You have a class full of kids and too much free time. What can you do to
fill the gap so you don’t lose control? Art! Try these flexible, inexpensive
and easy art projects with your 1st - 3rd graders.
All About Me Book
Materials Needed: paper, crayons or markers, cardboard, decorations
(stickers, wallpaper, contact paper, glitter, beads, etc.), a hammer and nail
Fold four white pieces of paper in half to make a book. Be specific about
what should go on each page, including what types of pictures you’d like to see
and how much writing should be included. For first grade, one sentence per page
is enough. Third graders could do whole paragraphs if you wish. Pages might
include family, friends, hobbies, pets, house, school, church, and of course a
picture of the author. It’s a good idea to assign the last page as the
"about the author" page. Be sure to let the kids know that they need
to leave a little room on the left for the margin. You will be tying the book
together and anything on the left inch or so will be covered up. Make the book
special by using cardboard for the cover. Precut the cardboard - two pieces for
each book (front and back). Let the kids decorate it with contact paper,
wallpaper, stickers, or just markers. To put the book together, take the book
outside, lay it in some grass and use the hammer and nail to punch three holes
through the entire book. Tie the book together with twine or string.
Hand Print Trees
Materials Needed: construction paper, scissors, glue, decorations
Cut out the shape of a tree trunk and branches from brown paper. Let kids
trace and cut out their hand prints from a variety of construction paper
colors. The hand prints can be glued on to the tree trunk as the leaves of the
tree. Add any decorations you like.
Use 8x11 paper to make Pocket Books about anything you like. Hold the paper
lengthways, then fold up the bottom portion to make a pocket. Staple the pocket
in place. Make several pockets, then staple the left side of the pockets
together to make a book. You can then put papers or other small items in the
pockets to fill it up. Ideas for filling up your pockets include descriptive
writing about nature and a collection of leaves, drawings of friends and an
index card collection of autographs or photographs, a collection of research
materials for a special project, or homework items for each subject in school.
Be creative to come up with your own ideas!
No Bake Applesauce/Cinnamon Ornaments
Materials Needed: applesauce, cinnamon, wax paper, large bowl or a bunch of
small baggies, cookie cutters
Ornaments aren’t just for the winter holidays. You can make ornaments any
time of year! Here’s an easy (but messy!) one to try, and it smells great too.
Mix equal parts applesauce and cinnamon. Stir and mush it around in a bowl
until it forms a dough. If you have a lot of kids doing the project, you could
put the ingredients into baggies, close the baggies and let the kids knead it
through the plastic. Once the dough is formed, shape it or use cookie cutters
to create any shape you want. Once the desired shape is formed, lay it to dry
on some wax paper. No baking needed! But here are a couple of quick tips - if
the shape is flat (like one made from a cookie cutter), be sure it is not too
thin or it will break easily. If it is thick (like balls), it will probably
need several days to dry completely.
Cut tissue paper into squares (rectangles won’t work as well). Fan fold
several sheets of tissue paper together, either all one color or alternating
colors. In the center of the fan fold, pinch the tissue together and secure it
with a chenille stick. Use another stick as the stem of the flower. Once the
chenille sticks are in place, unfold the tissue paper "petals" to
reveal your flower.
Sock Puppet
Materials Needed: long socks, fabric glue, scraps of felt and other fabrics
of all colors, scissors
Put the socks on your hands to see where the face might be. Decide what kind
of puppet you are making - is it a person, animal, monster, or alien? Cut
pieces of fabric (felt works really well) into the shapes you need for eyes,
nose, tongue, hair, or ears. Glue the pieces onto the sock with fabric glue and
allow to dry. An added activity would be to write a skit or puppet play for
your puppets to perform.
Mask
paper plates, glue, crayons or markers, construction paper, fabric,
decorations, scissors
Use white paper plates to create masks of any kind. You can add bits of
glitter, construction paper, beads or material to decorate the mask into
anything you want it to be. Punch holes on the sides and tie with yarn to
fasten the mask.
Diorama
shoe-box or other medium sized box, glue, construction paper, scissors,
crayons or markers, string, decorations
Turn an ordinary box into an extraordinary scene! Cut out shapes of people,
animals, and scenery to glue inside the box. Use string to attach any hanging
objects, such as birds, stars, or planets. Glue down scenery to the back of the
box, such as mountains, the city, or the sky. Be creative with materials such
as fuzz balls, Styrofoam balls, paperclips, or anything to make your scene come
to life.
Use tempera paint to decorate rocks into monsters, aliens, or paperweights
to keep or give away. Paint one side of the rock, then allow to dry on some
newspaper. Paint the other side of the rock when the first side is completely
dry. Use a felt marker to add your initials or signature to the bottom.
Optional: add a clear acrylic varnish to make the rock shiny. Hint: add a drop
of liquid dishwashing detergent to your tempera paint before painting to keep
the paint from cracking when it dries.
Paper Mache Globe
Materials Needed: Balloons, Paper Mache Mixture (recipe below), newspaper
strips, blue and green tempera paint, paint brushes, markers, a globe to look
at for a reference
Paper Mache recipe:
Mix 1 cup of flour with one cup of water until the mixture is thin and
runny. Add the mixture to four cups of boiling water, stir for about 3 minutes.
Dip newspaper strips into the paper mache mixture. It doesn’t need to be
dripping, so wipe of any extra with your fingers. Wrap the balloon with the
strips. Let it dry after each layer - you’ll need about three layers of
newspaper for the balloon to become hard. Let the whole thing dry completely
for a few days before adding any paint. When it’s dry, use pencils to sketch
out the continents on your globe. Once you have it exactly as you want it,
paint one side of the globe. Let it dry overnight, then paint the other side.
Use markers to label the continents on your globe.