Trying to include a variety of cutting and pasting projects while making them fun is sometimes a challenge but not this week! We reviewed the story of Peter Rabbit and his adventure in the garden then drew our garden with the rabbit family and Mr. McGreggor. For the garden we did a cut and paste project using seed cataloges to supply the vegetables. They did a great job and had a pretty good time. Not a bad way to build a skill too.
I was a bit afraid this would be too hard for the kindergarteners but they jumped on the idea of a project that moved. We talked about futuristic craft but it was clear to most of them that this was a helicopter. They were given a tp tube, a panel from an egg carton, a tooth pick, and some tissue paper. They constucted the crafts then decorated them. Another project using fine motor skills while keeping their imaginations going.
We started with a book about the Chisholm trail then talked about longhorns we had seen before launching into creating our own from paper bags. First we stuffed torn newspaper into the bags to give them some shape and scrunched the end into a nose finishing with a staple. We added ears and faces then made the "long horns" out of a chenille stem and taped it onto the top of the bag. A few of the students added mouths and other details that they felt the longhorn needed to have. We ran out of time before the bags got tails. Interesting way to focus on the history of Texas.
We began with a box of items that had the potential for some kind of new life or a quick toss into the green bucket. It is really interesting to hear what common items could be reused as according to the class. Each table then was given a blank sheet of poster board and the fun began--everyone's mind when blank as the board then they created signage which made its way to the front hall. They were able to envision old fashioned telephones, flowers, garden boxes, helicopters and a decsion that some things are just "trash."
Everyone in the class has been begging to try sculpting and was not too excited about doing a simple basket so we tried our hand at dragons. It took 3 weeks of classes to create them but we had to work for it. Next week we paint them. We had quite a few things to learn about the clay process so it was a really great project to do. We had to find the "exactly right" amount of moisture to use to form the shapes and attach one to another. We had to figure out how thick or thin the parts could be and still hold their form. We used toothpicks as supports to keep heads balanced while drying. It was a bit hard to get past the ugly stage for most of the little ones but when we add paint they will really come to life.
I did this project last year with the kindergarten and it is hard to start but once they get going we get bouquets. We used styrofoam egg cups, fun foam pieces, tissue paper, and chenille stems. It is a complicated finger project for most of the kids to push the stem end through the various pieces and they struggle a bit. Although I show them how to punch the egg cups, it is an AH! moment when they do it themselves and it works. I heard all kinds of directions from one student to another as they worked on the project and showed off what was working for them. The flowers are colorful and a real hit.