisting more than one cleaner together to form thick legs like the spider in the book.

Father’s Day Craft

by on June 17, 2010 in Art, Art Projects, Kindergarten, Pre-K

This simple little activity is not only fun, but it can be used as a way to assess your students’ ability to create a pattern.

Supplies Needed:

  • Shirt Pattern Worksheet (1 per child)
  • buttons (a variety that is suitable for pattern making)
  • glue (in cups with brushes-optional)
  • construction paper (1 piece per child)
  • scissors

Directions:

Print out the “Shirt Pattern” worksheet for each child. Provide a variety of buttons. Depending on the age of your students and the time, you can have the buttons presorted or have the children do that. Instruct students to make a pattern on the front of the shirt using the buttons. Once their pattern has been checked by an adult, provide some glue (I like to put liquid glue in a cup and have the children brush the glue on items for less mess and waste). Students can then color their shirts making more patterns by drawing horizontal or vertical lines with varying colors. Another fun idea would be to use small stamps or stickers to create designs on the shirt. Once dry, have students cut out their shirts and paste onto the front of a folded piece of construction paper for a cute Father’s Day card.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Art Activity

by on August 13, 2009 in Art, Art Projects, First Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K

The Very Hungry Caterpillar:

This is a simple art project that uses multiple textures.

Recommended Grade Level: PreK-1

Materials:

  • Cardboard egg cartons (Take one egg carton and cut in half length-wise where the eggs would sit in to make two cardboard strips. Each rounded strip will be a caterpillar. Plan ahead and ask parents to donate.)
  • Green WASHABLE paint
  • Smocks
  • Paintbrushes
  • Red pipe cleaners
  • Small wiggly eyes  (2 per child)

Procedure:

The painting can be done in a small group setting. After each child has painted the outside of their egg carton, I have them stick on the eyes-the wet paint will act as glue. Once completely dry, each pipe cleaner is stuck into the top of the caterpillars head. The ends can then be rounded to look more like antennae. Also, the ends should be bent on the underside of the caterpillar so they don’t slip out. Students can then draw a small smiling mouth on their little friend.